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.

Produce obtained via soilless farming techniques is being prepared for transportation.

Sources:

1. HYDROPONICS: ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES IN SOILLESS FARMING by Lokendra Khatri*, Adhiraj Kunwar, Dipak Raj Bist:
2. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lokendra-Khatri-3/publication/382252545_Hydroponics_Advantages_And_Challenges_in_Soilless_Farming/links/6694a9383e0edb1e0fe4c188/Hydroponics-Advantages-And-Challenges-in-Soilless-Farming.pdf
3. Soilless farming of vegetable crops: An overview by Dr. T Arumugam, G Sandeep and Dr. M Uma Maheswari:
4. https://www.academia.edu/download/121111988/10_7_195_198.pdf

Growing without soil: A Photo of Hydroponic System

HOW IT WORKS:

In a hydroponic system, plants are placed in or near a circulating nutrient solution instead of soil. The solution contains dissolved materials such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential for plant growth. A pump or a gravity system moves the nutrient-rich solution through the setup, ensuring that the roots receive enough minerals and water. The plants are usually held in place by an inert growing medium like rockwool, perlite, and coconut fiber, which provides support without supplying minerals. Oxygen is supplied either through air stones that bubble air into the water or through designs that expose parts of the root to air, preventing root rot and allowing proper respiration. Different hydroponic systems, such as deep water culture hydroponics or nutrient filming technique, vary in how the solution travels around the plants, but the main goal is always the same: deliver water, nutrients, and oxygen efficiently to the root directly to the plants’ roots, which allows plants to grow way more efficiently than traditional farming methods.

Fertigation Unit: A Photo of a Pumping System

BENEFITS:

Hydroponics benefits food security by making it possible to grow crops in places with poor standards such as cities, deserts, or areas with little to no water and poor soil, while producing healthy crops all year. Because the system delivers nutrition directly to the roots in a controlled environment, crops can grow constantly no matter what season, which helps to reduce dependence on imports and long supply chains and makes food more reliable in regions facing overpopulation or land shortages. It also supports efforts to address climate change, since the system uses less water by recycling it and it can be used in greenhouses or indoors, protecting crops from drought and extreme weather. In addition, hydroponics often require fewer pesticides and can be located closer to consumers, which reduces the carbon emissions caused by transportation and makes food production more resource-efficient and climate resilient. This shorter food chain also keeps food fresh and reduces spoilage during transportation. Because hydroponic systems can be built vertically, they use less land and help preserve natural land. They can also be set up in urban areas, turning unused land into efficient farming spots. This reduces pressure on rural farmlands and helps cities be more self-sufficient. A controlled environment also helps farmers to use energy saving lighting, which reduces the overall carbon emissions. In the future, hydroponics systems can be powered by renewable energy, making food production even more sustainable. Altogether, these advantages show that hydroponics are efficient, sustainable, and overall better for the environment.

Growing Tomatoes with Hydroponic Farming Methods

POTENTIAL RISKS / DISADVANTAGES:

Just like everything in the world, there is a flip side of the coin for hydroponics. Hydroponics, unlike other farming methods we use, are extremely vulnerable. The crops can die or lose their efficiency, even with a single mistake such as walking around the crops without any protective outfit, or touching and interrupting the pipe systems. Another important point is how expensive hydroponics gets. Hydroponics are efficient only in big masses and that causes environmental fundings to skyrocket and become way too expensive for companies and farmers, which leads them to choose normal farming methods over hydroponics. Some people will find it hard to believe that the crops which are grown using hydroponic systems are healthy and pick crops grown with traditional farming methods. Technical complexity is also one of the disadvantages. Complex variables in hydroponics such as pH levels, electrical conductivity, nutrition value, water temperature and oxygenation can be unpredictable and small imbalances can ruin crops or stress them. Electricity costs are also up there. Artificial lighting, water circulation, climate regulation and aeration use a lot of electricity, unlike our current traditional methods. Lastly, any mechanical issue or malfunction can ruin weeks’ worth of effort and cost a lot.

CONCLUSION:

Hydroponics represent a major shift in how we look at farming and food production in a world facing population growth, climate change and shrinking farmland. By delivering minerals and water straight to the plants roots in controlled environments, it increases efficiency, lowers water use and enables all year cultivation even in cities or harsh environments. However its high costs, technical demands, and dependence on electricity creates real challenges. While it may not fully replace traditional agriculture, hydroponics offers a powerful complementary solution. With continued technological improvements and renewable energy integrations, hydroponics will be the future of agriculture.

REFERENCES

https://www.fao.org/plant-production-protection/news-and-events/news/news-detail/growing-without-soil–hydroponics-fundamentals–pros-and-cons/en

https://www.growspan.com/news/complete-guide-to-hydroponic-growing-systems-choosing-right-hydroponic-garden-system

Gericke, William F. (1945). “The meaning of hydroponics”. Science. 101 (2615): 142–143. Bibcode:1945Sci…101..142G. doi:10.1126/science.101.2615.142. PMID 17800488.

https://search.nal.usda.gov/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9915700632607426&context=L&vid=01NAL_INST:MAIN&lang=en&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=pubag

By Mehmet Yiğit Göktaş and Güneş Ege Erişen

All Photos Taken By Onur Aras Hasdemir