Urban farming goes underground

SmartPlanet has an article by Tyler Falk about some unusual London farmers:

When you think of urban farming, what comes to mind? Vertical gardens, rooftop gardens, and transformed vacant lots? Sure. But a pair of entrepreneurs in London are hoping to take urban farming to unexpected depths.
Using underground air raid shelters from World War Two, Richard Ballard and Steven Dring (photo) hope to transform the space into a unique farm that would provide fresh produce to London restaurants and grocery stores.
The duo has been testing food production in the tunnel sites (leased from Transport for London) for the last eighteen months, according to the BBC. And now they are turning the idea over to investors. Using Crowdcube, the team is looking to crowdfund nearly half a million dollars to start their Growing Underground venture.
Of course, without access to the sun, they will rely on a hydroponic growing system with LED lights.
And, as World Architecture News reports, the tunnels actually provide a good environment for growing, year around:

Due to the site depth of a hundred feet below street level, the tunnels enjoy a stable temperature of 16°C all year round, meaning that production can continue throughout the year and additional energy costs can be kept to a minimum. Any additional energy will be sourced from green suppliers.

If all goes according to plan, the BBC reports, the project could reach full scale by March of 2014, with the first produce reaching market by the end of the summer. 

Rico says now there's a unique idea. Maybe New York City's got some unused subway tunnels...