Architect Gabriella Funaro from听听(the National Agency for New Technology, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development), joined the FS 501 Food, Environment, and Society course to describe how ENEA works across sectors on a number of sustainability projects, including developments for solar thermodynamic energy, decarbonization projects, and biotechnology innovations. Funaro鈥檚 presentation, however, narrowed in on their vertical farm initiatives, which she described as one of the solutions to feeding a growing population in an increasingly urban environment.听
Funaro posited Agriculture 4.0鈥攁 term referring to the digitalization of the industry and inclusive of urban gardens鈥攁s an innovation that in the longer term might help meet the demands of a rising population, in a situation of land scarcity with the added complexity of mitigating climate change risks. These types of farms take many forms, including rooftop or community gardens, closed-cycle greenhouses,听听brought to life in abandoned buildings, or even portable vertical farms鈥攖he focus of her work. Given the global pervasiveness of cities and the loss of arable land today, Funaro detailed the practicalities of developing sustainable farming systems, fit to feed a population under the duress of climate change impacts.听
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