By Brett Kessler Green Right Now For many people, it’s difficult
to believe that aeroponics — a type of soil-less farming
featured in old episodes of Star Trek — is not science fiction.
The reality is that this technology is already changing the
agricultural landscape of the world, and companies such as
AeroFarms, founded in 2004 by New York scientist Ed Harwood, are
working to accelerate that change. Because it requires no soil,
aeroponics is ideal for urban environments and other places
unsuited for conventional agriculture. As Dr. Harwood sees it,
delicate plants, suspended in mid air, are one vital face of
urban farming. The benefits of this type of farming — for
plants, for you, for the environment — can be huge. Gone are the
dangers associated with pesticides and soil contamination, and
the massive quantities of coal and oil used to transport fruits
and vegetables across the country. Plants are grown in austere,
compact support structures, their roots sprayed with a nutrient-
rich mist carefully formulat