Battling Heights: A Comparative Study On Lettuce Production In Two Hydroponic Tower Systems
Jacob Michael Domenghini
Eastern Kentucky University, Department of Agriculture
Ricardo Carlos Cavasos
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Abstract
With the global population on the rise and available farmland diminishing, the challenge of meeting the escalating demand for food becomes a pressing concern (Fedoroff, 2015). In response, the exploration of indoor and urban farming emerges as a viable solution to enhance food production efficiency (Specht et al., 2014). A Market Analysis Report (2019) forecasting the hydroponic market underscores a significant global growth projection, with hydroponics expected to witness a compound annual growth rate of 20.7% from 2021 to 2028. This growth is exemplified by urban centers transforming disused structures into controlled environment food production systems, leveraging hydroponics and LED lights. Notable examples include Aero Farms in Newark, New Jersey (Aerofarms, 2022), repurposing an abandoned steel mill for hydroponic cultivation, and The Plant in Chicago, Illinois (Chance et al., 2017), utilizing an old meat packaging plant for food production. Despite the undeniable advantages of large-scale controlled environment hydroponic food production, such as higher yields on significantly less land, there arises a critical need to evaluate the environmental performance and sustainability of these systems, encompassing factors like electricity demand (Martin and Molin, 2019).