Tianjin Hydroponics Works

The Tianjin Hydroponics Works and Biochemical Engineering Laboratory is an industrial research complex in the Dongli District of Tianjin Prefecture, East Asian Federation. It consists of 42 distinct buildings, whose combined purpose is to further the goals of the "Food Autarky" program instituted by the State Office for Development. It makes extensive use of vertagro technologies, and genetically modified crops to produce higher yields.

History
The "Food Autarky" program was an initiative launched by the State Development Office to combat potential future food shortages. With the cessation of Northeast China to East Asia, the national population was doubled, so a quick solution to enable rapid food production in an urban environment was needed. The concept of a hydroponics factory underpinned by Yarphese vertical agricultural techniques was first proposed in 2007.

Complex
The complex consists of several buildings over two square miles in eastern Tianjin prefecture. The largest of these are the Asimov Biochemical Production Center and the Density Agriculture Factory.

The Biochemical Production Center, named for the author and biochemist Isaac Asimov for his ideas on yeast-based foods, specializes in the growth and processing of industrial yeast into artificial foods with high nutritional value. Several hundred experimental strains of yeast are developed and grown using various solid growth media, classified by texture, shape, color, and other characteristics, and are shaped and artificially flavored into foods that resemble their actual counterparts. Citizens from the local populace are invited regularly to participate in taste tests that compare the actual foods to their yeast-based counterparts. The ABPC has so far only produced copies of simple food, such as vegetables and baked goods, but is expected to yield commercially viable, cheap, and easy to produce artificial food within the next few decades.

The Density Agriculture Factory, is the wide-scale implementation of Vertical Agriculture technology (called vertagro locally) loaned through technology transfer agreements with the Grand Yarphese Republic. Research conducted in coordination with the Tianjin Agricultural College and Xirui Bioengineering has resulted in genetically modified crops that are more resilient to environmental changes and resistant against disease and pests. These changes allow for higher yields and growth rates, and therefore more food yielded from growth periods. The factory is completely environment-controlled, allowing for year-round growing.

Controversy
Genetically modified foods are vehemently opposed in much of the Federation. Several environmental groups have staged protests in major cities across the country, and Hokkaido Prefecture has issued a blanket ban on genetically modified foods within the island. Scientific research groups have questioned the safety of mass-produced genetically modified foods, pointing to incidents with such foods in the former People’s Republic of China, leading to food import bans in various countries. The State Development Office has denied any negative implications of the Food Autarky program and its offshoots.