The Benefits of Hydroponic Farming

What is Hydroponics?

Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without the use of soil. Instead, water enriched nutrient is used.

What are the advantages of hydroponic farming?

Hydroponic farming is a much more sustainable solution then traditional agriculture practices.  

Traditional farming takes up very large amounts of land, uses tons of water and many utilize harmful chemicals, while hydroponic farming has a much smaller footprint and uses 90% less water. 

The benefits of hydroponics empower farmers to grow more efficiently and effectively. They are able to manage pH and nutrients to ensure plants are getting exactly what they need.

Why an indoor hydroponic grow?

While hydroponic growing can be done indoors or outdoors, there are more benefits to growing indoors.  

Indoor hydroponics can produce a higher yield in a controlled environment.  You do not have to battle the elements and you come out with a much cleaner product.  There is also much less need for herbicides and/or pesticides.

The systems are closed and recycle the water that is not used by the plants. The ability to grow indoors allows farmers to control everything such as temperatures and lighting schedules in order to improve plant production. 

Systems can be designed to make the most use of a space and even increase planting density. Hydroponics also allows us to create farms in locations where soil conditions are too poor to support farming or space is too limited or too expensive and in places where a farm otherwise could not exist.

Why hydroponics in general?

Hydroponics is a form of cultivation that can be used in urban environments in order to be closer to consumers.  All you need is light, airflow, water, nutrients, heating, cooling, electricity, and space.

As environmental conservation is one of the great challenges facing society, some of the current forms of agriculture pose a threat. Hydroponics is a solution to combat climate change, to reduce the environmental damage and species extinction caused by overexploitation and intensive farming. 

It also allows for a more rational use of water and more profitable crops that are easier to control, which turns them into a weapon to fight against hunger and disease and to enhance food safety, especially in urban food desserts and developing countries.