Sarah Demers
Professor Williams
Ethics & The Environment
2 December 2013
Hartshorn Farm: A Hydroponic
Phenomenon
The
first plants to inhabit Earth grew in bodies of water. Structurally simple,
these photosynthetic organisms represented the forerunners of land plants. Hydroponics
is described as the growth of plants with nutrients and water, but without soil
(Environmental). While this type of plant growth far predates human existence,
the first recorded use of hydroponic farming dates back to the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon, built around 600 BC (History). During the tenth and eleventh
centuries, the Aztecs created vast hydroponic farms on rafts, feeding
their crops with nutrients dug from the bottom of lakes. Further record of
hydroponics can be found in Marco Polo’s writing while he witnessed similar
floating gardens in China during the late thirteenth century (Turner). With the
use of hydroponics dating back thousands of years, it is clear many people grasped
the benefits of such sustainable farming.
In more modern times, hydroponic farming has taken a new role of
importance for food production, just as we saw at Hartshorn Farm during our
site visit. The word hydroponics is derived from the Greek words, “hydro,”
meaning water and “ponos,” meaning labor (Jensen). Instead of growing in dirt,
plants grow in containers using alternate mediums such as clay, gravel, sand or
rock fiber (History). The process begins with flats of one of these mediums,
such as rock fiber, which will absorb water and allow the plant seed to grow
roots. Once the seeds grow into seedlings, each pod is transferred to a
pre-made hole with a constant flow of water mixed with a nutrient solution delivered
from a drip irrigation system. Generally used for fast-growing, high-value
crops such as lettuces and tomatoes, hydroponics are typically grown in
greenhouses and can therefore be produced year-round (Burdick). The hydroponics
at Hartshorn Farm enables food production throughout the cold winter of
Vermont, which is no small feat considering our New England winters. Thus, in
areas with limited amounts of farmable land, hydroponic farming offers an
alternative.
While hydroponics is an efficient and environmentally sustainable
method for growing plants, people often question the value of food produced
hydroponically, making the assumption that the fruits and vegetables will have
less nutritional value. Another common misconception is that hydroponic plants
are genetically engineered (History). These ideas prove false, however, as
hydroponics has nothing to do with genetic modification. In fact, unlike the
seeds used in large-scale agriculture production, hydroponics often uses
heirloom varieties, which have been cultivated by farmers for centuries
(Jensen). Crops that are grown hydroponically are just as nutritious as
soil-grown crops. So while some question the ethical framework surrounding
hydroponics, it is actually a much less harmful method for growing food in
comparison to traditional farming, and produces plants equal if not better in
nutritional value. Furthermore, it is estimated that approximately 10 million
hectares of arable land is lost every year due to various reasons
(Environmental). Hydroponics offers a more efficient technique for growing
crops, while also using 70%-90% less water than conventional growing (History).
It’s understandable why so many people are skeptical of food
production, especially in today’s world with giant corporations providing so
much of what we eat. Once the phenomenon of hydroponics is understood, however,
there is no need for unease or doubt. As the use of hydroponics has expanded
globally, policies have been developed to restrict certain practices. The National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) program has strict rules against the runoff of water
used for hydroponics. The farm in question needs to get a permit before
disposing any waters into a national body of water and within that permit are
certain limitations (Levitt). Visiting the Hartshorn Farm, I was able to see
how water was reused in circulation throughout the greenhouse. Even though
water is used in lesser amounts with hydroponics, it is still important to be
aware of where water will end up. In addition to the water policies, there is a
barrier in place that stops hydroponic farms from being certified as organic.
We discussed this with the owner of Hartshorn Farm, Dave Hartshorn, and he
explained that the definition of organic uses the word “soil.” Since
hydroponics does not use soil, he cannot certify that part of his farm as organic. Unfortunately, the inability to label
hydroponic farms as organic can send some people the wrong message, when in
reality hydroponics uses fewer pesticides than soil-based farming.
Hydroponics give us the opportunity
to bring food production back to a smaller scale, and away from the destructive
practices which Takers are so used to engaging in with growing food. As framed by
Ishmael, totalitarian agriculture came into practice ten thousand years ago,
and continues on in the Taker methods of farming today. Traditional soil-based
farming has proved destructive to the environment, especially with the massive
amounts of crop being produced to feed an exploding population. Specifically,
farming has contributed to the eradiation of biodiversity, as more and more
species prove unable to survive with environmental degradation. Even though
many people are aware of the damage being done by practicing totalitarian
agriculture, the Taker Machine continues to plow forward unabashed. In
combination with the discovery of fossil fuels, totalitarian agriculture and
specifically oil has allowed our population to expand so rapidly, that a cocky
confidence surrounding our ability to continue feeding rising numbers has been
perpetuated. Hydroponics offers a method to grow food in large quantities, but
without taxing our environment so drastically. It is an alternative to the
white washing that is currently going on within the giant food corporations
producing the majority of our food.
Takers have gotten used to a legacy
of threatening the diversity of species, denying competitors access to food and
resources, and ruling over the places we inhabit. We have made enormous
advances in technology, but as Desjardins points out in “Environmental Ethics,”
science and technology have been both a blessing and a curse to our Taker
society. In many ways, these developments in technology have allowed people to believe
environmental problems will be solved in time. Such a mentality suggests that
humans can put their minds at ease and simply rely on technology to fix all
issues, which is sadly very far from the truth. As Hughes points out in “An
Environmental History of the World,” many past technological developments have
actually resulted in more destruction to the earth, such as technologies that
allowed for mining to occur. Hydroponics is a technological advancement that
finally allows us to step away from harmful methods of food production, and
from what I saw at Hartshorn Farm, it is a practice easier to manage than
traditional farming. There is a shorter harvest time with hydroponics – plants
grown in this manner have direct access to water and nutrients, meaning they
are not forced to develop extensive root systems to find the nutrients they
need (Turner). Hydroponics offers what everyone wants from technology – the
ability to carry out tasks in a simpler and easier fashion – without damaging
the environment.
Studying hydroponics has brought me
a long way from simply understanding farming as a soil-based practice. When I
first began researching the use of hydroponics, I was surprised at how resourceful
this type of plant growth could be. Indeed, I was even more taken aback to
learn how far back the practice of hydroponic farming dates. Getting to see a greenhouse
at Hartshorn Farm was helpful in cementing the idea of what hydroponics really
entails. As my group worked on putting our professional poster together, we
struggled at first with how to break up the information we had obtained. There
was a good amount to cover without much physical space, but we eventually fleshed
out separate paragraphs. It was great to have a Google Document where we could
each write up our own portion of the project and put it all together for the
poster. We also emailed one another to check in, which I thought helped us
finish our poster in a timely manner. Each one of us did a good job ensuring
that our part was done, and we felt comfortable asking one another for
suggestions if needed. Overall, I think our group worked very nicely together,
and produced a strong and informative professional poster.
Sustainable
techniques for growing food are often times taken for granted or viewed as
unrealistic with today’s growing population, but hydroponics gives us an
opportunity to change that. Growing plants in water does not work against the
environment as the Taker version of soil-based farming so often does. Instead,
hydroponics exemplifies the strength and efficiency that can be harvested when
we respect nature’s tendencies.
Work
Cited:
Burdick, Dave. "Caltech Studying
Keys To Urban Hydroponic Farming, Roof Farms." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Nov. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/21/caltech-studying-keys-to_n_145429.html>.
"Environmental Benefits of
Hydroponic Growing." Hydropon East. Advanced Nutrients , 12 May
2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
<http://hydroponeast.com/en/previous-issues/5-2012/environment-benefits-from-hydroponics>.
"History of Hydroponics | «
Boswyck Farms." Boswyck Farms RSS. WordPress, n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2013. <http://www.boswyckfarms.org/history>.
Jensen, Merle. "Controlled
Environment Agriculture Center." What Is Hydroponics?. N.p., n.d.
Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://ag.arizona.edu/ceac/what-hydroponics>.
Levitt, Alice. "Seven Days:
Vermont's Independent Voice." A Hydroponic Farm Makes Vermont Winters
Tastier. N.p., 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.7dvt.com/2013hydroponic-farm-makes-vermont-winters-tastier>.
Turner, Bambi. "How
Hydroponics Works" 20 October 2008. HowStuffWorks.com.
<http://home.howstuffworks.com/lawn-garden/professional-landscaping/alternative-methods/hydroponics.htm> 16
November 2013.
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