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Why Does Bangladesh Need Hydroponic Cultivation For Future Generation
Soil based development is presently confronting challenges because of various man-made reasons, for example, deforestation, industrialization, and urbanization.
Why Does Bangladesh Need Hydroponic Cultivation For Future Generation
May 23, 2018 iftekhar
Introduction: Soil based development is presently confronting challenges because of various man made reasons, for example, deforestation, industrialization and urbanization. In addition, sudden cataclysmic events, environmental change and boundless usage of chemicals for agribusiness purposes cause the exhaustion of land richness and quality. That is the reason; researchers have built up another elective approach for development framework in particular soil-less development or hydroponics.
Absorb Land To Build Housing
What is Hydroponics?
Hydroponics is a soilless culture procedure in which plant can develop in a fluid or water arrangement. A substantial number of plants and harvests or vegetables can develop by hydroponics culture. The nature of yield, taste and nutritive estimation of final results is for the most part higher than the regular soil based development. This development is taken a toll proficient, illness free and Eco-accommodating and in addition getting prominence everywhere throughout the world. It has an extraordinary prospect in Bangladesh alongside high space research to satisfy the absence of arable land where legitimate cultivable land isn't accessible. Along these lines, hydroponics would be a superior system to create the various types of products of the soil and also take care of the worldwide sustenance demand with making advance future.
Hydroponics is an exceptionally lucrative and quickest developing cultivation in the farming sector. It is amazingly perfect and simple strategy in light of the fact that there is no way of soil-borne ailment, pest infection to the crops. Subsequently, hydroponics delivers the most beneficial harvests with exceptional returns in brief period and task costs turn out to be similarly substantially less to soil-based development. Interestingly, soil-based culture implies developing yields in the open field with the water system and therefore it requires utilization of high measure of composts, pesticides, and herbicides to develop the harvests. In this way, generation rate and nature of yield are similarly lower. Be that as it may, hydroponics framework is free from such sorts of pre-specified dangers and gives high creation.
Why do we need?
Hydroponics strategy shows "another" entryway of science helping more yield creation for nourishment and decorative utilize. It can diminish the ecological effect of nurseries and deliver enhanced yield quality. Hydroponics can supply high return of neighborhood crops, for example, verdant vegetables or flowers in the over-populated territories. In the event that it is conceivable to modernize the hydroponics system, all plants and products can be developed through everywhere throughout the world.
Hydroponics can nourish millions in zones of Africa and Asia, where water, land, and yields are deficient. In this manner, hydroponics gives the beam of seeking after the administration of harvest and sustenance generation. Japan has begun rice generation by hydroponics procedure to bolster the general population. Israel develops expansive amounts of berries, citrus foods grown from the ground in the dry and parched atmosphere. To talk reality, hydroponics procedure can be adaptable information in both rural or town and innovative space stations. This can be a capable practice for sustenance development from antagonistic natural biological communities, for example, deserts, uneven areas, or cold groups. Along these lines, the government should make open approaches and give sponsorships for such creation frameworks.
Conclusion:
Bangladesh is a river land country. Catastrophic events, for example, surge, dry season, high tide, disintegration are the most well-known occurrences in the country. Men are likewise utilizing fertilizers, manufactured herbicides, pesticides which exhaust the nature of the soil and taint groundwater at once. Thus, the fertility of the arable terrains is quickly diminishing and many individuals are experiencing illness and ailing health.
In this way, hydroponics is currently a promising system to develop distinctive plants. Hydroponics is a strategy which can deal with anybody effortlessly. Man can develop plants by hydroponics as their side interest or cultivating and at the same time, they can gather the new vegetables. As it is conceivable to develop a soil-less culture in low spaces with low work and brief time, so hydroponics can play an awesome commitment for the poorer and landless individuals. Also, it can enhance the way of life of individuals and upgrade the monetary development of a nation.
Hydroponic Company Eyes North Hartford, Connecticut Land For Multimillion-Dollar Development
Hydroponic Company Eyes North Hartford, Connecticut Land For Multimillion-Dollar Development
Crews are working to dismantle the former Philbrick, Booth & Spencer warehouse and storage facility on Homestead Avenue to clear the way for new development. Crop One Holdings, which specializes in hydroponics farming, is in talks with city leaders to build on the properties. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant)
A California company is in talks with Hartford leaders to build a hydroponic farming facility along a desolate stretch of Homestead Avenue.
Crop One Holdings, a San Jose-based corporation, would invest more than $16 million in the project – $6 million in the structure and $10.5 million toward equipment, according to documents filed with the city. It plans to grow produce indoors, “substituting 320-square-foot growing units for up to 19 acres of farmland.” Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in a water-based, nutrient dense solution.
Crop One would pay the city $250,000 for three properties along Homestead that combined make up a 3.5-acre area. Hartford recently got a $2 million grant to demolish blighted structures on the land. Crews began to dismantle the buildings this month, and work is expected to conclude by the end of the summer.
Mayor Luke Bronin has asked the city council to approve an agreement for Crop One that would free the company from paying real estate taxes for the first five years and reduce the amount of taxes in the following four years. It would also bring down the amount of personal property taxes the company would pay in the first five years (by 70 percent in the first two years, 50 percent in the third and fourth year and 30 percent in the fifth year).
The demolition of several blighted structures is underway along Homestead Avenue. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant)
“Crop One will put back in productive use approximately 3.5 acres of blighted property, create 75 new jobs and make locally sourced fresh produce available to Hartford and surrounding communities,” Bronin wrote in a letter to the council.
He did not elaborate on the types of jobs, but said that the company has agreed to hire Hartford residents for “at least 25 percent of its direct labor workforce.”
Crop One owns a farm in Millis, Mass., and has several more in the pipeline, city officials said. Company leaders could not be reached for comment Friday.
The swath along Homestead Avenue is part of a federally designated “Promise Zone” that gets priority consideration for funding. It is also a state-designated “Opportunity Zone.” The status, created in the GOP federal tax legislation, rewards private investment in low-income neighborhoods.
The properties have been home to several tenants over the years, including the former warehouse and storage facility for Philbrick, Booth & Spencer, a steel-forging manufacturer.
“This is a triple win for Hartford – a green tech company bringing jobs to North Hartford and development to a site that’s been blighted for years,” Bronin said through a spokesman. “This would be the first real job creation in decades on the Homestead Avenue corridor.”
The city council is scheduled to meet Tuesday. Members said the proposal will be sent to a committee for review.
Bronx Teens Create Hydroponic Farm To Grow 25,000 Pounds of Produce A Year
Bronx Teens Create Hydroponic Farm To Grow 25,000 Pounds of Produce A Year
The farm can grow various types of lettuce, Swiss chard, bok choy, tomatoes, and cucumbers along with herbs.
Students Saul Morel, left, and Jasmely Torres examine butterhead lettuce at the DeWitt Clinton Campus' hydroponic farm. Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
By Lisa L. Colangelolisa.colangelo@amny.com @lisalcolangelo
June 4, 2018
No soil? No problem.
A group of Bronx teens helped create a 1,300-square-foot hydroponic farm designed to grow 25,000 pounds of produce a year in one of the city’s toughest “food deserts.”
The project is designed to teach students about sustainable agriculture, advocacy and nutrition while building their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.
“Watching the students blossom and change through the program even in this short period of time is really impressive,” said Katherine Soll, CEO and director of Teens for Food Justice, a nonprofit that helped students build the indoor farm with a $127,000 grant from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, as well as other donors. “They have really grasped all the concepts of the farm, how the systems work and how it is different from growing in soil.”
Hydroponic farms use water and a nutrient solution to grow food. The farm was built inside a former lab at the DeWitt Clinton Campus, located off the Mosholu Parkway, between October and January, Soll said.
A celebration Saturday marked the end of the farm’s first year and signaled its ability to go into full production mode.
The goal is to grow enough food to use in the school’s cafeteria, distribute to food pantries and sell at a low cost to the community.
The farm can produce various types of lettuce, Swiss chard, bok choy, tomatoes and cucumbers along with herbs as such basil, thyme, oregano and cilantro.
3rd Greenhouse and Hydroponic Technical Management Course for India
3rd Greenhouse and Hydroponic
Technical Management Course for India
"Delish Veggies, Graeme Smith Consulting and Future Farms are pleased to announce the 3rd Greenhouse and Hydroponic Training Program in Pune India after the grand successes of our two training courses in 2017.
We received a phenomenal response for both training programs due to the presence of renowned international trainers from Australia and practical farm tours whereby we hosted many international participants, multiple Indian states, and 60 participants and received “extremely satisfied” feedback from all the participants.
Delish Veggies had to decline many participants in these training programs due to limited seats, therefore due to popular demand we are organizing a 3rd course this June (4th to 8th) and have again included many interesting topics and commercial farm set up sessions."
The course will again be conducted by two highly experienced Australian industry presenters Graeme Smith and Rick Donnan.
Graeme is the proprietor of Graeme Smith Consulting, he consults throughout the world, runs regular study tours to Holland/EU and North America, and is the past Chairman of Protected Cropping Australia. Recent international greenhouse projects include Hyderabad, Abu Dhabi, China and Rajasthan.
Rick owns Growool Horticultural Systems and is the Q&A columnist in the world’s leading hydroponic industry publication- Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses magazine and provides consultancy services.
The course assists participants to improve their ability to understand the key principles in a commercial greenhouse and hydroponic production by:
• understanding the principles of controlled production systems
• using correct strategies and technologies to manage
greenhouse climates and irrigation
• understanding plant growing requirements and plant
production techniques
• developing new strategies for plant protection and integrated
pest & disease management
• understanding plant nutrition and fertigation programs
• identifying the risks and opportunities of climate change
Topics Include:
• Media types & characteristics • Plant structure
• Nutrition & nutrient management • EC & pH
• Water quality and treatment • Plant physiology
• Environmental management • Irrigation management
• Greenhouse business and marketing plan • Plant health
• Greenhouse design and layout • Pest and disease control
Greenhouse Technical Management Course Details
Greenhouse Technical Management Course Photos
Location: Pune, India
Dates: June 4th to 8th 2018 (5 days)
Course cost: Rs. 50,000 excluding 18% GST. (Lunch, as well as morning and afternoon tea, will be provided throughout the course)
To register your interest, please contact the course Coordinator, Uday Mathapati on +91 9130098714 or email: udaymathapati@gmail.com or visit www.delishveggies.com for further information
Little Leaf Farms Expands Its Indoor Baby Greens Production
Little Leaf Farms Expands Its Indoor Baby Greens Production
May 22, 2018, Posted By Brian Sparks | Email
Little Leaf Farms, one of the largest growers of hydroponic baby greens in North America, has officially opened its expanded greenhouse in Devens, MA. The expansion doubles the size of the greenhouse from 2½ acres to 5 acres and more than doubles its annual production of baby greens. The company has also purchased adjacent land for a third expansion project set to begin in 2019, which will further increase the size of the greenhouse to approximately 10 acres.
“We are passionate about transforming the way food is grown,” says Paul Sellew, CEO, and Founder of Little Leaf Farms. “We incorporate principles of sustainability in everything we do, all to provide consumers with delicious, local baby greens at a fair price. Our process is clean from the start, so consumers can be confident they’re purchasing a safe product, grown in an environment that employs the most advanced food safety practices.”
Opened in 2016, Little Leaf Farms produces locally grown, fresh baby greens year-round that are delivered to New England consumers within hours of being harvested. Little Leaf Farms grows multiple varieties of baby lettuce at its greenhouse that are blended into salad mixes and sold in more than 1,000 Northeast grocery stores and to many restaurant, university, and institutional customers. Little Leaf Farms’ ability to deliver fresh, great tasting and safe baby greens to consumers that can be easily traced back to its Massachusetts greenhouse has led to the company’s rapid growth and expansion.
Little Leaf Farms’ hydroponic growing process uses natural sunlight, a computer-controlled growing environment, and a rainwater-based irrigation system that uses 90% less water than field-grown lettuce. The company’s technologically advanced growing system enables the baby greens to be seeded, grown, cut, and packaged without ever being touched by human hands.
More information about Little Leaf Farms’ expanded greenhouse facility and where its baby greens can be purchased can be found on the company’s website.
TOPICS: Leafy Greens, Little Leaf Farms
Nature Meets Technology At Oakland Urban Growers
Nature Meets Technology At Oakland Urban Growers
MAY 16 2018
WATERFORD, Mich. (WJBK) - Oakland Urban Growers provides fresh, local produce to families and businesses across metro Detroit. It's also a perfect example of how technology and nature can come together.
Mike Skinner and Bruce Ellwanger turned a greenhouse that was about to be torn down in Oakland County into a high-tech agriculture company. Their different types of growing systems allow them to grow fresh produce all year long.
"Really, this is a 21st century way of growing produce," Skinner says. It's mostly done via a hydroponics operation -- which means, without dirt.
That means they're responsible for providing all the nutrients to the plants, which usually come from the soil. They figure out what nutrients the plants need through a small water sample that comes in from the gutter.
The nutrients are them pumped into all the different plants.
The shop opened up last year in conjunction with Oakland County. Skinner says they're the first ones to bring hydroponics growing to Oakland County.
Other growing takes place at the greenhouse the more conventional way, in the soil, but in an area that's completely, climate controlled. Specialty, baby crop versions of the vegetables are mostly grown here.
Skinner says they sell a lot of their products to top-notch country clubs and restaurants that are looking for high quality, local produce.
You can learn more about how the systems work by watching the report from Josh Landon in the video player above.
Wholesum Harvest’s Take On USDA’s Organic Hydroponic Ruling
Wholesum Harvest’s Take On USDA’s Organic Hydroponic Ruling
By Lee Allen|May 16, 201
When the National Organic Standards Board (an advisory body to USDA that generally sets the standards for certification) ruled in November 2017 that hydroponic produce can gain the USDA organic seal, it roiled the organic growing industry.
Those on the purist side, who believe healthy soil is the core philosophy of organic growing, have long fought the ruling.
Hydroponic growers, who are just as passionate about the overall sustainability of the growing method, were thrilled. Their produce finally won approval for organic labeling consideration.
Read the full story about Wholesum Harvest, as well as other articles from American Vegetable Grower‘s April 2018 issue!
Oddly enough, the team at Wholesum Harvest was left unfazed. Wholesum Harvest was featured on the cover of American Vegetable Grower‘s April 2018 issue.
“The short and sweet answer is there has been no effect,” says Jessie Gunn, Marketing Vice President for Wholesum Harvest. “We’re a container production operation, growing certified organic produce with that methodology for more than 25 years. And we’re excited that science won out in the industrial debates and container production is still 100% certifiable organic.”
Wholesum Harvest has organic certification through Quality Assurance International, a USDA-accredited organic produce certifying agency.
“We grow nothing that isn’t organic — we’re 100% dedicated,” Gunn says.
Since Gunn sees organic production as primarily a scientific designation, she sides with those who fought for the ruling, not those who see growing in soil as indivisible from organic growing.
“I conceptualize organics as coming down to the bioactivity of the plant’s root system. And science is an immovable baseline to build one’s position on. I’ve read every line of the Organic Food Production Act (OFPA), and we follow it to a T, subscribing to its general intent of growing in a harmonious way, congruent with the needs of our planet and our environment.”
Brunei: Sultan’s Call Well-Answered, Youth Surge In Agribusiness
Brunei: Sultan’s Call Well-Answered, Youth Surge In Agribusiness
May 23, 2018
| Aziz Idris |
AN INCREASING number of young entrepreneurs in the Sultanate are venturing into agribusiness, thanks to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s call for youth to get into agriculture.
Answering His Majesty’s call, four young Bruneians have embarked on an ambitious agriculture business to construct and supply hydroponic structures.
Their company, Agrometro, is located at the IBTE Agro-Technology Campus, formerly known as Wasan Vocational School.
The Agrometro team is led by Norisa ‘Azuma binti Mohd Norazmi, 29, as the Director. Siti Badariah binti Darius, 29, is serving as Nursery Plant Specialist, Nursalwana binti Kamidi, 20, as Marketing Manager and Norwardi bin Griffin, 22, as General Manager.
Founded in 2017, Agrometro was initially part of the IBTE Agro-Technology Campus module that needed to be implemented to get the school’s scoring system. The company participated actively during the Agriculture and Agrifood Expo and SME Day as well as in the government initiative, the Entrepreneurial Development, and Guidance (EDGE).
During these exposures, Agrometro’s hydroponic structures have received positive feedback from the public with over 30 structures sold and more orders still coming in. Apart from constructing the structures, the start-up sells other agricultural products such as Sekam, Kulit Padi, and Cocopeat.
(From left) Nursalwana binti Kamidi, Norisa ‘Azuma binti Mohd Norazmi, Siti Badariah binti Darius and Norwardi bin Griffin in a group photo
Raft Hydroponic and Mobile Hydroponic (background). – PHOTOS: AZIZ IDRIS
To date, Agrometro has developed three different structures – Mini Hydroponic System which has four tiers and can accommodate 44 plants; Vertical Hydroponic System which comes with 30 holes in the form of towers; and Raft Hydroponic System which stores 30-40 plants.
There are also more than 10 types of plants available such as Bayam, Kangkong, lettuce, mint leaves and more. However, the plants can be customised depending on customers’ needs, Norisa ‘Azuma said.
According to her, using hydroponics, the method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent, plants can be grown anywhere.
“It’s an example of organic gardening in which plants are grown in nutrient solution, instead of soil. By practising hydroponics, gardeners don’t have to worry about issues such as weeding, soil borne diseases, when to fertilise, spraying pesticides, tilling and soil texture.
“It is an easy way of growing fruits and vegetables that are healthier and have more nutritional value. With hydroponic gardening you can expect results in a very short span. “Hydroponic gardens are simple to maintain – both indoor and outdoor. You can relish fresh, home-grown fruits and vegetables that will bring you happiness and peace of mind while saving money,” she added.
Apart from responding to His Majesty’s call to further develop the agricultural sector in the Sultanate, the start-up’s goal is to create awareness on growing plants using the hydroponic system without spending a lot of money, she said, highlighting Agrometro’s motto, “We plant, We Grow, We Sell”.
The Benefits of Wireless Technology In Hydroponics
The Benefits of Wireless Technology In Hydroponics
Hydroponic growing has certain inherent advantages. Plants grown in a nutrient solution will mature up to 25 percent faster and deliver up to 30 percent more yield than plants grown in soil. Wireless IoT systems are a key element of achieving these kinds of results.
Hydroponic growing depends on control. As an indoor growing method, hydroponics requires fine management of environmental factors such as heat and humidity. This soilless style of growing depends on careful control of nutrient dosing and water flow.
Wireless IoT connectivity makes it possible for a grower to implement the necessary levels of control without having to be constantly on site. Automation drives productivity in the hydroponic grow, and wireless connectivity is what enables automation, giving the grower the ability to set schedules, receive up-to-the-minute information on grow conditions, and have remote control capabilities.
Wireless IoT systems deliver off-site connectivity, typically via a smartphone app. With the ability to monitor off-site and adjust settings in response to environmental needs, the grower can exercise a high degree of control. Likewise, a system of alerts can be established to automatically signal the grower if conditions need to be adjusted.
Wireless IoT basics
The essential wireless IoT system requires only a few components. They may be purchased individually, but it’s more common these days for a farmer to acquire a single integrated system that delivers all of the needed elements, in order to ensure a seamless deployment.
At the heart of the system is a wireless controller that pulls data from various sensors and monitors, and delivers it to the end user—typically the farmer with a smartphone.
The system also includes various sensors designed to track environmental factors, such as heat, temperature, and humidity. Other sensors may track pH in the nutrient mix or monitor water levels across the hydroponic grow.
This ability to remotely monitor water quality is of critical importance. In traditional soil-based growing, plants take in nutrients from the earth. Hydroponically grown plants pull their nutrients from enriched water, which must be closely monitored so that nutrient levels never drop too low or rise toxically high.
Setting up a well-regulated hydroponic system can take a lot of time and requires some finesse. Some growers may find the need to constantly monitor and balance pH and nutrient levels daunting, but wireless can help overcome these challenges.
A pre-configured wireless IoT system with all the needed components can simplify the process of getting a hydroponic grow up and running. Over the long term, wireless control significantly eases the management burden, making it possible to achieve positive outcomes while lowering the overall time and effort required to sustain a successful grow.
For more information:
Growlink
875 Kalamath
Denver, CO 80204
+800-432-0160
info@growlink.com
growlink.com
Publication date: 5/24/2018
NBA Player Builds A Modern Alternative Farm In Oklahoma
NBA player Ekpe Udoh is keeping busy during the off-season.
NBA Player Builds Modern Alternative Farm In Oklahoma
MAY 25, 2018, BY LACEY LETT
NBA Player Builds A Modern Alternative Farm In Oklahoma
EDMOND, Okla. - NBA player Ekpe Udoh is keeping busy during the off-season.
He's back in his hometown of Edmond working on his new urban farm.
"Welcome to LGR Farms,” said Ekpe Udoh, owner of LGR Farms.
Ekpe Udoh stands inside his hydroponic garden located in south Edmond. Udoh is the first National Basketball Player to purchase and use a hydroponic vertical container farm.
A hydroponic container farm that grows vertical crops.
It's herbicide and pesticide free and uses filtered water instead of soil to grow leafy greens and herbs.
"For our crops, we will be doing butterhead lettuce, arugula, Swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, kale and romaine lettuce,” Udoh said.
Udoh started the process four years ago.
Since then, he's become an expert in modern farming.
After the seeds harvest, they grow on a vertical crop.
LGR Farms is high-tech, too, using an app to control the system.
"We can control the temperature, the water here on the table, the main towers," he said.
The main benefit?
A 40-foot shipping container can yield huge results.
"This probably has the footprint of an acre and a half, and I'm turning it over every four to six weeks and in the winter it's still growing,” Udoh said.
Starting in July, Udoh plans to sell to chefs, grocery stores and at the same time, give back to inner city school children.
"I'm from Edmond, Oklahoma, so we were afforded the luxury of a salad bar. Hopefully, I can introduce that into schools and give kids something else as a choice to be much healthier than what they might be eating,” he said.
A healthy lifestyle is something very important to Udoh.
Eventually, he'd like to have five of these shipping container farms in operation, adding in herbs and greens from all over the world.
"Find these powerful herbs that can be for medical or just for your food. Just make it taste better,” Udoh said. "Keep people dancing and eating salads."
It will take four to six weeks to yield the first crop, but plans to eventually produce 500 heads of lettuce a week.
Click here for more information.
Hydroponic Farm Coming To Downtown Shreveport, Louisiana
Hydroponic Farm Coming To Downtown Shreveport, Louisiana
Wednesday, May 23, 2018,
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
406 Cotton Street is empty right now, but Michael Billings has big ideas for Cotton Street Farms.
The building is slated to become downtown Shreveport's first urban hydroponic farm, featuring lines of plants and vegetables growing vertically, water lines, and more.
"Hydroponic means growing plants without soil. We use a water system and put nutrients directly into the water," said Cotton Street Farms founder Michael Billings.
The plants don't need pesticides or herbicides.
People will be able to get the veggies delivered straight to their doorstep via an app and online market or pick it up at the building. It's truly a farm to table model.
"We're going to grow spinach, kale, lettuce, micro-greens, herbs, edible flowers," explained Billings.
Indoor, hydroponic farms are growing in popularity across the nation.
"The reason they are growing is that we can grow an enormous amount of produce in a very small area and we can feed a lot of people," Billings said.
Instead of waiting for vegetables to be picked in California, packaged, and sent to your grocery store days later, this indoor, hydroponic farm would get fresh vegetables to you in an hour.
"We cannot compete with farms nor do we want to. Hydroponics allows us to deliver in minutes or hours to urban citizens."
Billings said he lives downtown and loves the downtown community. His goal was to make cotton street farms a true piece of Shreveport. The business also plans to give back to social programs in the city.
''This is new to Shreveport, but we are very much following the example of others across the nation. I think its time for Shreveport to experience something new when it first comes out and not ten years later," he said.
There's still a lot of work to be done. Cotton Street Farms now has the building but still has to do things like buy equipment and establish the company and its marketing.
A harvest takes about 6 weeks and expects to see produce in four to six months.
Copyright KSLA 2018. All Rights Reserved.
After Soilless Babyleaf, Here's Hand-Less Babyleaf
After Soilless Babyleaf, Here's Hand-Less Babyleaf
Little Leaf Farms, one of the largest growers of hydroponic baby greens in North America, has officially opened its expanded greenhouse in Devens, Mass this week. The expansion doubles the size of the greenhouse from 2.5 acres to 5 acres, and more than doubles its annual production of baby greens. Thanks to their innovative growing system the greens are grown fully automated, without any chemicals and without any human hand touching the produce. Little Leaf Farms also announced it has purchased adjacent land for a third expansion project set to begin in 2019, which will further increase the size of the greenhouse to approximately 10 acres.
Baby lettuce
Opened in 2016, Little Leaf Farms produces locally grown, fresh baby greens year-round that are delivered to New England consumers within hours of being harvested. Little Leaf Farms grows multiple varieties of baby lettuce at its greenhouse. “Our ability to deliver fresh, great tasting and safe baby greens to consumers that can be easily traced back to the Massachusetts greenhouse has led to our rapid growth and expansion”, said Paul Sellew, CEO and founder of Little Leaf Farms. “We are passionate about transforming the way food is grown. Our process is clean from the start, so consumers can be confident they’re purchasing a safe product, grown in an environment that employs the most advanced food safety practices.”
For doing so, Little Leaf Farms is using a fully automated growing system. The system is optimized for growing of baby leaf lettuce and makes it possible to grow leafy greens fully automated without any human hand touching the produce from medium filling and seeding to harvesting. The seeding is done directly into the gutters to avoid the need of transplanting. Germination takes place under the growing line. After germination the gutters are lifted up to the growing line. During the growing process the gutters are moved automatically through the greenhouse toward the harvesting area. As plants grow the distance between the gutters continuously is adjusted - giving each plant as much space as necessary, but as little as possible. Once ready for harvesting the gutters are transported per conveyor belt to the harvesting area and guided into the cutting machine for a fresh cut.
The system is developed by Green Automation and has recently been upgraded and updated. “The growing lines are now even more robust, offers more precise and easier operations resulting in reduced maintenance needs as well as noise levels”, Patrik Borenius of Green Automation explains. Making the system more durable with increased frame thickness and additional steel components also allows for longer greenhouse growing lines to be designed and for increased gutter capacity.”
Seeding directly into the narrow gutters – eliminating the need for transplantin
Electric lift moving the gutters from the germination level to the growing line in one smooth movement.
New generation harvesting end with more space efficient conveyor design
Sustainability
The system is an important part of the Little Leaf hydroponic growing process, using mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil. “We incorporate principles of sustainability in everything we do, all to provide consumers with delicious, local baby greens at a fair price”, Paul explains. “The growth is completely sustainable, utilizing natural sunlight, a computer-controlled growing environment and a rainwater-based irrigation system that uses 90 percent less water than field-grown lettuce companies”, Paul shows. “The system enables the baby greens to be seeded, grown, cut and packaged without ever being touched by human hands. The production system is free from chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, ensuring that what customers purchase is safe.”
LED lighting
The greenhouse is to be lighted with LED and the company opted for Oreon Grown Light 2.1, water-cooled fixtures by Lemnis. The complete installation of both water and electricity was provided by PB Techniek, Sellew’s installation partner for many years.
Salad mixes
Little Leaf Farms grows multiple varieties of baby lettuce at its greenhouse that are blended into salad mixes and sold in more than 1,000 Northeast grocery stores and to many restaurants, Universities and institutional customers. “More than 98 percent of the lettuce we eat in this country is grown on the West Coast and shipped for days, which means customers in New England are not receiving the highest quality or freshest product,” said Andrew W. Kendall, executive director of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, an organization focused on creating a resilient and healthy food system in New England to increase the production and consumption of local, sustainably produced food. “Little Leaf Farms has cracked the code on providing the region with fresh baby greens within hours of being harvested. It’s exciting to see that consumers appreciate the value of the product, which will drive the company’s growth for years to come.”
For more information:
Little Leaf Farms
Green Automation
Patrik Borenius
Publication date: 5/25/2018
Author: Arlette Sijmonsma
Copyright: www.hortidaily.com
Swedish Supermarket Grows Microgreens in Basement
Swedish Supermarket Grows Microgreens in Basement
Supermarket ICA Kvantum Liljeholmen introduced, with assistance from Urban Oasis, a subterranean nursery that doesn’t require any soil.
In a basement space below the supermarket, large amounts of fruit and vegetables are cultivated. And that in an underground cultivation space, without soil. However, that does not affect the taste. The products are just as tasty, fresh and healthy as crops that are simply grown in Mother Nature. In addition, underground cultivation has great environmental benefits.
With the underground cultivation, a significant step is taken into the future. It does away with over-fertilization, climate-unfriendly transportation or unnecessary import. At the moment, 70 percent of all vegetables in Sweden come from abroad. That figure can soon be lowered considerably. In Liljeholmen, the production of the 50 m2 goes straight to the supermarket salad bar, a distance of 500 meters.
"We can use this technique to cultivate anything we want. We have the motto ‘Break the seasons’. We are just a small step away from sun-ripened tomatoes and ripe strawberries for Christmas," says sales manager Joakim Haraldsson of ICA Kvantum Liljeholm.
The efficient urban cultivation method of Urban Oasis is the result of a pilot project of an inventive foursome: two students from the Technical University, an architect and a financial expert, who set a goal to establish a company for sustainable food production.
"With a so-called hydroponic system, you can grow crops in water, without soil. So locally we can cultivate nutritious products in a special environment where horticulture and technology meet. And also in Sweden, we can produce fresh, local vegetables all year round," says Albert Pajaro, general manager and one of the initiators of Urban Oasis.
Ica Kvantum Liljeholmen had already made great strides in the search for environmentally friendly cultivation methods earlier. Now that the underground cultivation company of Urban Oasis will soon be working even more efficiently, the intention is that more than five tons of vegetables will be produced daily. That must be sufficient to satisfy the hunger of thousands of salad enthusiasts among ICA customers every day.
"ICA is an innovative company. So it is great to work together with other special companies and help them to conquer the market," Joakim Haraldson of ICA concludes.
Entrepreneur prize
ICA has established an Entrepreneur Prize that will be awarded to persons who have distinguished themselves in one of these two categories: Local Hero of the Year and Startup of the Year. A cash prize of 10,000 euros is available for both categories. In addition, from 2020 ICA aims to provide 200 new small local entrepreneurs with the opportunity to deliver their products directly to ICA branches.
Source: www.di.se/
Publication date: 5/10/2018
The Future of Hydroponics In Indonesia
The Future of Hydroponics In Indonesia
Nudira Fresh Farm: growing high-tech in the tropics
"I believe since 20 years ago that hydroponic and greenhouse technology is one of the answers to provide solutions to the constraints faced by vegetable agriculture in Indonesia." Speaking is Edi Sugiyanto. He is a commercial hydroponic grower, well experienced in Indonesia, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and currently part of the team operating a high tech farm in Indonesia: Nudira Fresh.
Edi believes in the future, the role of hydroponic farmers in Indonesia would be better with the construction of modern Greenhouse agriculture and Hydroponics technology. "There are many obstacles faced by farmers in the field, to maintain the vegetables production remains high and stable, whether it is damage caused by rain water and the diseases. Elsewhere, rainy season is highly anticipated by most farmers especially in rainfed field."
The greenhouse project Edi participates in is the greenhouse built in Indonesia with full automatic control of temperature regulation, humidity and irrigation system. "The first stage we plant cherry tomatoes and for the next greenhouse we will plant lettuce, seed from Rijk Zwaan and growing media rockwool from Grodan."
Edi Sugiyanto, Nudira Fresh Farm, and Agrifam PT, in cooperation with iGrow investors, will continue to build the expansion of modern greenhouses in Indonesia, with hydroponics technology, as a commercial farm but also as a place to train the generation of modern agriculture in Indonesia. "Hydroponics are the future. Any plant, anywhere and anytime."
For more information:
Edi Sugiyanto
Publication date: 5/11/2018
Local Entrepreneurs Bring Farming To The City With Urban Greens
Local Entrepreneurs Bring Farming To The City With Urban Greens
Hydroponic farm sells crops to co-op, restaurants
IOWA CITY — From the outside, the house at 1135 E. College St. in Iowa City does not appear to be a farm.
In their basement, entrepreneurs Chad Treloar and Ted Myers grow arugula, sunflowers, sweet corn, cilantro, broccoli, lettuce and several other varieties of baby green vegetables.
The co-owners of Urban Greens sell their crops — many of them grown year-round in a hydroponic greenhouse system — to New Pioneer Food Co-op, local restaurants and at the Iowa City Farmers Market.
Various greens are grown under full spectrum LED lights in a hydroponic system at Urban Greens in Iowa City on Wednesday, May. 9, 2018. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)
Baby greens are small, nutrient-packed produce that can be used as an alternative to lettuce on sandwiches and burgers, blended into smoothies or included in tossed salads. They are harvested about three weeks after they germinate, well before they become mature plants.
“We started in March of 2017 with a small room in the basement,” Myers recalled. ”The walls were lined and we did baby greens. Then we dug up the backyard and planted baby greens outdoors.”
Myers said the decision to grow baby greens year-round meant expanding the growing space in the basement by taking down a concrete block wall.
“We’ve had a few years’ experience with hydroponics and we designed a system — making about 1,000 mistakes along the way,” he said. “Now, we feel like we have it to where we are in full production, which is conveniently when we are able to work outdoors again.”
Myers and Treloar purchased their hydroponic growing channels and related supplies from FarmTek in Dyersville. They buy their seeds in 10-pound and 25-pound bags from Johnny’s Seeds in Maine and Mountain Valley Seed in Utah.
Hydroponic growing uses burlap as a growing medium, removing the need for soil and eliminating soil-borne diseases and pests, weeds and the use of herbicides and pesticides.
A water tank contains all the nutrients required to grow the baby greens. The channels are linked to the water tank with tubing, which carries the water to the plants and the channels drain the excess water.
LED lighting and fans are used to create and maintain the proper indoor growing environment. All the compost from the indoor production is saved and used in the outdoor plots of lettuce and other produce.
Ted Myers, co-founder, plants salanova lettuce in beds outside at Urban Greens in Iowa City on Wednesday, May. 9, 2018. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)
Urban Greens’ base baby greens product is what Myers and Treloar call their “superfood mix.”
“We take the baby greens of broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, radish and some garnet mustard. We mix that all together to create something that has a lot of nutrients, color and a lot of flavor,” Myers said.
“We are adding more exotic greens to that, like arugula, for off shoots like a bold and spicy mix. There are a few different routes that we can take.”
Myers and Treloar are trying to minimize the time before harvest with different lighting and watering techniques to adjust the growing climate,
Treloar said the challenge with hydroponics system and the limited growing space is to make the process as efficient as possible.
“By removing soil from the equation, you are developing a growing environment where you can maximize the rates of growth, keep the products cleaner, and it requires less processing as you harvest it,” he said. “These types of efficiencies are important when it is reflected in pricing. We want to compete in pricing with massive farms that produce lettuce and greens in California that are shipped here.”
Myers said Urban Greens’ existing operation is a prototype that he and Treloar want to replicate to expand production. They plan to add a detached garage at the back of their location and use it to double their hydroponic year-round indoor production.
“Once we have maximized indoor and outdoor production on this property, we are looking to purchase another property with a house in Iowa City,” Myers said. “We want to acquire other properties around the center of the city close to delivery points so we can cut down on transportation costs.”
The additional properties also will enable Urban Greens to provide room and board to employees who will manage the household and also keep up with operations, Myers said.
“That house manager could also be the rental property manager,” he said. “Each property could generate revenue from the (growing) operation as well as the renters.”
Treloar said he and Myers believe the food system of the future will involve consumers having a direct relationship with the food that they eat day to day.
“It seems like the most realistic way to do that is incorporate growing in or near your living space,” he said. “That might involve space that is wasted like a storage room or your backyard, which you spend time mowing.
“It’s not just a business model, but a sustainable idea and a lifestyle model.”
Myers and Treloar hope to purchase similar properties in larger cities, adding more production and expanding Urban Greens’ employment and client base.
RotoGro Inks Pivotal Ag-Tech Perishable Foods Deal
RotoGro Inks Pivotal Ag-Tech Perishable Foods Deal
Written by Zoe Gross, edited and authorised by Jonathan Jackson. Published at May 22, 2018, in Biotech
Cannabis tech company, RotoGro World Wide (ASX:RGI), has penned a binding letter of intent (LOI) with organic perishable foods grower, Gibio Inc.
The LOI enables RGI to subscribe for up to 49 percent equity participation in Gibio and includes a 20-year exclusive manufacturing, technology and service contract for all rotational garden systems required for Gibio’s perishable food production facilities.
Gibio is located and incorporated in St Apolinaire, Quebec, Canada. Its mission is to develop environmentally responsible local farms which defy traditional growing seasons, enabling sustainable, socially responsible and traceable organic produce all year round.
This LOI is the culmination of 12 months of collaboration — Gibio and RGI have been working together to trial, test and customize the RotoGro Rotary Hydroponic Garden System with Gibio’s growing know-how and bespoke substrate technology.
Building, owning and operating perishable farms led by the tech of both companies will ensure produce is grown with maximum efficiency, minimal water, and without pesticides or herbicides.
Gibio will proceed with the first 80,000 square foot flagship facility, aiming to roll out an additional 10 facilities over the next five years.
RGI’s equity interest in Gibio’s global growing facilities provides considerable depth to its second vertical of growing management and growing facility ownership.
It’s worth noting here that this is an early stage play and investors should seek professional financial advice if considering this company for their portfolio.
Some market peers in the vertical farming perishable foods space
Small-scale indoor farms have demonstrated the benefits of compact vertical farming for many years. In response to increasing real estate prices, energy and transportation costs, scarcity of fertile land, and the limitations of seasonal growing, the agricultural community has made a concerted effort to utilise urban spaces for the efficient growing of perishable foods.
Research has shown indoor vertical farming systems have the capacity to produce up to 350 times the volume of produce compared with a conventional farm occupying the same footprint, while using significantly less water and providing consistent quality year-round.
These hermetically sealed, climate-controlled indoor growing facilities provide shelter from the elements, weeds, insects and pests which eliminates the need for harmful herbicides and pesticides, while at the same time providing safe, dependable and nutritious food.
Two companies leading the charge for sustainable indoor vertical farming are New Jersey-based AeroFarms LLC and Silicon Valley-based Plenty Unlimited Inc. — Gibio aspires to the achievements of both.
AeroFarms recently completed construction of its ninth indoor vertical farm — a state-of-the-art 69,000 square foot flagship production facility in Newark, New Jersey. AeroFarms’ original investors, Goldman Sachs and Prudential Financial, have been recently joined by the Ikea Group and Meraas (the investment vehicle of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid).
Plenty, on the other hand, recently opened its first 50,000 square foot indoor vertical farming operation in California and is currently opening its second indoor vertical farming facility in the greater Seattle area, Washington. This second facility occupies 100,000 square feet of growing area and has the potential to cultivate enough produce to feed some 180,000 Americans annually.
Plenty has been well-supported with an investor base that includes SoftBank Vision, DCM Ventures, Bezos Expeditions (Amazon’s Jeff Bezos) and Innovation Endeavors (Google’s Eric Schmidt).
A critical transaction
Gibio president, Gino Poirier, said: “We are very excited to partner with RotoGro in our aspirations to be the global leader in organic perishable foods. Our relationship over the past 12 months has highlighted the strength of RotoGro’s innovation, engineering and solutions-based approach to our design requests.”
“We look forward to moving to the design and construction phase of our first 80,000 square foot flagship facility after which we aim to roll out a further 10 facilities over the next five years,” added Poirier.
RGI managing director, Michael Carli, commented: “Our investment in Gibio is a testament to the vision of both companies aligning to embark on the exciting space of large scale indoor perishable food growing facilities. Gibio’s first facility will rival that of both AeroFarms and Plenty, whilst moving the needle for more efficient solutions to indoor farming.”
“Our equity interest in Gibio’s global growing facilities provides depth to our second vertical of growing management and growing facility ownership. This is a company making investment and sets RotoGro apart from its peers in both the technology and agriculture space.”
This latest development comes hot on the heels of more good news for RGI. Last week, the company revealed it is acquiring the fertigation assets, intellectual property, ongoing contacts, key personnel, industry know-how and business goodwill of Hanson’s Water Treatment Inc.
This acquisition gives RGI leverage to Hanson’s specialised fertigation business line for water treatment and nutrient management in the viticulture, perishable foods and legalised cannabis space.
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Heavenly Good From The Underworld
Heavenly Good From The Underworld
April 17, 2018, 16:25
Forget about organic farming. Now it is about urban urban cultivation. ICA Kvantum Liljeholmen peered in the crystal ball and was helped by Urban Oasis to introduce the country's first underground crops - completely without the help of soil.
In a mountain room under ICA Kvantum Liljeholmen, fruit grows, greens and green so it's cracking. No wonder, if you do not think that Urban Oasis's cultivation area is not only underground but because the frog beds also lack soil. However, the taste can not be mistaken; The products are just as tasty, crisp and healthy as they were grown with native Mother Nature. But in the long run, the difference can be huge for our planet.
Underground crops are, in short, a giant cliff straight into the future. For here, there is no talk of either eutrophication, climate impact or unnecessary imports. Today, 70 percent of all vegetables in Sweden are purchased from abroad. Soon that number can be a memory only. In Liljeholmen it moves on 50 square meters of small production of freshly harvested only 500 meters, straight into ICA Kvantum's fresh salad bar.
"We can grow almost anything here. With the technology in place, it is only the imagination that sets limits. "Break the seasons" we are talking about. Maybe we're just a small step from sun-dried tomatoes and crispy strawberries at Christmas, says ICA Kvantum Liljeholm's sales manager Joakim Haraldsson.
Urban Oasis's resource-efficient urban cultivation is the result of a quartet pilot project - consisting of two KTH students, an architect and a finance man - with the goal of forming a foodtech company for sustainable food production.
- By so-called hydroponic cultivation, cultivating in water without soil, we can produce nutritious and nutritious food in an exciting environment where agriculture and technology meet. We will be able to offer fresh, roasted vegetables all year round even in Sweden, "said Albert Payaro, CEO and one of the initiators behind Urban Oasis.
Ica Kvantum Liljeholmen has already taken great steps in pursuit of environmentally friendly farming practices. When the Urban Oasis underground plant will soon be utilized even more efficiently, the ambition is to produce nearly 5 tonnes of vegetables - a day.
It is enough to calm the hunger of thousands of salmon-hot ICA customers in Liljeholmen every day.
"ICA is basically an entrepreneurial company and it is therefore fun that we can support and collaborate with other exciting entrepreneurial companies and help them to market," concludes Joakim Haraldsson at ICA.
• Growing in water without soil gives great harvest on a small surface - year round. Nutrition reaches the roots via an aqueous solution under the boxes. As an air gap is left between the plant and water, oxygen is added all the time, which causes the crops to grow rapidly above the surface.
• What can I grow? Almost whatever for green. Spices like basil, coriander and parsley, lettuce and other leafy vegetables, of course, but also tomatoes, chili, eggplant.
• If you do not have daylight, the crops can get energy using small LED lights.
• Farming without soil is nothing new. It already did the ancient Egyptians 600 BC. in one of the world's seven wonders: Babylon's famous hanging gardens.
ICA's Entrepreneur Prize is awarded for the first time in 2018 and goes to people outside the ICA organization. The prize goes to two categories: the local hero of the year and the new star of the year, and a scholarship of 100,000 kronor each. The winner is appointed by a jumbo jury and an online poll that weighs as heavily as one of the jury's voices.
In addition to ICA's Entrepreneurial Award, Ica aims to provide 200 new, small local suppliers with the opportunity to sell their products directly to ICA stores by 2020.
published: April 17, 2018
Hydroponics: Is It A Worthwhile Investment For The Middle East’s Food And Agriculture Sector?
Hydroponics: Is It A Worthwhile Investment For The Middle East’s Food And Agriculture Sector?
15 MAY 2018
The global population is growing rapidly at a rate of 1.1% annually, putting pressure on natural resources such as food. To keep up with the growing number of people, farming needs to become more efficient. One way to do this is hydroponics. The term hydroponics is a subset of “hydroculture” which refers to growing plants without the use of soil. It uses nutrient-rich solutions in a water solvent and is typically done indoors, in a controlled environment. The latter is a growing area of commercial food production and is also used for home food production by hobbyists. It is recognized as one of the fastest developing soil-less cultivating practices globally. Hydroponics is also said to report a higher yield than conventional farming. Furthermore, it is up to 70 percent more water efficient than traditional methods, allowing a longer growing season.
Although the concept of hydroponics has started to gain momentum over the last few years, the concept is not new and has been used by ancient civilizations for centuries. Today, farmers are slowly increasing their use of hydroponics, and researchers are looking more closely at how it could solve future food problems.
Global farming industry and hydroponics
The food and agribusiness industry are currently worth USD 5 trillion, and the figure is expected to grow. Projections suggest that demand will increase by 70% by 2050. Hydroponics is therefore likely to help the global food industry meet the supply shortfall.
In addition, farmland per capita is likely to decrease to 1800m² from 2,200m² by 2030. Furthermore, pests cause 10-16% of crops to be destroyed annually. Hydroponics provides an effective solution to attain self-sufficiency in food, as the technology utilizes space more efficiently. A growing consumption of exotic salad crops and an increasing need for global food security are expected to drive the market.
Europe currently stands at the forefront of the global hydroponics market, accounting for 37% of market share. European countries including France and the Netherlands have large greenhouse agriculture areas, helping market growth. In the Netherlands, for instance, plants are cultivated in tunnel-like greenhouses. Scandinavian countries including Finland and Sweden use hydroponics to grow crops in the winter as it allows plants to be grown indoors, away from harsh winter climates.
The Asia Pacific region is also focusing on the hydroponics market and is currently the second largest region for hydroponics revenue. They have been investing heavily in R&D to improve the industry. Hydroponics can increase production, helping feed the large populations in countries like India and China. Furthermore, China is expected to witness the largest in hydroponics over the coming year.
North America is considered to have the fastest growing hydroponics market in the world. Major contributing economies include the U.S, Mexico, and Canada. Over recent years, they have been able to significantly increase production. For instance, research from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests that the production of greenhouse tomato doubled between the years 2007 to 2013.
The global hydroponics market is predicted to receive abundant growth opportunities over the coming years and competition is anticipated to escalate as soon as organizations begin understanding the huge development openings that the market offers.
Organizations are directly concentrating on cutting-edge imaginative innovations and investments in the hydroponics sectors. Some of the leading players in the market include, Greentech Agro LLC (US), Argus Control Systems (Canada), Logiqs BV (The Netherlands), Lumigrow, Inc. (US), General Hydroponics, Inc. (US), Village Farms International (Canada) and Hydrodynamics International, Inc. (US).
There have also been several recent investments in the industry. For instance, Scotts Miracle-Gro spent USD 136 million on indoor-growing company Gavita. They also invested in other companies including Boulder’s Aerogrow, General Hydroponics Inc., and Botanicare.
Hydroponics and ME
The Middle East is home to 12 of the world’s most water-scarce countries, posing a challenge for the agriculture sector. The latter makes the region heavily dependent on food imports, with 80-90% of the food in the UAE and Saudi Arabia being imported. As a result, the GCC’s food import bill is estimated to reach USD 53.1 billion by 2020 – a growth of 105% over 10 years. GCC economies could, therefore, benefit from the use of hydroponics and have prioritized it over recent years. As part of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s food security strategy, hydroponics and organic farming will be prioritized in the coming years. For instance, in the UK 24 percent of the land is available for agriculture, while in the UAE it is only 1 percent. Even where land is available the GCC countries face severe water shortages. Experts say that estimates at current analysis water inflow to agriculture from underground sources in GCC will last for 30 years at best. Moreover, the industrialization and increase in population in the GCC countries implies that non-agricultural use of water is increasing rapidly. It is predicted that by 2025 domestic use of water will double while industrial demand will increase threefold.
UAE-based company Badia Farms recently announced the launch of the GCC’s first commercial vertical indoor farm which allows UAE residents to get their produce on the day of harvest. The company uses hydroponic technology and vertical farming techniques to produce 18 types of pesticide-free vegetables indoors. Other key players in the region’s hydroponic agriculture producers is Emirates Hydroponics Farms (EHF), Salata Farms and Pegasus Agritech.
A company called Pegasus Agriculture is currently planning hydroponic projects, farming facilities, and manufacturing all over the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including Oman, Qatar, and UAE.
Hydroponics farm owner Mr. Ali Ahmad Saad Al Kaabi, says that his 500 m2 hydroponics farm had produced 70 tonnes of fruit and vegetables in a year.
Is it a smart investment?
There are a few important factors to consider:
1) High productivity with high setup costs
Hydroponics allows faster plant growth throughout the year, allowing larger yields. In order to do this, however, a large amount of costly equipment must be purchased leading to high setup costs.
2) Eco-friendly but high running costs
Hydroponic systems allow water to be recycled, which means that hydroponic farms only use 10% of the water that a normal farm uses. In most cases, they also require less fertilizer – often only as little as a quarter of the amount needed in a normal farm. Plants grown in these systems are also free of pesticides. These eco-friendly qualities, however, come at a price. Hydroponic systems require a lot of electricity, which is costly.
3) Feasible yet vulnerable
Hydroponic farming is water-efficient, enabling it to work in dry climates. Hydroponic growing trays can be stacked on top of one another, and plants can be placed closer side by side than they can in soil, making it more space-efficient than traditional farming. Since nearly all environmental conditions can be controlled artificially, unconventional growing spaces can be used – uninhabited buildings, disused railway tunnels, etc.
However, hydroponic systems are vulnerable to power failures. In systems where roots are highly exposed, plants can dry out rapidly in the absence of water. Nutrient and pH imbalances can build up far quicker in a solution than in soil. This means that an entire crop can be wiped out very quickly if something goes wrong. Similarly, water-borne diseases can spread quickly and widely, and water-borne microorganisms can contaminate solutions fairly easily.
4) Reduced need for transportation but requires monitoring
Hydroponics allows plants to be grown away from their natural habitats so they are closer to consumers. The latter reduces transport costs and provides consumers with fresher goods.
The challenge, on the other hand, is that these plants cannot be left unattended for extended periods of time and must be attended to be a farmer or an automated device.
5) Monoculture not a problem but requires expertise
Farmers do not need to think about crop-rotation and in-demand crops can be focused on throughout the year, as nutrient-exhaustion is not a problem.
However, farmers require extensive training to learn the right techniques to do this effectively.
What is the best solution?
The limited availability of land and water poses a challenge for the Middle East, with as little as 1% of land being available for agriculture in countries like the UAE.
Understanding the pros and cons suggests that the Middle East is a good fit for indoor farming because of water scarcity and affordable power. Moreover, the increased derived demand for food and beverage consumption in the GCC creates potential for hydroponics adoption in the region.
FarmTech experts recommend using hydroponics to sustain and meet the on growing demand for food products and curb national exchequer on import of these products. Experts also believe that if applied correctly, the use of hydroponics and vertical farming can eventually help the Middle East rank amongst the top food produce exporters in the world.
DIY Hydroponic Gardens: How To Design And Build an Inexpensive System For Growing Plants In Water
DIY Hydroponic Gardens: How To Design And Build an Inexpensive System For Growing Plants In Water
By urbanagnews
May 10, 2018
With practical information aimed at home DIYers, the new book DIY Hydroponic Gardens: How to Design and Build an Inexpensive System for Growing Plants in Water shows exactly how to build, plant, and maintain more than a dozen unique hydroponic systems, some of which cost just a few dollars to make. Author Tyler Baras (Farmer Tyler to his fans) shows how anyone can inexpensively grow produce without soil, offering a unique opportunity to have a productive garden indoors, or in areas where soil is not present.
An expert in hydroponics, Baras has developed many unique and easy-to-build systems for growing entirely in water, for both commercial and home use. In DIY Hydroponic Gardens, he shows with step-by-step photos precisely how to create these systems and how to plant and maintain them. All the information you need to get started with your home hydroponic system is included, including recipes for nutrient solutions, info on light and ventilation sources, and specific plant-by-plant details that explain how to grow the most popular vegetables in a self-contained, soilless system. There’s also 12+ hydroponic system builds and complete crop selection charts.
No soil? No sunlight? No problem for a hydroponic system, giving the gardener the power to grow plants anywhere. Even if you live in an area were water is scarce, a hydroponic system is the answer you’ve been looking for. Plus, hydroponic systems are sealed and do not allow evaporation, making water loss virtually nonexistent. The bottom line: with DIY Hydroponic Gardens, anyone, anywhere can garden by growing in water.
Tyler Baras, “Farmer Tyler,” is a well-renowned hydroponic grower with extensive experience in both hobby and commercial hydroponics. He attended the University of Florida, graduating Cum Laude from their Horticultural Sciences department and has studied agriculture in Spain and China. Besides writing books for both home gardeners and commercial growers, Tyler creates educational videos covering a range of horticultural topics and speaks at events throughout the year. His hydroponic demonstration sites have been featured on P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, which airs on PBS and syndicated stations nationwide. Tyler currently works as a hydroponic consultant and has worked on several notable projects, including Central Market’s Growtainer, the first grocery store–owned and –managed onsite farm. Tyler continues to produce video content, which can be seen on digital magazine Urban Ag News and on www.FarmerTyler.com.