The problem
In our modern day, the main method currently used in agriculture is both NOT sustainable long term nor viable. We as a specie is mining for petroleum in which we create fertilizers from. The rate Petroleum is being mined, is currently much higher than the rate in which it is being naturally replenished. Runoff and constant plowing is also draining farmland of its precious nutrients such as Phosphorus and Nitrogen, leaving a dry desert on land, and a dead zone in the sea. Excessive crop watering is causing droughts and flooding as well as a shortage in freshwater.
The Top Soil Problem
Whenever a farmer plows their land during the harvest, gigantic tractors are used to save time. These machines can cover a large area in a small amount of time and never miss a single crop. This leaves the soil exposed, naked, without any sort of structure. As the tractors move, the rear wheels kick up the top soil, the most important layer, as it holds the most nutrients. This precious resource that we depend our food on, that took millions of years to create a thin layer of, is lost in a matter of seasons.
The Situation with Water:
In the world, only 3% of the water is fresh. This is the water we use to drink, bathe, flush, and irrigate. Agriculture accounts for 1/3 of freshwater usage in the U.S. We've all seen those rotating sprinklers that are supposed to be watering the plants, they waste the most water. Don't get me wrong, the water does reach the plant, but think of all the water that just gets evaporated, or leaks, or doesn't actually do anything to the plant. All of that water is just being wasted.
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The Fertilizer Issue
During the "Green Revolution" of the 1960's and 1970's, farmers had an extensive use of fertilizers which increased their yields. Every year however, the fertilizers would run off into the water supply from the excess amount of water used. The fertilizer eventually stops in a general area where algae blooms would begin to occur. When the algae die, their decomposition requires bacteria that take up oxygen from the water, making the area uninhabitable for marine organisms.
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the solutions
Vertical farming is growing our crops upward rather than outward. This method takes up less land area, can more easily be monitored, and can provide more fresh produce to urban areas. It can even be done within urban areas to decrease food transportation costs.
When crops are harvested, the precious edible parts are taken by the harvester. But not every part of a plant is edible, and most of it isn't. The conventional action to take it just to dispose of those part. But if those parts are left to decompose, we have a natural way of fertilizing.
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Aquaponics is a mixture of hydroponics and aquaculture. Both fish and plant grow alongside one another in mutualism. This process doubles the amount of food being produced while reducing the cost needed for water, and no fertilizer is needed.
The current way crops are being watered in a field is wasting too much water. If just the crop is being water (and not the surrounding soil), water usage is reduced while the crop still gets its full supply of needed water. This cuts down water costs for the grower yet delivers the same results.
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