Greenhouse Farming, Vertical Farming, and Hydroponics/ Aquaponics

Adopting modern technologies for urban agriculture can lead to efficient and sustainable food production. The following are some of these which are authorized by the Department of Agriculture [1]: (1) Greenhouse farming - growing of crops in framed structures covered by translucent or transparent materials which are under partial or fully controlled environmental conditions. (2) Vertical farming - vertical food production where crops can be stacked in layers, shelves, or pallets against walls; hydroponics is usually combined with this technique (3) Hydroponics - soilles growing of plants where water with nutrients is the growing medium; a variation of this solution is aquaponics wherein aquaculture is coupled with hydroponics
Climate Adaptation Effectiveness

Growing crops in a changing climate can be very challenging and can impact food security. The proposed solution of adopting modern technologies allows food production in controlled environments ensuring a continuous supply of food. Vertical farming for example, efficiently uses space, water, and shorter growing time, and reduces of use of pesticides, and shelter for extreme weather efficient in urban and peri-urban areas (Oh and Lu, 2022; Kodmany, 2020). Additionally, hydroponics with smart technology efficiently uses soil, water, and nutrients which improves crop production (Rajaseger et al., 2023).

Climate Hazards

  • Drought
  • Extreme Rainfall
  • Monsoon
  • Rain-Induced Flooding
  • Tropical Cyclone

Locations

ENTIRE COUNTRY

  • Nueva Ecija, Region III (Central Luzon)

Adaptation Sectors

  • Agriculture
  • Urban

CCET Instuments

  • Action Delivery

Target Group based on Vulnerability

Basic Sectors:
  • Children
  • Farmers and Landless Rural Workers
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • Informal Settler Families
  • Persons with Disabilities
  • Senior Citizens
  • Urban Poor
  • Women
  • Workers in the Informal Sector
  • Youth and Students

Evaluations

Economic / Financial Effectiveness
Mid

Vertical farming using hydroponic system for onion production in Nueva Ecija indicates that more capital is required compared to traditional farming. There are numerous overhead costs like the construction of the greenhouse and tray systems. Larger scale hydroponic systems, however, can be more cost-effective than small scale land-based farms. The cost analysis of this case shows that payback starts on the third year while for the traditional method, payback is achieved within one year. Though for traditional farming, the harvest can be affected by the weather condition and third cropping may not be possible to allow the land to recoup. [2]

Technical Feasibility
Mid

The challenges of financial and technological viability for this solution should be addressed. This would require governments and pioneering organizations to provide support and training for technology adoption, as well as financial assistance for the construction of vertical farms. [2]

Social Acceptability
High

There was high acceptability for onion production vertical farming in Nueva Ecija due to the following considerations [2]: (1) it is resilient to the effects of climate change (2) traditional farming is prone to pest attacks (3) traditional farming has high cost of farm labor (4) traditional farming requires intensive use of inputs

Environmental Impact
Mid (+)

This solution lessens the use of fertilizers and pesticides reducing the threat to human, animal, and environmental health [2].

Mitigation co-benefit

The reduced use of farm inputs lessens greenhouse gas emissions.

Keywords

Vertical farming, Greenhouse farming, hydropnics

References

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