Bomb shelter turned into clean vegetable farm

Growing Underground Farm is located beneath the streets of Clapham, England.

Set up in an abandoned World War II bomb shelter, the vegetable farm produces herbs and salads for restaurants in the city. "The idea came from my interest in sustainability. It's the future of cities,"CNNRichard Ballard, co-founder of the farm, said yesterday.

With London’s property prices soaring, traditional vegetable farms have long been a thing of the past in the city. However, Ballard and partner Steven Dring came up with the idea of ​​moving the vegetable garden to a Clapham bunker they discovered while filming.

Located 33 metres below ground, the multi-storey bunker was built between 1940 and 1942 to protect 8,000 Londoners from Nazi bombing raids during World War II.

The bomb shelter was abandoned after the war. Ballard and Dring began operating the farm after receiving approval from Transport for London with more than $1 million in startup capital in 2014.

Vegetables are grown on recycled mats using soil-free hydroponics techniques. LED lighting provides light and heat.quantitynecessary for vegetables to grow. The lettuce and herbs grow very well but still not enough to meet the needs of local restaurants.

In the future, underground vegetables could be available in supermarkets and in the hands of ordinary people. "The bunk beds inside the tunnels were used during the war when London was bombed. Now we are using the same three- or four-tiered shelving system to supply food to London," Ballard said.

Growing Underground Farm also helps inspire farmers looking for innovative solutions to produce food where arable land is scarce.

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