A Deep Concern About World Poverty

Urban Growing Project

According to International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses, planting in urban areas is becoming more and more popular. There are obvious advantages to “farming” that extend beyond the obvious additional food source that it provides. Many turn to urban growing as an additional source or income or as a viable organic food source. However, there are many problems and difficulties facing those who engage in or hope to become urban farmers or semi-urban farmers (those living in close proximity to urban areas). Using urban farming in Uruguay as a model, the International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses has outlined the challenges and risks facing urban planting and growing.
There are many risks associated with planting and growing produce inside of or near a city. The biggest concern facing farmers and consumers alike is the contamination of food grown inside a city and with resources found in the city. One of the greatest causes of produce contamination in general is polluted soil. The International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses states that there are many serious health hazards associated with pollution and soil. This risk is intensified this setting because of the many additional pollutants that exist in an industrial or urban environment. Essentially, soil in urban and semi-urban areas may contain “an excess of nitrates as a result of over fertilization of farmland…” In addition the presence of polluting industries in urban environments increases the risk for more harmful kinds of contamination; traces of harmful metals the residue of car batteries, and even lead from paint can be found in soil in urban centers. The International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses also claims that fertilizers used in residential gardens and often contain toxic chemicals and residue like soaps, detergents, and traditional farming waste. These create a harmful environment for growing food. Health risks aside, urban farming presents many practical challenges. There is limited space available in cities and the price of property and the cost of living is high in urban areas. Hydroponic agriculture differs from traditional agriculture in the way that crops interact with soil and water. This technique is ideal for urban farming because it provides a solution to the major health risks (contamination) and practical difficulties, i.e. the limited space associated with urban living.
Hydroponic systems are isolated from the soil. Polluted, over fertilized or tainted soil does not enter the plants container. This drastically limits the possibility for contamination from the urban environment. As International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses stated, “vegetables are produced without land”. Secondly, Hydroponic farming can be done with extremely limited amounts of space. Places that would never have been thought of as viable growing sites can be used to produce food and/or income. International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses suggests “optimizing space; using patios, small gardens, party walls, balconies, rooftops.”
In a Barnard College Dorm in New York City we began our growing project to test a hydroponic system in less than ideal conditions. We embarked on The New-Farms: Urban Growing Project with an EarthBox growing system using a limited number of tools and a space approximately 5.5x4 feet. We will grow cherry tomatoes and record and photograph the data in order to test the feasibility of urban hydroponic growing.

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For information about International Consultants to Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses please contact aquafood@chasque.net

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