Figuring the Future of Hydroponics
Many gardeners and farmers have achieved the new technology
of hydroponics, but like many new technologies the future of hydroponics is
unknown. Hydroponics is relatively new, and it has rapidly evolved since its
inception 70 years ago. The history of hydroponics is a very eventful one.
Hydroponics began as academic research as has since graduated to being used in
industry, government, and many other new applications. The versatile technology
has been used in developing countries and high-tech space stations. Hydroponic
technology can generate food crops from almost anywhere, including arctic
communities, city rooftops, barren desert sand, and desalinated ocean water. In
areas where high land prices have driven out traditional agriculture,
hydroponics can provide locally grown specialty crops such as herbs and greens.
Many are hoping the future of hydroponics will be just as productive as its
past.
Agriculture is moving toward higher-technology, and more
capital-intensive solutions to farming problems. Hydroponics is the perfect
solution for production problems, because it is highly productive and suitable
for automation. However, the future of hydroponics depends greatly on the
development of systems of production that are cost-competitive with field
agriculture. Improvements in other associated technologies, including
artificial lighting, agricultural plastics, and new cultivars with better
disease resistance will increase crop yields and reduce costs of production. Some
co-generation projects, such as one where hydroponic greenhouses use waste heat
from industry power plants, have already been put into action and may expand in
the next few years. It is possible that geothermal heat could support large
expanses of greenhouses in certain areas.
It has also been proposed that glasshouses located in
various deserts of the world could serve a dual purpose. Antennas could be
embedded into the glass to receive energy radiation from energy collectors in
space, while facilitating hydroponic tomato production. The economic outlook of
hydroponics is also an important topic. The economic prospects of hydroponics
could improve if governmental bodies determined that there are politically
desirable effects of hydroponics that merit subsidy for the public good. The
beneficial effects of hydroponics include the conservation of water in regions
of scarcity, and food production in hostile environment. The government has
begun supporting hydroponics in the Middle East,
because of its apparent benefits. Another desirable effect of hydroponics could
be the provision of income producing employment for disadvantaged segments of
the population that is entrapped in depressed regions. This new employment
could produce tax revenues as well as personal incomes, which could reduce the
impact of welfare rolls and improve the quality of life in these economically
depressed areas.
Hydroponic systems are producing horticultural crops where
field-grown fresh vegetables and ornaments are unavailable for most of the
year. Hydroponics has improved the economic well being of many communities
throughout the world. Hydroponics can continue to change the outlook of future
agriculture if the technology is continually refined. The system of hydroponics
can become even more productive, and will be able to feed people around the
world in a more efficient manner. In the future hydroponics could be used to
grow seedlings for reforestation; it can be used to establish orchards, used to
grow ornamental crops, and used to grow flowers and shrubs. It can also be
integrated with aqua-culture, where wastes provide nutrients to plants, and the
plants help to purify the water for the fish. Hydroponics can be used to
enhance the lives of many people, and the effects of the system can felt in
every country. Hydroponics has many uses today, and although the future is
unknown right now, it looks to be promising if the hydroponic technology is
continually integrated into today's agriculture.
