Dickson Despommier, Who Championed Farming in Skyscrapers, Dies at 84

Dickson Despommier, a microbiologist who proposed that cities should grow food in high-rises, popularizing the term “vertical farming” — an idea that crossed over from the realm of the purely fanciful to become a reality around the globe — died on Feb. 7 in Manhattan. He was 84.His wife, Marlene Bloom, confirmed the death, in a hospital. He lived in Fort Lee, N.J.Dr. Despommier (pronounced des-POM-ee-yay), who…