Image from University of Nottingham
BY DAVID GROSSMAN FOR POPULAR MECHANICS
Abandoned coal mines are often held up as symbols of the changing state of climate or the economy. But academics at the University of Nottingham see in them the potential future of food. They’ve patented a new system revolving around what they call “deep farming”—turning old coal mines into fully functioning farms.
Deep farms would have advantages that current land-based farms lack, including a controlled climate uninfluenced by weather and no need for expensive farming equipment. They wouldn’t need to be built in coal mines, but the scientists see them as a perfect starting point.
“Tunnels and shafts would need less energy with heating, so are very attractive for food production. They’re almost perfect,” says Saffa Riffat of Nottingham, speaking to the BBC…
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