Hydroponics: The Unrealised Potential In India
Every news channel has featured the impending climate change disaster at some point on the other. Due to the ever-deteriorating store of fossil fuels, and resources such as water and clean air, scientists as well as the common man is moving towards resource efficiency. Hydroponics is one such way through which we can maximise the use of available resources for efficient agriculture.
Hydroponics is a contemporary method of horticulture or growing plants, usually farm produce, without using soil. In this method, the crops are grown on water, rich in essential micro and macro nutrients. According to studies, plants grown hydroponically grow faster and healthier than plants in the soil, since they are provided nutrients directly to their roots through the water in the form of a aqueous solvent, and not through soil.
The earliest recorded mention of hydroponics grown was in the year 1627 by Francis Bacon in his book, ‘A Natural History’. After the discovery of Hydroponics, research work progressed rapidly on this technique. In recent years, NASA is experimenting with hydroponics for growing plants on long- term space missions. The program is called “Controlled Ecological Life Support System” (CELSS) and can prove to be a lifesaver in long term space missions for astronauts. In 2007, an Arizona based company sold 200 million pounds of tomatoes, which were grown hydroponically. Presently, Canada boasts of hundreds of acres of farms which are using hydroponic techniques including hydroponic greenhouses. They have been successful in growing peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers so far. In India, the farmers in Punjab were placed under contract to grow potatoes, primarily using the technique
of hydroponics. These examples are, however, few and far in between. Globally, we are marching ahead in this technology, but India has a lot of catching up to do.
The reasons behind the widespread, global adaptability are its multitude of benefits. For instance, the method requires less labour, and the yields are much higher as plants grow faster as compared with regular farms. There is also the potential for multiple crop cycles in the same season. Hydroponics uses comparatively less water, that is, 20% of the water used in the conventional cropping methods. One of the key positives of hydroponics is that it can be applied in a fairly limited space. Also, these plants are not dependant on the weather outside, because the ambient temperature is manually controlled. This is a blessing in a country like India, where agriculture is monsoon dependant. There is a multitude of benefits for the farmers who can grow crops out of season, and provide greater food and nutrition choice to the consumer.
This is done by stacking plants vertically, because this method is not limited by the surface area. Also, products such as exotic herbs and condiments make this method practical and profitable. This method is even more lucrative in the era of organic farming and a generation moving towards fitness. Methods such as these make farming an economically beneficial profession and serve as an incentive to not just existing farmers, but upcoming entrepreneurs. The cultivator will not only benefit from increase in yields but will also be able to tailor nutrient content plant wise, thus controlling amount of produce per crop. In this method the nutrients are diverted to the shoot and not the root, enabling better quality of produce. Given that the roots are not going to take up much space, one can produce more crop in a given surface area than
on farm cultivation. Also, given that the crops are produced indoors, there is little vulnerability to pest attack. This is especially significant given that we have frequent locust attacks along the west coast of India. Lastly, seeds do not have to push through mechanically across the soil. This facilitates less maturation and crop growth time.
While this technology has promise and is gaining traction, the initial cost of setting up a hydroponic farm is way higher than traditional farming. One needs access to a building like structure at least to regulate the environment and grow the plants, along with food-grade plastic made trays and tubes. The cost of this infrastructure is typically Rs. 50,000 and above per 1,000 sq. ft. High costs are also involved in plumbing system and automation such as sensors, controllers, water pumps, lighting etc. There are additional requirements as well, such as money paid to consultants, costs involved in maintaining ambient temperature, in purifying water, developing manmade plant nutrition like nitrogen, potassium, calcium nitrate, phosphorus and other micronutrients like manganese, zinc etc.
While the small plants like herbs are easily cultivable, heavy fruition plants require elaborate and additional support. This is especially important because hydroponic crops do not have strong roots and cannot be self-sustaining. Another key issue is lack of education and awareness among the farming community on all these issues and technological advancements. The knowledge must be technical to the point of micro-managing temperature and humidity. A single fault in maintaining the ambient temperature can lead to major crop losses. A lot of farmers are not even aware about hydroponics, leave alone their execution. The phenomenon is especially
apparent when we see that this technology is flourishing mainly in the start-up sector of the young, urban Indian.
India still imports majority of its exotic fruits and vegetables. While central government is promoting subsidy for hydroponics, we have a long way to go before this technology gains widespread acceptance.
