Hydroponics - Portfolio assignment PDF

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University of Mauritius Faculty of Law and Management

What is hydroponics and how does it work?

Programme: BSc (Hons) Finance Module: Communication Skills (COMS 1010) Submitted by: Student ID: Date of submission: 02 February 2022

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Table of content 1. Brainstorming……..……………………………………………….3 2. Note-taking……….…….………………………………………….4 3. Organisation of ideas..……………………………………………..6 4. Essay…….….…………………………………………………...…7 5. References………………………………………………………..10 6. Annexes………………………………….……………………….13

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1. Brainstorming

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2. Note-taking Reading log: Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh - Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer - Auxo Cell Laboratories, Inc. Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2021/12. Assessing the Potential of Hydroponic Farming to Reduce Food Imports: The Case of Lettuce Production in Sweden Aims of paper:

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Key issues discussed in the Literature Review:

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To look into the obstacles, opportunities, and outcomes of using a hypothetical hydroponic system to grow lettuce, a typical vegetable, locally in Swedish cities to reduce lettuce imports and encourage local production. General Theory: addressing agricultural sustainability challenges, such as to maximise yield and increase production from currently cultivated land, to manage scarce resources such as water and land efficiently and to change diets and reduce waste throughout the food chain. Hydroponics, as a viable remedy to conventional agriculture's shortcomings, primarily addresses these recommendations. Limitations and conflict of land and water: Land and natural resources are not divided equitably among different areas and countries in general. In addition, climate change and its consequences, such as droughts and floods, may alter the availability of land for cultivation and water flow for irrigation in various regions in the coming years. Food security: Despite the fact that the globe has enough food to feed everyone, poor food distribution creates famine in individuals and countries. In countries such as Sweden, cold weather makes it difficult to grow many vegetables and fruits on land. However, in times 4

Research Methodology:

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Main Findings:

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Strength and limitations of the paper:

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of shocks, countries' significant reliance on food commerce might be hazardous. Furthermore, because of their partial or whole reliance on food imports, 80 percent of the world's population is vulnerable to global shocks as a result of globalization and international food trade. A literature research, data collecting, the creation of a hypothetical hydroponic system, and scenario-based analysis were used to create this study. Based on these findings, the current research prepared a case study for investigation of the hypothetical hydroponic system's use in Uppsala municipality, as well as two scenarios for lettuce growing using the system in Sweden to replace lettuce imports. When the total yearly yield of the hypothetical hydroponic system is compared to the average values of area harvested and annual yield of current lettuce production methods in Sweden, hydroponics can produce approximately 44 times more lettuce in terms of weight than current techniques in Sweden. The hypothetical hydroponic system could be built, and the cost was not an issue. Wind-generated electricity was the predominant source of energy used to meet the system's demand. The type of seeds, fertilizer, growing media, and water requirement of the system were not discussed in this study, according to the scope of the study. Furthermore, the energy necessary for internal ventilation was not factored into the energy equation. 5

3. Organisation of ideas

Introduction − Soil v/s hydroponic − −

Defining hydroponic Derivative of the word hydroponic

Body Development 1st Paragraph: History of Hydroponic.

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Hydroponic as an ancient practice First scientist to grow plants using hydroponic as an experiment The person who coined the term ‘hydroponic’ Country best at hydroponic How hydroponic started in Mauritius

2nd Paragraph: How does hydroponic work. − Plant needs − How plants receive their nutrients when grown in soil and in hydroponic − Description of hydroponic system

3rd Paragraph: Types of plants that can be grown under hydroponic system. − Best crops to grow under hydroponic − Worst crops to grow under hydroponic − List of vegetables grown hydroponically in Mauritius 4th Paragraph: Why grow things hydroponically. − Hydroponic as an alternative to traditional farming − Benefits of hydroponic over traditional farming

Conclusion −

Hydroponic as a better method of farming in the future

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4. Essay

Growing plants in soil, at times, leads to wastage of water since a lot of the water is not absorbed by the plant and is lost into the ground. Hydroponics is the growing of plants in nutrient solutions instead of soil. As indicated by some experts, this production technique requires only 10% to 15% of water. The word hydroponics is derived from the Greek words’ hydro, which means water, and ponos, which means labour implying working water. This paper gives an account on the background of hydroponics system.

While hydroponics has gained popularity over the past few decades, its origins go back thousands of years to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, although no one knew about it then. It is believed that a pulley system of water from the river was the reason for the survival of the gardens, a farming method that is referred to as ‘hydroponics’ today. In 1699, John Woodward, was credited with being the first scientist to succeed in growing plants using hydroponics. The latter had carried out an experiment with the growth of spearmint and concluded that plants grown in water mixed with nutrients thrived better than plants cultivated with distilled water. In 1937, Dr William Frederick Gericke, a physiologist at the University of California at Berkeley, coined the term ‘hydroponics’. He was regarded as the ‘’father of hydroponics’’ when he cultivated tomato plants of a height of about 7.6 meters, using a mineral nutrition solution, in this backyard. In the present-day, hydroponics has spread around the world with Europe being at the forefront of applying this method of production. In Mauritius, the establishment of the Biotechnology Loan Project in 1999, a joint scheme of the Development Bank of Mauritius Ltd sparked a surge in interest in commercial hydroponics. In 2013, from 6 promoters of hydroponic system, this number expanded to 325 farmers using 571 greenhouses on a total surface area of around 24.98 ha. 7

To grow, plants require carbon dioxide, sunlight, water, and nutrients. In traditional gardening, the roots of plants obtain their nutrients in the soil. However, in a hydroponics system, nutrients dissolved in water act as a source where plants gain the required nutrition. Plants do not have to work hard to receive the nutrients from the soil because nutrients are delivered straight into their roots with the effect that plants concentrate on growing tall rather than establishing a deep root system. Hydroponic systems are separated into two categories: passive, if they use no energy to move nutrients and water and active, if they rely on some type of energy to move the nutrients in and out of the root zone area. Each of them can further be classified as either media- or water-based culture. The former relies on a material to support the plants and roots in the nutritional solution, such as gravel, aggregate, perlite, vermiculite, or rockwool. These systems can be active or passive, and they can recycle nutrients or not. Wick Systems, Ebb and Flow Systems, Top-Feed or Drip Systems are all examples of media -based systems. (Appendix 1). Examples of water-culture system are Raft System, Nutrient Film Technique and Aeroponics Systems. (Appendix 2).

To establish a successful hydroponic farm, choosing the right plants to do so makes all the difference. While most sorts of plants can be grown hydroponically, some are simply not worthwhile. The goal is to maximize yield in a smaller area and faster growth rate than traditional methods. Greens crops such as herbs, spinach and others tend to grow better in a hydroponic system because they are compact while plants with deep roots, vines, or tall crops, such as maize, do well in soil. For example, a corn crop must have adequate vertical room for the tall corn stalks to thrive. Even with the extra area, corn will only produce one ear per plant. Additionally, potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic are considered some of the worst crops to cultivate hydroponically as they grow best in an in -ground environment due to their extensive roots. Vegetables that are commonly cultivated in hydroponics in Mauritius are: bean, cucumber, lettuce, melon, sweet pepper, tomato, strawberry in addition to, ornamental 8

plants such as roses and gerbera (see appendix 3 for some of the varieties of these grown in hydroponics).

The drive behind the development of hydroponics, apart from the various benefits it provides over traditional farming, is an alternative growing method to address environmental issues. Fresh produce can be harvested throughout the year since they are free from seasonal constraints. This is particularly great for regions with extreme drought such as in sub-Saharan Africa. On top of that, one can grow his/her own fruits and vegetable in the living room, kitchen, or even in a tiny apartment. Furthermore, water used in hydroponic farming remains in the system and hence the excess water can be retained and reused, thereby decreasing the requirement of continuous supply of freshwater. It is easier to control plant pests as the hydroponic system can be carefully cleaned to eliminate them. In effect, organic crops can be without using pesticides, a factor that causes breast cancer in humans.

There has already been a lot of talk in the scientific community about the prospect of using hydroponics in third-world countries with inadequate water supply. While the set-up costs of hydroponics systems may be an obstacle, as with all technology, costs will decrease over time, making this option far more viable.

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5. References

1. HYDROPONICS INFORMATION FOR ENTREPRENEURS - AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION UNIT: FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. Available at: http://farei.mu/farei/wp-content/uploads/farei_doc_repository/Booklet_HydroponicEn trepreneurs.pdf

2. Natalie Bumgarner, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Robert Hochmuth, Regional Specialized Agent and Center Director, University of Florida Extension – An Introduction to Small-Scale Soilless Hydroponic Vegetable Production. Available at: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W844-A.pdf

3. John Woodard - What Are Hydroponic Systems and How Do They Work? Available at: https://www.freshwatersystems.com/blogs/blog/what-are-hydroponic-systems 4. Andrew Courtney, Blogger – Website: Smart Garden Guide. Available at https://smartgardenguide.com/21-amazing-hydroponics-facts-2/ 5. Nawsheen Hosenally, co-Founder of Agribusiness TV – Hydroponic Production in Mauritius. Available at: https://nawsheen.com/hydroponics-production-in-mauritius/ 6. Valentina Lagomarsino - Hydroponics: The power of water to grow food. Available at: https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/hydroponics-the-power-of-water-to-grow-foo d/

7. Adhyayan Panwar – The origins of hydroponic. Available at: https://www.digit.in/features/sci/digit-mag-the-origins-of-hydroponics-54705.html

8. John W. Bartok, Jr. Extension Professor Emeritus and Agricultural Engineer NRME Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269-4087 200910

Hydroponic system. Available at : https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/fact-sheets/hydroponic-systems

9. Bambi Turner – How Hydroponics Works. Available at: https://home.howstuffworks.com/lawn-garden/professional-landscaping/hydroponics. htm

10. Kevin Espiritu, Founder of EPIC GARDENING, Grow your green thumb. Available at:

https://www.epicgardening.com/hydroponic-systems/

11. Sarah Pounders, Senior Education Specialist, KidsGardening Helen Rortvedt, former Executive Director, KidsGardening Rachel Stein, Executive Director, KidsGardening Lacy Stephens, Program Manager, National Farm to School Network Jenileigh Harris, Program Associate, National Farm to School Network Anna Mullen, Communications Manager, National Farm to School Network Carol Kauffman Nowlin, Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Lindsay LaSala, Community and Foundation Relations Manager, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation – Exploring Hydroponics. Available at: https://kidsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ExploringHydroponics_04.20_ FINAL.pdf

12. Rachel Tinker-Kulberg, PhD – Is Hydroponic Food as Healthy as Traditional Soil Grown Food. Available at: https://abundancenc.org/is-hydroponic-food-as-healthy-as-traditional-soil-grown-food / 13. Camille Boylan – THE FUTURE OF FARMING: HYDROPONICS. Available at: https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/9/the-future-of-farming-hydroponics

14. Amanda Lee David – What Cannot Be Grwoen Hydroponically: Do’s And Don’ts’s. Available at: https://rurallivingtoday.com/hydroponics/what-cannot-be-grown-hydroponically/ 15. Greg Volente – Can You Grow Anything with Hydroponics? Available at: https://www.greenhousetoday.com/can-you-grow-anything-with-hydroponics/

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16. Jane Marsh, Editor-in-chief at Environment.co – How Hydroponic May Be Essential for Urban Agriculture. Available at: https://www.agritechtomorrow.com/story/2021/01/how-hydroponics-may-be-essentia l-for-urban-agriculture/12641/

17. Rouzbeh Taghizadeh. Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2021/12. Assessing the Potential of Hydroponic Farming to Reduce Food Imports: The Case of Lettuce Production in Sweden. Available at: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1559003/FULLTEXT01.pdf

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6. Appendixes

Appendix 1 WICK SYSTEM

EBB AND FLOW SYSTEM

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DRIP SYSTEM

Appendix 2 FLOATING RAFT SYSTEM

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NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE

AEROPONIC SYSTEM

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Appendix 3

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