Adopting Hydroponics Use

Why should you adopt hydroponics use as an alternative modern farming method?

Everyone must have heard about the term hydroponics farming. But is hydroponics a real approach when you compare it to conventional farming, and will the former take over in future agriculture? Read through to understand why adopting hydroponics use in your agribusiness practices is crucial.

Background

Agriculture has played a significant role in the advancement of human society. Conventional farming has existed since ancient civilizations and has enabled human survival through the manipulation of the ecosystem. Farmers from ancient times tilled the land, planted seeds by hand, and relied on the local climate conditions for seeds to sprout and grow into food.

Early farmers continued to plant the same crop in the same field for many seasons without fertilizing the soils, which led to the depletion of soil fertility. Soil erosion was rarely controlled, causing the washing away of useful nutrients in the soil.

Soil degradation led to a significant production decline. This led to the involvement of scientists in agriculture to try to find an alternative solution to farming, which would restore soil fertility and ensure sustainable food production for a higher population. This led to the birth of conventional agriculture, which involved aspects such as crop rotation and intercropping.

Today, many farmers still use conventional farming; with complicated machinery such as tractors, automatic planters and harvesting machines, and irrigation systems. The conventional farming approach also use chemicals fertilizer and other inorganic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides to aid the production. These techniques form the cornerstone of conventional farming. So, why is adopting hydroponics use important?

Fun Fact: Adopting hydroponics use

The following is a clear explanation of the reasons why adopting hydroponics systems is key.

Initially, the yields exploded with conventional methods because soils were heathy and insects had not developed resistance to chemicals. Thus, conventional farming techniques spread very fast across the world as the most viable approaches. Years later, many farmers are returning to organic farming after realizing that inorganic farming has more side effects in terms of ecosystem and health-related issues than it could accomplish.

Can Adopting hydroponics use be a sustainable alternative solution to conventional farming?

Sustainable farming

Conventional farming relies absolutely on synthetic fertilizers and artificial chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. It also incorporates GMOs.

In conventional farming, to achieve high yields farmers require many chemicals. However, higher chemical use has a significant side effect on the ecosystem e.g., soil degradation, altering biodiversity, and health-related issues.

Adopting hydroponics techniques presents a sustainable farming system, which involves growing crops in soilless media. Hydroponics system is a sustainable alternative to traditional farming that doesn’t use soil. This method is beneficial because plants do not touch soil that could have pests and disease contamination.

Hydroponics farming saves water usage

Today, the climate has become harsh, and many places that relied on rain-fed farming can no longer grow enough food. Finding a system that uses less amount is an advantage to the farmers. Hydroponic farming is a water-efficient system, saving up to 95% of the water required.

As an example, one lettuce plant requires 15.9 gallons of water (72 liters) in modern soil-based farming, compared to less than 1 gallon (3.79 l) of water required by one lettuce plant grown in a hydroponics system.  

Similarly, after recirculating in the system, the water does not become complete waste as it can be put to good use in other non-hydroponic applications.

Traditional agriculture is inaccessible to city dwellers

Using conventional agriculture makes it difficult to produce large quantities of food in urban areas because it takes up a lot of space. By adopting hydroponics use, people in urban areas can produce massive returns in the small spaces available on balconies.

Vertical aeroponics better suit urban areas because of their high productivity and low maintenance requirements.

Adopting Hydroponics Use leads to faster crop growth

Another reason why you should use hydroponics is that when you grow plants with the hydroponics system, you will likely notice that there is speedy growth on the plants in question.

When plants are grown in a hydroponics system, they grow 30-50 percent faster than compared to traditional farming methods. The reason for this quickened growth is that crops within these systems are provided with the perfect amount of nutrients and receive much less stress from the environment.

This stress typically includes pests and weather problems. There are certain species of plants that will grow at a faster rate than others. For instance, tomatoes and lettuce grow faster when placed in a hydroponics system. Pairing your system with the right plants can produce high yields.

Reduced environmental pollution

Conventional farming techniques involve using heavy machines that produce a lot of carbon, which destroys the Ozone layer. The consequence is the phenomenon called global warming. This leads to changing climatic conditions, which are unreliable for Agriculture.

Adopting hydroponics offers an alternative method of growing crops without using these machines, and yet producing high quantities of food. Hydroponics farming does not require machines for plowing, planting, and harvesting.

Higher yields per acre

In hydroponics, the yield is superior to that of conventional techniques. With increasing population densities, the demand for food also increases, while agricultural land declines. Therefore, there has to be a land-efficient system that can produce a lot of food in a short period of time.

Hydroponics is an appropriate solution for mitigating these challenges.

Interior and exterior agriculture

A hydroponics system can be installed both indoors (controlled environment) and outdoors. This gives farmers an opportunity to grow their crops off-season. This means farmers can grow food on a year-round basis.

Hydroponics farming saves land that could be used for other purposes. The system requires small spaces for installation in comparison with conventional methods. The land which is saved can be used for other purposes, such as building houses and breeding.

As the population increases, the arable land used for farming decreases, and, consequently, the demand for food increases. The increasing population is a source of stress for the ecosystem because limited resources are overexploited. Such stress in the ecosystem results in land degradation and environmental pollution.

Hydroponics has become a better choice for many people, particularly those living in urban territories, as it enables farming without ever exploiting the ecosystem. Through this farming approach, farmers can produce fresh vegetables all year long, and can develop efficient production.

In a Nutshell

With the changing climatic conditions and demographic dynamics, conventional farming practices are no longer sustainable. In order to feed the growing population, in the wake of harsher climatic conditions, it important to adopt practices that are more resilient and regenerative.

Adopting hydroponics usage in farming is one of the main approaches that we can adopt. As discussed in this article, hydroponics farming helps in space utilization for maximum output, water conservation, higher profit margins, application in urban centers, less ecosystems exploitation and degradation, among other merits.

Be sure to check out our next articles on hydroponics farming and post-harvest losses to learn more.

We would also like to hear your thoughts. Ensure you leave us a comment on the topic.