An Alternative Method of Agriculture Proposal: Aeroponics
An Alternative Method of Agriculture Proposal: Aeroponics
By now a majority of the American population is aware of the changing climate and its negative global indications including the rising sea level and the depletion of the ozone layer. The direct national implications, however, tend to be overlooked, the most significant being the depletion of our available fresh water supply. The rate of decline, however, is accelerated by current agricultural practices, especially large-scale commercial production. Modern agriculture systems require large quantities of the supply to aid fertilizer distribution as well as support plant growth. A considerable portion, however, is wasted due to soil saturation limits. The useless, polluted, water poses potential health threats as it becomes surface runoff, or assimilates into the groundwater, eventually infiltrating the public water supply. As technology continues to advance, however, traditional soil is no longer the sole medium needed for plant growth. Indoor growing methods, like aeroponics, eliminate the use of harmful additives (pesticides), and conserve water by directly employing nutrient solution to the roots. By developing urban growing facilities, the use of aeroponics can create a more sustainable water supply, promote the restoration of natural ecosystems, and potentially reverse global warming.
Aeroponics is both more efficient for production, and a safer method overall compared to the current state of agriculture. It supplies water and nutrients directly to the roots in a mist solution, with only a cloth medium needed to support growth. The use of mist is effective in that it eliminates the wasteful consumption and inevitable contamination of the fresh water supply, as characteristic of commercial agriculture. A 2005 study done by The United States Geological Survey reveals that thirty-seven percent of our total fresh water supply is withdrawn for agricultural use, amounting to one hundred and twenty-eight
By now a majority of the American population is aware of the changing climate and its negative global indications including the rising sea level and the depletion of the ozone layer. The direct national implications, however, tend to be overlooked, the most significant being the depletion of our available fresh water supply. The rate of decline, however, is accelerated by current agricultural practices, especially large-scale commercial production. Modern agriculture systems require large quantities of the supply to aid fertilizer distribution as well as support plant growth. A considerable portion, however, is wasted due to soil saturation limits. The useless, polluted, water poses potential health threats as it becomes surface runoff, or assimilates into the groundwater, eventually infiltrating the public water supply. As technology continues to advance, however, traditional soil is no longer the sole medium needed for plant growth. Indoor growing methods, like aeroponics, eliminate the use of harmful additives (pesticides), and conserve water by directly employing nutrient solution to the roots. By developing urban growing facilities, the use of aeroponics can create a more sustainable water supply, promote the restoration of natural ecosystems, and potentially reverse global warming.
Aeroponics is both more efficient for production, and a safer method overall compared to the current state of agriculture. It supplies water and nutrients directly to the roots in a mist solution, with only a cloth medium needed to support growth. The use of mist is effective in that it eliminates the wasteful consumption and inevitable contamination of the fresh water supply, as characteristic of commercial agriculture. A 2005 study done by The United States Geological Survey reveals that thirty-seven percent of our total fresh water supply is withdrawn for agricultural use, amounting to one hundred and twenty-eight