By Kayla Flournoy

What is Hydroponic Farming? If you’re anything like me, the term ‘Hydroponic Farm’ has probably skimmed your ear a few times, but you’ve never really grasped its meaning. If that’s the case, we can learn together through this article. 

The term ‘healthier option’ has been shrewd to everyone globally, constantly making us overthink while searching for our fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. But what if I told you, Hydroponic grown foods are the healthier options. No exaggerated terms, just the simple truth. The ability to be grown indoors, away from annoying pests, calls for little to no pesticides used on the plants. Also weighing in on the term ‘healthy,’ these hydroponically grown plants only draw from wholesome nutrient water solutions causing them to grow quicker than the average soil-grown plants. 

Another fantastic thing about this is that they can grow anywhere during any season. Snow could be drenching outside of your window, and downstairs in your Hydroponic farm would be bright red strawberries ready for eating. Seeing as the grower controls the light, temperature, and nutrients supply, plant growth can be expected during any time of year. The standing ovation of it all is that it utilizes 90% less land, 85% less water, and 95% less fuel. They are creating a better and cleaner way to grow food for us and the planet. 

 There is one farm in particular that I think everyone should shed some light on: the Hydroponic farm in Jackson, Wyoming. Their goal is to create a system where food grows closer to home, where locals will know where their food is grown, and shed some light on Hydroponic farming pros. 

Though there are many pros to Hydroponic farming, there are some cons, so let’s dive into those. For starters, the crops would see damage from having no light to grow in a power outage, the water pumps would go out, and aerators wouldn’t work. This could be detrimental to the plants. Another con is the cost of starting up a hydroponic farm. Compared to your regular garden, these farms are more expensive to acquire and build, with the cost range depending on the size and type of system purchased. Constant monitoring is also required seeing as the nutrient solution needs to be flushed and replaced regularly and the systems cleaned to ensure no clogged areas are anywhere in sight. 

Countries worldwide are cultivating this technique and using it to create healthier foods in a way that’s more sustainable to the environment. The country with the highest rate of hydroponically grown foods is The United Kingdom, with 54 million pounds. That’s an insane amount, am I right? If we all took part in something that sounds so delicious and exciting, maybe we too could put a foot in the right direction, and what better way to do that than with great food?