What would the future look like, where vegetables were grown without soil?

Could acres of farmland could be reduced to the size of shipping container?

Could certain vegetable diseases be wiped out by futuristic growing methods?

Let’s look into the agricultural future with the world of Aeroponics.

What is Aeroponics?

You have probably heard of Hydroponics which is growing plants without soil, where the plants roots are submerged in water with nutrients.

Aeroponics is growing plants without soil in an environment of misted nutrients, water and oxygen.

Plants grown using the Aeroponics method can have increased growth and less water is used in this environmentally controlled environment.

Advantages of Aeroponics

• Roots like to be free and perform better without a soil structure.
• Water efficiency as the water and nutrients are recycled and channeled back into the system.
• Large quantities of food can be grown in small spaces.
• No need for fertilisers as there is no soil,
• No chemicals needed for pests & diseases, as plants are grown indoors and there’s no pests.
• An Environmental ecosystem so a small carbon footprint as they are usually found in Vertical Farms in cities.
• Cutting costs to get food from farms to plates.

Disadvantages of Aeroponics

• Expensive to setup,
• Operation problems like a power cut or malfunctions can cost the lives of the plants,
• Regular cleaning so the deposits in the water don’t clog the system,
• An Aeroponics system requires an enclosed environment to spray mist on plants.

Case Study – University of Essex, Stourgarden & LettUs Grow

An exciting collaboration has started between a major onion supplier Stourgarden and professors at the University of Essex. They have created an experiment to explore whether onions can be grown without any soil.

Onions were chosen as the vegetable of choice as some Onion specific diseases such as Fusarium Basal Rot spores prevent other crops to be grown in the same soil.

The trial will also help us understand the conditions in which an Onion needs to grow and whether these conditions can be provided artificially or not.

LettUs Grow are providing the shipping container converted into the Aeroponics environmentally controlled environment with irrigation and nutrient misting facilities.

This trial is not designed to replace traditionally growing methods but instead to help explore the possibilities as to whether the growing seasons can be extended or food security improved by reducing imports.

Conclusion – A New Way Forward with Aeroponics

Here’s a Summary of the items discussed in this article:

• Hydroponics = Plants grown in water,
• Aeroponics = Plants grown in air,
• Aeroponics Advantages & Disadvantages,
• Case Study – Onion growing with Aeroponics Experiment in Progress at the University of Essex, Life Sciences Dept.
• Why Onions for the Aeroponic experiment?

Resources

University of Essex News

• Essex To Sow the Seeds of Onion Farmings Future
• Investigating the commercial viability of growing Alliums in a protected cropping environment

Stourgarden Website

LettUs Grow Website

• Research partnership explores growing onions with aeroponics

Final Thought

As Aeroponics develops with other innovative methods of growing vegetables for the future, will we see farms without fields?

Will the future of farms be Vertical or in enclosed environments like Aeroponics?

How will we embrace sustainable food for future generations?

Only Time will tell.