What's the use of pesticides if there aren't any pests? An indoor environment could allow for virtually chemical-free growing, producing organic crops in a totally controlled setting.

And while a significant investment of time and research (as well as millions of dollars) would be needed to put these ideas into practice, experts say that one acre of multi-layered, indoor farming could theoretically produce the equivalent of four to thirty acres from conventional farms, depending on the crop.

This "Living Skyscraper" was designed with residential apartments at its core and a fringe of edible plant life spiraling across its outer surface.