Most of us are familiar with traditional agriculture. Planting seeds in nutrient-rich soil and later irrigating it. The roots of the plant consume nutrients from soil and groundwater. Have you ever heard, however, of completing the same process with absolutely no soil? That doesn’t even sound possible! It’s true, however, and this is a magical science called Hydroponics.
Hydroponic farming has no soil involved. Plants are simply provided with all nutrients without the soil. In regular farming, around 95% of water is wasted, whereas there is a minimal waste rate in hydroponic farming.
We interviewed Mr Umang Golechha, Partner and Director of Argos Arkaya, to learn more about this marvellous process. Each plant has a unique combination of macronutrients and micronutrients required for growth, and these are dissolved accordingly in water. This nutrient-rich water is fed to the roots of plants, and this is done using specialised pipes. In fact, hydroponic farming is exceptionally sustainable, because all excess water is collected and recycled, so there is no water being wasted in this method.
The channels through which these plants acquire their nutrients use Nutrient filled technology, more commonly known as NFT, where a shallow stream of water, with all the dissolved nutrients, is circulated among the roots of the plants in a watertight channel. The principle behind this technology is that they work in soilless environments with controlled environmental agriculture.
Since hydroponic farms are indoors, the weather is not a defining variable, and farming can occur all 365 days of the year. The temperature and humidity of the environment are controlled, providing adequate nutrients despite a soilless environment. Since these variables are controlled, the quality of the produce is consistent throughout, and there is no need for chemicals such as pesticides because the risk of pests is minimal. If there are ever, by chance, pests, then only organic substances such as oils are used.
At Argos, the focus is primarily on leafy green vegetables, but they also grow speciality herbs from time to time. The Dutch bucket system is another technology of Hydroponics where vine vegetables such as tomatoes grow. Due to the high costs of hydroponic farms, the target market is high net worth individuals, restaurants, and outlets that require consistent quality and quantity in the produce.
Mr Golechha told us that he always considered plants to be human. He talks to his plants, plays classical music for them, and nurtures them as if they were babies. This process humanises and personalises the agricultural growth process.
Hydroponics only takes up about 0.5% of the agriculture industry. Out of the five hydroponic farms that service Mumbai, a field day would provide 500 kilos of lettuce to the market. Mumbai, however, consumes 70,000-80,000 kilos of produce, so the scale of hydroponic farming is too small to make an impact on the larger space. Thus, instead of targeting the mass, they target environmentally-conscious consumers.
As we become more environmentally conscious, hydroponic agriculture is a viable solution to the different problems posed by traditional agricultural practices, shaping a more sustainable future for our planet.
