by: Charlene Rennick
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Did you know that if the city of New York uses only the space from the rooftops of their sky-scraping, high-rise buildings, that they could hydroponically cultivate enough fresh produce to feed the entire city?
Acre by acre, our most nutrient-rich farmland is lost through purchase from industrial and commercial developers. In Ontario, the province that contains over half of the best agricultural land for the entire country of Canada, the acreage of fertile farmland has been reduced by half since the 1950s (University of Guelph). The remaining farmland is dependent on irrigation systems to sustain it which puts more strain on our diminishing supply of fresh water and contributes to the depletion of nutrients in the earth through run-off. The global supply of fresh water supply is endangered. Bans on watering are in effect by June in some countries like Canada, where a focus on the conservation of natural resources is evident.
More and more of our produce is imported and domestic crops will soon be a term as archaic as a dial-up internet connection (what is a busy signal?) or a record album (look at the giant CD!).
Hydroponic gardens are the growing medium of the future. They do not require farmland, irrigation systems dependent on fresh water or natural light. Greenhouse-style hydroponic systems have the potential to produce all the fresh produce that we need under the limited geographical conditions that we will soon face.
Hydroponically grown food takes seven times less land and four times less water to produce than field grown food. The lifespan of the typical, garden variety tomato uses .7 square feet of soil, 8 gallons of water, ½ an ounce of bio-diesel fuel, 300 milligrams of pesticide and emits ¾ of a pound of carbon monoxide to produce. A hydroponically grown tomato uses only .1 square feet of reusable growing medium, 2 gallons of recyclable water, and is pesticide and carbon monoxide-free to produce.
The Science barge is a floating greenhouse completely operated by energy created in solar panels and by wind generators. The barge is located on the mouth of the Hudson River in the state of New York. The hydroponic system uses only rain water or recycled river water to sustain plant growth. The river water is renewed by a process called, reverse osmosis which generates 300 gallons of usable water per day. These renewable energy systems are an example of the kind of agriculture and energy alternatives that we will have to utilize in the future.
It is this category of proactive thinking that will save our natural resources from extinction and preserve our opportunity to eat fresh, home-grown produce.