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Is it possible to grow plants or raise animals underground, in a way that is enough for 1 person to survive and easy enough to maintain?

Conditions:

  • underground;
  • without any on-going help from the surface (some initial help to set the system up is acceptable);
  • Without sunlight;
  • technology level can be described as modern.
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    $\begingroup$ bing.com/search?q=police+bust+indoor+pot+farm On a related note, my niece bought a house and found evidence of the previous owners' hobby dug into the ground behind a panel in the basement. $\endgroup$
    – Tim
    Oct 7 '16 at 18:27
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    $\begingroup$ The cave ecosystem is a thing. Its lifeforms are vibrant and diverse. Some, like the bats, leave for a few hours a day. Others, like glow worms and the specialized fish and crustaceans in the cave pools, never do. if you can make food out of those, you're all set. $\endgroup$
    – cobaltduck
    Oct 7 '16 at 20:47
  • $\begingroup$ Growing Eatable Algae is another option, a popular one is called Spirulina (spirulinaacademy.com/grow-your-own-spirulina). I'm not sure if algae is classed as plant, but it can be cultured in exactly the same way. $\endgroup$
    – Harry David
    Oct 8 '16 at 1:03
  • $\begingroup$ where the energy source? $\endgroup$
    – MolbOrg
    Oct 8 '16 at 3:06
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Yes.
If you have a water supply, which can largely be recycled, and a nutrient supply, which can be recycled (sterilized human waste even) then you don't need much room.

They say it takes 1 acre to feed a person, but with hydroponics you could have multiple levels in a small area, growing more vertically than horizontally, and save a lot of space.

They are setting up farms in New Jersy night clubs to provide locally grown food to urban environments.

enter image description here

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Sure you just need electricity and water and something to convert O2 to CO2

You run lamps to replace the sun light and create a farm. You water it and breath to convert the O2 from the plants to CO2 which they can use. The farmer needs a supply of fertilizer ( it may be from him to keep the soil rich) or he needs to rotate crops in that replace lost nutrients like soy beans.

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  • $\begingroup$ You also need massive cooling of your facility. $\endgroup$
    – WhatRoughBeast
    Oct 7 '16 at 23:40
  • $\begingroup$ I am not sure I need massive cooling but sure radiate heat into the surrounding ground $\endgroup$
    – sdrawkcabdear
    Oct 7 '16 at 23:55

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