I recently found out about Pasona O2, an underground rice and vegetable farm located beneath an office building in Tokyo’s Otemachi business district. Once the vault of a major bank, the 1,000 square meter facility now produces rice, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables, as well as 100 different flowers and herbs.

Hydroponics (a system of artificial light from light-emitting diodes, metal halide lamps and high-pressure sodium vapor lamps) are all used to sustain Pasona O2’s vegetation in the absence of sunlight. The temperature is strictly controlled by computer, and everything grown is pesticide free.

But what exactly is Pasona 02’s purpose? A good question considering none of the produce grown is sold to the public. Rather, the space is used as a training facility for “freeters” (Japanese young people that hop from job to job) with an interest in farming, and older folks interested in trying something new.

With arable farming land rapidly declining around the world, large cities will soon be forced to integrate food production into the urban environment. Are facilities like Pasona O2 a clever solution to the immanent food crunch?

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