Project Name : Multistoried Hydroponic Farming
Theme Name : Natural Resource & their Conservation
Objective: To develop an alternative agricultural method for area containing less fertile soil.
Related Principle: Hydroponics is a method of cultivating plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with
their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium (coconut husk, gravel).
Working: In Hydroponics, Mineral nutrient solution (tailor made for each plant for their maximum growth) is introduced to the plant roots by various means. The plant roots directly absorb the requisite amount of nutrient required for their growth from the water. As the plant gets the exact amount of all the 20 macro and micro nutrients it requires for maximum growth, we get maximum yield from each plant, much more than what we get in traditional soil agriculture (Geoponics). In a
multistoried building, the environment is partially controlled. The hydroponic tanks or pots are placed at the sides of the building floors enabling them to get direct sunlight for a part of the day. Any deficiency in sunlight (if any) is met by artificial lights. In Tube Hydroponics, a constant flow of nutrient solution is maintained, at a very slow rate. In Tank Hydroponics, nutrient solution is placed and the plants are placed on a wire mesh such that their roots can absorb the nutrients. When the solution is used up, it is replaced. The water used in hydroponics is recycled and reused for the same purpose.
Diagram/ Photo utility:
Cost and Further Scope: The profit generated by each floor is firstly huge. The profit per floor, as established before is huge, and with this multistoried farm, it is multiplied 10 times. Hydroponics can be safely termed as the Farm of the Future. With the ever increasing population explosion, land shortage, destruction of fertile lands, in the near future, we will be left without any fertile land for
agriculture. The food crops produced by traditional soil agriculture will not be enough to feed the world populations. Hydroponics is a safe, cheap and effective solution. In the future vast stretches of desert land, Arctic wastelands, inhabitable places like Antarctica, parts of Greenland can house Multistoried Hydroponic Farms.
Name of the School: Apeejay School, Park Street, Kolkata
