HYDROPONICS AND AEROPONICS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the Study

By the year 2050, the population of Earth is expected to rise by 3 billion people. It was found that approximately 109 hectares of additional traditional farmland will be needed to feed them. Only 80% of the Earth’s arable land suitable for farming now. Roughly 15% of this land has been rendered unusable for farming due to poor management and climate change has claimed even more. Populations in the northeast buy produce for at least 6 months out of the year from farms over 3,000 miles away, according to multiple produce vendors in the area. This produce has been engineered to survive the long trip and extend shelf life in local stores. Good quality and tasty produce of limited quantity is available for a few months in a year, and hence farming in off season has no significant. Another issue is that crop yields are highly dependent on weather. A single poor growing season can cause thousands to starve in many areas of the world. In addition to the prior problem described, and due to the absence of adequate planning, another critical problem comes into the picture: the deficiency in human nourishment, caused mostly by the growing population. A greater quantity of hectares is needed every day for agriculture thus a major quantity of water to care for them is needed. In order to have enough soil to farm in, an immense quantity of forest is cut down every day which causes a great amount of water, which would lie on the ground before, to be reduced considerably. This chain of high priority problems requires an improvement in the administration of the use of liquid resource so that human consumption has the priority in its use, and not the other activities, like agriculture. To solve the problems mentioned, new farming methods have been searched, one of them being aeroponics. With this technique, the plants are held by certain structures that maintain it fixed in a way that the roots are sustained up in the air. Controlled Environment High-Rise Farm (CEHRF) is an integrated solution of all technologies available which is based on an aeroponic growing system, chosen for its 90% reduction in water use, 60% reduction in nutrient use, stimulated crop growth, and higher density capabilities as compared to traditional farming. The growing regimen is designed to provide a year-round continual harvest by offsetting planting times, so that a steady and reliable crop yield can be achieved while providing full-time year-round employment in a safe environment with benefits. These farms can be placed near the populations they are intended to serve, keeping money in local economies. Both Hydroponics and Aeroponics are sustainable, water-conservative farming methods, differing only by the medium which is used in the growth of the plants. Hydroponics is the growth of plants using a nutrient-rich solution, instead of water.