Soilless Farming, Revolution or Illusion

Published 13 Mart 2026 · Updated 13 Mart 2026

We live in a world that is dealing with environmental problems, drought, and famine and things are being reshaped fast. People are looking for ways to access food they need. One thing that has been recently popularized is soilless farming, which is also called vertical farming. This means that by growing plants in the soil we grow soilless farming plants in water that has nutrients in it or in special things like cocopean. Some people think soilless farming is an idea because it uses less water and helps keep the land safe and it also brings food closer to the cities where people live. Other people are concerned that soilless farming consumes a lot of energy and requires special equipment. So is soilless farming the future of agriculture itself, or is it just another popularized myth?

This question is important everywhere. In countries like Türkiye farmers are already struggling with irregular rainfall, high costs and losing good land.The world’s population is. Cities are getting bigger.Traditional farming is under a lot of pressure to make food with less resources.Growing food without soil seems like an idea because it can produce vegetables in greenhouses, empty buildings and even cities all year.This way fresh food can be grown close to where people live which means transportation and less pressure on land, in rural areas.

Soilless farming is a way to save water. When we do farming the way a lot of water gets wasted since it seeps into the soil and evaporates. With soilless farming we can use the water over and over again and control how much water we continuously use. This is really important in places where water’s hard to come by. Soilless farming is also good for the plants because they get the food they need away. For things like lettuce and tomatoes and peppers and herbs, soilless farming can mean we get more of them in a space. This is because plants can grow faster with soilless farming. Soilless farming helps with water efficiency.

Our friends conducted a visit to a regional vertical farm and gathered significant knowledge about the techniques.

Also vertical farming is really good for the environment. When we grow food in these farms we can control the temperature and the light and the humidity as well as the nutrients. This means we have problems with bugs and sickness and really bad weather. So we do not necessarily need to use many chemicals to kill the bugs. In cities this way of growing food is also good because it brings the food closer to the people who eat it. The vegetables do not have to travel far to get to us. This helps cut down on the things that cars and trucks put into the air and it also helps reduce the amount of food that gets thrown away. Vertical farming is good and beneficial for the environment. It helps us have fresh vegetables that do not have to travel so far.

However, the depiction is not as simple. Soilles farming as we know is more popular with its ease of use and the way it saves up from space and water. On the other hand one of the more known downsides is how it eats up way more energy than traditional farming methods. Artificial lighting, climate control mechanisms, water pumps and monitoring systems all run on electricity. If that electrical energy is obtained through fossil fuels, then the environmental benefits are reduced. This is one of the biggest cons of vertical farming. A system that looks optimal from one aspect can become something problematic from another if the energy concerns are high.

There also are economic and social concerns. Setting up a soilless greenhouse or indoor farm requires funding and attracting investors. Small and local farmers may be unable to afford the technical infrastructure, knowledge, or maintenance costs. This contrast thus raises a mind-boggling question: is the future of food in the hands of wealth investors and companies? If so, will the method created to solve food access insecurity raise it even more?

A further limitation is that soilless farming is currently more sustainable for high value leafy produce such as tomatoes, strawberries, and herbs. It is not yet thought of as a practical replacement for staple crops such as barley, corn or wheat. This situation connects to mass food consumption as said staple crops are most fed to large populations.

A close up photograph of vertical farming techniques being used to produce tomatoes.

Historically agriculture has generally morphed when communities faced crisis. Irrigation systems Greenhouse complexes and automation all emerged as answers to environmental and socioeconomic pressure Vertical farming is the longer story. It reflects the beginning of a new era in humanity’s attempt to produce more by using less. It is the word to remember that history has taught us that never a single innovation can solve everything. Optimal food production systems shall depend on how we balance technology access and welfare concerns.

The next question is what should be done? First of all, governments and local authorities show Supply research and provide guidance for projects that promote renewable energy usage in soilless systems. If solar geothermal or heat wastes are combined with Greenhouse farming techniques the environmental benefits increase. Secondly, small communities such as schools can create small educational water powered systems to teach younger individuals how the production of food is connected with water usage. Lastly, agencies and policy makers should use soil farming as a complement to traditional farming techniques and not as its rival. Protecting fertile land, creating optimal farming techniques and reducing food waste are still just as important.

Soilless farming is also neither a complete Revolution nor an entire illusion. It is a promising technology that has valid benefits especially in water shortage and urban areas but as every other system its success depends on the way we provide energy for it we provide the access to it and how we draw the limits. If used carefully and fairly it can be even the most optimal way of producing food in the future. On the contrary if oversold as a perfect solution, it risks becoming another expensive environmental myth.