3.2.

1 FOOD PRODUCTION

Agriculture onboard Astoria must provide the residents and the tourists with their nutritional requirements but also supply sufficiently varied and interesting diet to prevent boredom with the available food. However these to two aspects have to be taken care in a limited amount of space. For this Astoria will use Hydroponics(soil less agriculture) to cater to the nutritional needs of the people. Most commonly Hydroponics uses nutrition rich solution to grow crops. It is an advantageous method of growing crops for domestic as well as commercial use.

The following table illustrates the annual requirement of 15000 people:

S. No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Crops Rice Wheat Vegetables Fruits Potatoes Tomatoes Corn Soybeans

Annual requirement 6,84,375 12,31,875 37,61,325 25,73,250 9,47,175 9,05,565 3,04,167 8,34,850

Annual yield (per m. sq.)

Land requirement (m. sq.) 255.52 2678.36 226.3 5443.54 684.375 5496.00 561.38 4583.79 912.5 1038.00 985.5 918.88 273.5 1111.11 283.0 2950.00

Hence the total land requirement for food production comes out to be 24219.68(m sq.). Here we introduce the concept of Vertical Farming(VF), it is actually a conceptual form of agriculture in which crops are grown in an vertical building known as a Vertical Farm.

Advantages of Vertical Farming: [Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres).] VF holds the promise of no crop failures due to problems created by weather like droughts, floods. All VF food will be grown organically employing chemically defined diets specific to each plant and animal species: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. VF eliminates agricultural runoff. VF would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface by avoiding use of human feces as fertilizer for edible crops. VF converts black and gray water into potable water by engineering the collection of the water realized through evapotranspiration. VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals. VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.). VF eliminates much of the need for storage and preservation. VF could be used for the large-scale production of sugar (sucrose) to be used in the revolutionary new method for the production of non-polluting gasoline.

We would construct two vertical farms in our settlement one in each torus in 5000 sq ft(2500 for each farm). Each farm will have 11 floors(ground level office,labs,retail + 10 production levels). These vertical farms will be able to produce food enough to feed the population of Astoria and storage purposes.

Lighting is very important for growing crops. In case of vertical farming 100% artificial lighting such as Incandascent plant grow lights, Flourescent plant grow lights, high intensity discharge metal halide lamps etc. will be used . We will also use Controlled Environment Agriculture(CEA) lighting systems supplemented by water cooled bulbs which can be placed very close to the plants without any heat damage to the crops.

Nutrient solution is very important for the crops. Its pH will be maintained between 5 to 6.5 and all the basic minerals like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, nitrogen source, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, chlorine, sulphur etc.will be present in it and all the utilized nutrient solution will be recycled for its reuse.

Plants will be utilizing CO2 to produce food by photosynthesis. They will exhale oxygen in the process which is essential for life support system on Astoria. Temperature and Humidity will be maintained by Condensing Heat Exchanger(CHX)[see Section 3.2.5D]. Another consideration for vertical farming is air circulation. This prevents fungal diseases and allows the plants to draw out the necessary CO2 they require[see Section 3.2.5E]

Aggregate systems use some form of inert material to support plant roots. The most common used materials are rockwool, clay pebbles and gravel, perlite, vermiculite, sand or foam chips. The media provides plant support, allows good air penetration to the roots and yet retain a thin layer of nutrients and water around the roots. One of the most common systems using an aggregate media is the Flood and Drain method. A water holding container is filled with the aggregates. The container is flooded periodically with the nutrient solution. The solution is drained back into the nutrient reservoir through a valve at the bottom of the container.

Total area required for poultry will be 1,57,890 m2.Poultry farming just like agriculture will be done in both the torus. Taking into account the requirement of the non-vegetarians living in Astoria the following animals will be kept in poultry:

A. Animal Products:

Animal Fish Chicken Rabbit Cattle

No./Person 2.3 5.1 2.9 1.3

Area/Animal(m2) 0.1 0.13 0.4 4

Total Area (m2) 39000 12090 16800 90000

After harvesting of crops and slaughtering of livestock, it will be sent to the Hygienic Food Processing Unit(HFPU) for packaging and canning[see Section 3.2.1C].

B. STORAGE SYSTEM ON ASTORIA

In case of any crop failure or low availability Astoria will be providing a backup of blah blah months, so that we have enough amount of food till we import it from Earth. It will be installed within the agricultural modules present on both the torri. The storage area of Astroia will be equipped with Tempratures and Humidity control devices. This device will force the warm stale air out and CO2 rich air will be drawn in through the vents. This device will be cycled by a timer or will be connected with a Thermostat or Envorinment control device. Ideally the storage system should have humidity around 15% or less, otherwise there will be chances of microbial growth. The stores will also be installed will pest control devices. Proper artificial lighting would be done in the storage area. There will be separate compartments for dairy products and food for the livestock.

Ships reaching Astoria will require provision for food and water. Astoria will provide all the facilities sufficient for year long voyages for one cargo ship every week with a 20 person crew and one 500 passenger ship every three months.

C. PROCESSING, PACKAGING, SUPPLY OF FOOD :

All the food items must be processed before they are supplied to the different modules on Asotria. They will be sent to the Hygienic Food Processing Unit where packaging of food will be done in the following steps:

Drying: In this step all the water content from the food item will be drawn out, which will make its storage much easier and minimize the chances of bacterial growth. Refrigeration: The food will be kept in vaccum packets in the refrigerator to reduce the chances of contamination. Pasteurization: It will be done to make milk and milk products safe for human consumption by destroying all the bacteria that may be harmful to health(Pathogens) and also to increase their life. It includes heating the product at a specific temperature(around 335K) Packaging: Its packaging has to be done hygienically keeping in mind the psychological concerns of the people. It will be packed in reusable containers (hydrated food containers). Supply: After Processing and Packaging the food will be supplied to the super market to reach its consumers.