What You Should Know About Soilless Farming (Part 1).
Yeah,
I know what you are thinking. Is it possible to do farming without soil? It is
a YES.
No
doubt, good soil is the most important and basic need when it comes to farming.
Without good soil located in a good place with all the necessary nutrients,
farming is impossible. But guess what? The face of agriculture is changing. No
more SOILING your hands. Wouldn’t you be surprised that today, farming can be
carried out without soil? It is called Soilless farming.
What is Soilless
farming?
Soilless
farming is a type of farming whereby plants, especially veggies, can be grown
without the use and presence of soil. This new type of farming is growing to
become the future of agriculture by providing a more sustainable and productive
alternative to the traditional cultivation of crops. No more worries if you
want to go into farming and there is no land with good soil. Soilless farming
has got you covered.
Soil
Farming, which is traditional farming, is already disappearing fast because of
climate change and intensive farming. According to Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), it takes 1000 years to generate just three centimeters of
topsoil (the top layer of soil that allows plants to grow). It was discovered
that a third of all the world’s land already given over to food production and
using more could affect the biodiversity of the planet earth.
Do
you know that the planet loses an equivalent of 30 soccer fields of land every
minute?
Do
you know the size of one soccer field?
Can
you multiple the size of one soccer field by 30 and then multiply the answer by
60 minutes to calculate for one hour or 1440 minutes to calculate for a day?
Don’t
you think that could be dangerous for all of us?
I
am certain you would be speechless seeing the size of land consumed per day
with soil farming. With soilless farming, there will be less fight with climate
change such as soil fertility, land degradation, desertification, and soil
erosion. Knowing that soilless farming is the smart way to farm without
harming the planet is a banger!
What are the
methods of Soilless farming?
Hydroponics
In
hydroponics, the plants grow on neutral, solid, and inert media also called
substrates. The substrate provide support and moisture retention to the plant grown on it. A
nutrient-enriched aqueous solution provides the plants with water, oxygen, and
minerals they need to grow. A commercial soilless greenhouse can be up to
20,000 square-foot with revolutionary hydroponic systems which plants with
nutrient-rich liquids instead of soil.
Aquaponics
The term Aquaponics originates from the two words aquaculture (the growing of fish in a closed environment) and hydroponics (the growing of plants usually in a soil-less environment). Another way to do soilless farming is by channeling the wastewater from fish culture into your hydroponic system. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines aquaponics as the cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating aquatic environment.
If
you are into fish farming, you have a better chance to engage in soilless
farming. The dirty water that is not suitable for your catfish or whatever fish
you are culturing contains nutrients necessary to grow your veggies. Don’t
waste it!
Aeroponics
There is an alternative method of soil-less culture in growth-controlled environments. This is called Aeroponics. It is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or aggregate media. The nutrient solution is continuously sprayed directly onto the plants’ roots. This system is good in urban spaces including in gardens, on roofs, on balconies and, on facades.
It
is interesting to know that soilless farming has come to stay and it is easy to
operate at whatever capacity you wish. In a subsequent article, we will
discuss on how to set up a soilless farming system. We trust you would love to know how.
Now that we have known the different methods of soilless farming, let us look at the advantages and disadvantages in Part 2. Just click here
© Food and Agricultural Technology Unit -PARG 2021.
Edition 1, Volume 2, Article 1
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