but this old industrial neighborhood

is an agricultural oasis.

Inside this former laser tag arena,

about 250 kinds of leafy greens are growing in huge quantities,

to be sold to local supermarkets and restaurants.

This is AeroFarms, a massive indoor vertical farm in Newark, New Jersey.

DAVID ROSENBERG: Our mission is to build farms in cities

all over the world so people have access

to fresh, great tasting, highly nutritious food.

NARRATOR: Crops are stacked more than 30 feet high

inside this 30,000 square foot space.

They're grown using aeroponic technology.

DAVID ROSENBERG: Typically in indoor growing,

the roots sit in water and one tries to oxygenate the water.

Our key inventor realized that if we mist nutrition to the root structure,

then the roots have a better oxygenation.

NARRATOR: AeroFarms says the root misting

system allows them to use 95% less water than a regular field farm.

They also use no pesticides or herbicides.

Instead of soil, plants are grown in reusable cloth,

made from recycled plastic.

And instead of the sun, there are rows and rows

of specialized LED lighting.

DAVID ROSENBERG: A lot of people say, sunless?

Wait, plants need sun.

In fact, the plants don't need yellow spectrum,

so we're able to reduce our energy

footprint by doing things like reducing certain types of spectrum.

NARRATOR: This sophisticated climate

controlled system cuts the growing cycle in half,

so crops can be grown all year round,

but with a much smaller impact on the environment.

DAVID ROSENBERG: There's all these stresses on our planet.

70% of our fresh water contamination comes from agriculture.

70% of our fresh water usage goes to agriculture.

One third of our arable land has been

degraded in the last 40 years.

All these macro trends point to the fact

that we need a new way to feed our planet.

NARRATOR: One of the early champions of vertical farming

is Columbia University ecologist Dickson Despommier.

In 1999, Despommier and his students

proposed that vertical farms could feed overpopulated cities

while using less land and less water.

They would also cut greenhouse gases by eliminating the need to transport food over long distances.

And the idea is finally taking root.

Over the past few years, vertical farms

have sprouted all over the world,

including in Vancouver, Singapore, Panama,

the UK, and around the US.

Here in Newark, AeroFarms is building out another new farm

in a former steel mill, one that's

bigger than a football field.

Once it's fully operational,

it's expected to produce two million pounds of greens a year

-- all grown vertically.

DAVID ROSENBERG: We listen to the plants

very carefully to try and understand

what they're telling us and try and optimize

all these different qualities of the plant.

It's a tough business, but it's one that's going to stay

and it's going to have a bigger and bigger impact.

NARRATOR: Do you think vertical farms will help solve our food production problems?

Let us know in the comments below.

And check out this next episode to see

how this major US city is striving to become zero waste.

ROBERT REED: When I started at Recology 23 years ago,

the recycling rate was around 38%.

Today, we've more than doubled that.

NARRATOR: So far, San Francisco has diverted 80% of its waste

away from landfills, and its success has

been getting global attention.

Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe for more Seeker Stories.