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(E) · 04-07-2016, 04:28 AM

The U.N.W.F.P. Subterranean Agriculture long term viability program, AKA Salt
Description
At the end of the decaying road you come to an overhang of rock, a man made wall seamlessly extends a dozen meters up and twice that across. Recessed into an alcove is a door with no visible lock or handle.

Assumptions
- TL 9, Large complex.
- Dedicated to long term habitation.
- Rather than using on a whole range of techniques for each stage of the agricultural system the facility focuses on just one technique.
- Big money operation
- Skilled people involved
- Out of the way location
- Power generation is either a combination of solar and fission (requiring periodic refueling) or a geothermal bore.

Notes
- TL9 biotechnology provides lots of options so not all will be explored.
- This could just as easily be a subterranean farm attached to a larger facility.

Tank production
These are large facilities that house multiple high surface area vats (Most photosynthetic algae only grows in the first 75mm of water).
- Algae for bio-fuel, alcohol and plastics.
- Algae for animal food.
- Algae for backup food.
- Fungal protein.
- Algae and bacteria for filtration purposes.
- Waste processing.
- Atmospheric processing (depending on End)

Crops
The crops are grown in a "Bio system" to maintain a complex environment. This environmental complexity adds to the robustness and durability of the system. Most staple foods are grown in a steady rotation. Floating gardens incorporating algae, insects, invertebrates, fish and shellfish are the mainstay of the vegetable production system. Under precisely tuned lights long troughs of nutrient rich water are filled with a variety of cold tolerant fish and shellfish. In one end of the trough young plants are either placed in floating containers or are attached to floats if they suit a hydroponic approach. Each of the containers absorbs just the right amount of water for the plants and organisms within. GE endophytes on the plants steadily provide all the elements required for growth in the most easily absorbed form. Each new plant pushes the older plants closer to the far end of the trough. When the plants get to the far end of the trough the plant is harvested, the organisms within are fed to the fish and the growing medium is washed and cycles to a new growing system to avoid toxin buildup.

A mechanical version of this system is used for plants that desire a dryer climate or suit more intensive cultivation, cereals for example.

Mushroom farms are present as well as a range of more traditional gardens growing medically useful plants.

Orchards
Perennials are grown and trained into espalier (to grow flat against the wall) along many interior walls. The lighting system adds light in the green spectrum whenever people are present. GE Insects are present including subterranean bees (a solitary variety). You can walk along a pleasantly leafy corridor and pick fruit year round. The perennials grown in a gravely medium that allows nutrient rich water to flow freely through.

Livestock
The use of frozen sperm, eggs and embryos results in a "four dimensional" breeding program to maintain viable genetic material for the widest range of animals possible, for example a cow has artificial insemination to produce a calf, the embryo/zygote of this calf is extracted and stored while an unrelated calf extracted 20 years before is implanted in its place. This will maintain the genetic health and diversity for many times longer than mere freezing.
Feed lots are maintained for all commonly farmed species and several useful non farmed species.

Mineral extraction
Plants need the following elements, nitrogen, phosphorus , potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, nickel. Nitrogen is extracted form the air by GE bacteria, the small losses that the biosystem's make are covered to some extent by water-blasting the local bedrock. But no closed system is perfect and sooner of later someone will have to get more.

Skills present
All TL9 relating to plants and animals.

Produces
- Food, lots of it, no need for food preservation with refrigeration and abundance though.
- Genetics,
- Bio-fuel and plastics
- Poisons
- medicine
- Soil
- Full range of animal products

Requires
- Raw materials
- Knowledge of the outside world and samples
- Fissionable materials if it relies on a reactor
- Sulfur and a small amount of water if no Geothermal bore is present,
- Oddly enough, Salt
- Some types of manufacturing equipment

04-07-2016, 04:28 AM	#15
(E) Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: New Zealand.	Re: [ATE] Farming example The U.N.W.F.P. Subterranean Agriculture long term viability program, AKA Salt Description At the end of the decaying road you come to an overhang of rock, a man made wall seamlessly extends a dozen meters up and twice that across. Recessed into an alcove is a door with no visible lock or handle. Assumptions - TL 9, Large complex. - Dedicated to long term habitation. - Rather than using on a whole range of techniques for each stage of the agricultural system the facility focuses on just one technique. - Big money operation - Skilled people involved - Out of the way location - Power generation is either a combination of solar and fission (requiring periodic refueling) or a geothermal bore. Notes - TL9 biotechnology provides lots of options so not all will be explored. - This could just as easily be a subterranean farm attached to a larger facility. Tank production These are large facilities that house multiple high surface area vats (Most photosynthetic algae only grows in the first 75mm of water). - Algae for bio-fuel, alcohol and plastics. - Algae for animal food. - Algae for backup food. - Fungal protein. - Algae and bacteria for filtration purposes. - Waste processing. - Atmospheric processing (depending on End) Crops The crops are grown in a "Bio system" to maintain a complex environment. This environmental complexity adds to the robustness and durability of the system. Most staple foods are grown in a steady rotation. Floating gardens incorporating algae, insects, invertebrates, fish and shellfish are the mainstay of the vegetable production system. Under precisely tuned lights long troughs of nutrient rich water are filled with a variety of cold tolerant fish and shellfish. In one end of the trough young plants are either placed in floating containers or are attached to floats if they suit a hydroponic approach. Each of the containers absorbs just the right amount of water for the plants and organisms within. GE endophytes on the plants steadily provide all the elements required for growth in the most easily absorbed form. Each new plant pushes the older plants closer to the far end of the trough. When the plants get to the far end of the trough the plant is harvested, the organisms within are fed to the fish and the growing medium is washed and cycles to a new growing system to avoid toxin buildup. A mechanical version of this system is used for plants that desire a dryer climate or suit more intensive cultivation, cereals for example. Mushroom farms are present as well as a range of more traditional gardens growing medically useful plants. Orchards Perennials are grown and trained into espalier (to grow flat against the wall) along many interior walls. The lighting system adds light in the green spectrum whenever people are present. GE Insects are present including subterranean bees (a solitary variety). You can walk along a pleasantly leafy corridor and pick fruit year round. The perennials grown in a gravely medium that allows nutrient rich water to flow freely through. Livestock The use of frozen sperm, eggs and embryos results in a "four dimensional" breeding program to maintain viable genetic material for the widest range of animals possible, for example a cow has artificial insemination to produce a calf, the embryo/zygote of this calf is extracted and stored while an unrelated calf extracted 20 years before is implanted in its place. This will maintain the genetic health and diversity for many times longer than mere freezing. Feed lots are maintained for all commonly farmed species and several useful non farmed species. Mineral extraction Plants need the following elements, nitrogen, phosphorus , potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, nickel. Nitrogen is extracted form the air by GE bacteria, the small losses that the biosystem's make are covered to some extent by water-blasting the local bedrock. But no closed system is perfect and sooner of later someone will have to get more. Skills present All TL9 relating to plants and animals. Produces - Food, lots of it, no need for food preservation with refrigeration and abundance though. - Genetics, - Bio-fuel and plastics - Poisons - medicine - Soil - Full range of animal products Requires - Raw materials - Knowledge of the outside world and samples - Fissionable materials if it relies on a reactor - Sulfur and a small amount of water if no Geothermal bore is present, - Oddly enough, Salt - Some types of manufacturing equipment __________________ Waiting for inspiration to strike...... And spending too much time thinking about farming for RPGs Contributor to Citadel at Nordvörn Last edited by (E); 04-07-2016 at 05:36 AM.