Autogrow Systems Water Resources

Can hydroponics save the day?
Well obviously not on its own but it certainly can make a contribution to the growing shortage of clean water in the world. Increasingly one hears about water table contamination from intensive arable and livestock farming. Many countries now do not have sufficient clean water for their own food production and are having to import growing quantities of food.

Increasingly, water shortages threaten to reduce the global food supply by more than 10 percent. Left unaddressed, these shortages could lead to hunger, civil unrest, and even wars over water, reports a new book from the Worldwatch Institute.

A CNN report last year said:-
>Already there are 80 countries with inadequate water supplies and almost 40
>percent of the world's population must struggle daily to try to meet water
>needs . . .
>While a growing world population must meet its needs with a finite amount of
>water, usable supplies are being reduced by pollution from industries and
>sewage, waste through leaking pipe systems, and human greed.

With approximately 40% of the worlds food coming from irrigated cropland and less than half of the water actually reaching the roots of the crops it will become increasingly difficult for major food producing areas to sustain their present production levels. Experts frequently predict that crop production by irrigating soil is increasingly threatened by the overpumping of groundwater, the growing diversion of irrigation water into ever larger cities and the salts build up in the soil.

Recirculating hydroponic systems are much more efficient in their use of water and if properly managed, also help protect the water tables from nitrate and phosphate contamination. A recent report suggests that recirculating hydroponics is FIVE times more efficient in the use of water. Hopefully we will see an increasing use made of recirculating hydroponics and avoid the waste of water and salination of the soil caused by irrigated soil agriculture.

Interestingly, even in countries not know for water shortage or pollution, authorities are placing limits and penalties on farmers who fertilize and irrigate land and greenhouse operators who allow large quantities of nutrient rich water to run off into the ground or waterways. This should encourage the use of wetlands or other mechanisms used to remove nitrates and other nutrients from the run off water. The Autogrow Nutri-minder is being increasingly used to monitor and provide a permanent record of run-off quantities as well as run-off electrical conductivity. Software is available to perform statistical analysis of long term run-off in order to reduce the data into simple easy-to-apply figures.

For further information visit www.worldwatch.org OR http://www.www.ee/lists/infoterra/1996/03/0048.html

For further information on the Nutri-Minder