Agro, Environment

Huanchaco farmers encouraged to take on hydroponic farming to save water

The city of Huanchaco has launched a hydroponic pilot project to help local farmers grow lettuce, radishes and other crops and, most importantly, to save water.

Only 350,000 milliliters of water will be needed to grow 250,000 lettuces, while regular farming techniques require 20 million liters of water to produces barely 100,000 lettuces, said Huanchaco Mayor Fernando Bazán Pinillos.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, without soil. Because plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water, if the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant’s water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive.

The most successful hydroponics projects, in Cuba and Venezuela, have received strong government commitment. In Venezuela’s oil-dominated economy, the poor are 85 percent urban, and hydroponic agriculture in vacant lots or other public spaces provides a way to tackle urban poverty whilst reducing the need for imported food.

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