Page 25 - Plastics News August 2021

FEATURE

Hydroponic farming – an efficient way
to use limited resources

The world’s population is expected to
reach 10 billion by 20501 while the area
available for farming and freshwater
reserves are becoming increasingly
scarce. Hydroponics offers a sustainable
way to grow crops without soil and using
vertically stacked layers while reducing
water usage by about 90 percent .

Especially in densely populated urban
areas, this presents a more efficient
way to use limited resources like water,
space and manpower. Water that is not It is also a large consumer of fruits and trend, there is no time like the present
absorbed by the plants is captured, vegetables, and while much of this is to start growing vegetables in your own
purified and fed back into the farm’s through unorganized channels (local backyard. And balconies and rooftops
water circulation system, minimizing vegetable markets, hand-pulled carts too," quips Vihari. Thus, hydroponics is
wastage significantly. India is the second- and neighborhood stores), organized a fast growing and efficient alternative to
largest producer of fruits and vegetables channels (modern trade and online retail) traditional supply chains in the organized
in the world, with a production value of account for a little over 20 percent of the fresh produce market.
about $64 billion. market. "With ‘organic’ being the current

24 PLASTICS NEWS AUGUST 2021 25 PLASTICS NEWS AUGUST 2021