Dickson Despommier

The keynotes by Dickson Despommier take his career as a microbiologist, ecologist and professor of public health into account. Despommier teaches courses on parasitic diseases and medical ecology in the Environmental Health Sciences department in Columbia University.

His ideas on vertical farming, which was initially established as a theoretical concept, have been well publicized. The concept was conceived through a class project, which measured the effects of rooftop gardening in New York City, with an overall goal of reducing heat. The idea took a life of its own, eventually growing to include urban agriculture and multi-storey indoor farming. Ultimately, vertical farming explores the possibility of sustainable farming practices within cities.