Farming without Soil is Possible With Hydroponics?

Hydroponic farming uses water-based mediums to grow plants with limited space or soil.

FREMONT, CA: Most people's general notion of agriculture involves extensive croplands on countryside farms. For a long time, populations have depended on the supplies from such farms. Nevertheless, all of that is now changing with the growth and advancement of agricultural technology firms redefining the conventions associated with farming.

A methodology that is turning into a trend in farming is that of HydroponicsHydroponics. Hydroponic farming uses water-based mediums to grow plants with limited space or soil. In combination with HydroponicsHydroponics, Greenhouses are used to develop efficient farming systems, mainly in urban areas.  

The Need for the Alternative

Long times of intensive farming practices have polluted large tracts of land and destroyed the nutrient balance. In addition, many variants of crops have a high water requirement, leading to exhaustion of water resources. Combining these factors with growing populations and ever-increasing demands makes farming highly unsustainable.

The United Nations has frequently anticipated food shortages as the earth's population grows. In such scenarios, stakeholders must look beyond traditional farming. The emergence of HydroponicsHydroponics marks a crucial turning point in agriculture as it can help the sector conquer its current challenges.

Salads to get Fresher and Greener

Manufacturers and restaurateurs are rising as the leading adopters of Hydroponics. As a result, the hydroponics market has constantly been growing. As per a report by Research Nester, the hydroponics market in the US is going to touch $3695 Million by 2025 with a CAGR of 20.3%. Numerous startups, mergers, and acquisitions mark the current developments in the hydroponic segment.

The need for fresh, organic produce has been rising. Localization of the green leafy production of vegetables through HydroponicsHydroponics allows restaurants to serve new and healthy salads. From reducing the need for transportation to bringing down wastage, HydroponicsHydroponics has many advantages. Now, producers can meet the demands and expectations of consumers convincingly.

The Growth of Urban Agriculture

Until recently, growing crops in urban areas was not a possibility. Although the concentration of consumers in urban areas is high, limited resources made it impossible to imagine anything beyond small kitchen gardens.

However, Hydroponics is changing the rules and creating feasible opportunities for urban farming. Using nutrient-rich solutions that deliver the minerals to plant roots, HydroponicsHydroponics gives cities a chance to develop vertical farms with higher yields than expected from soil-based cultivation.

In addition, the efficiency of delivering nutrients gets significantly boosted when HydroponicsHydroponics is used.

Transformation through Technology

While the methodology is contingent on replacing the soil with ionic solutions, several technologies are applied in conjunction to make HydroponicsHydroponics viable. Aside from the nutrients, plants need controlled environments. A greenhouse with progressive controls gives the right support to hydroponics systems.

Technology's role has continuously grown from monitoring metrics viz humidity and temperature to the ability to mechanize processes. Hydroponics is technology-intensive and requires substantial investments to create infrastructure with differing degrees of automation.

Nevertheless, the artificial setting with lights, heaters, nutrient solutions, and other associated equipment ultimately produces higher yields of better quality throughout the year, making HydroponicsHydroponics a profitable option.

In addition, sensor-based technology has seen advancements, and agtech players are making the most of it by incorporating IoT-based capabilities to create smart hydroponic facilities.

Hydroponics is improving farming like never before, opening up new opportunities. Soil-less agriculture is already taking roots that might penetrate to make urban agriculture productive and profitable.