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Hydroponics Techniques:

The global rise in population has resulted in a significant increase in demand for high-quality food. To meet this demand, farmers are utilizing pesticides and other agrochemicals for higher yields. However, overuse of these chemicals and pesticides has led to the depletion of topsoil and aquifers, water and air pollution, and climate destabilization.

Farm owners and agricultural companies are investing in new techniques like hydroponics to cater to the issue. Hydroponics is a type of agriculture or gardening method that avoids using soil. This technique utilizes water-based nutrient solutions that include an aggregate substrate or growing media such as vermiculture, perlite, or coconut coir. These plants are grown in vertical greenhouses, underground, and on rooftops, thus consuming less space.

Hydroponics is highly advantageous for commercial businesses and farmers as it benefits the planet and offers an efficient way to grow necessary food crops. This technique helps in slowing down land degradation as it doesn't rely on the topsoil for plant growth.

Hydroponic technology helps in creating the required conditions for crop growth. It recycles and reuses the water, resulting in reduced water consumption. These plants can produce three to ten times more food than traditional agriculture.

However, the adoption of hydroponics can be challenging for businesses and farmers as the system/container used in this technique can leak due to faulty connections, pumps, valves, or drains, leading to water loss and nutrient imbalance. Moreover, these systems need regular inspection and maintenance for pH, humidity, and oxygen levels which can turn out to be costly.

Some of The Top Companies Operating in Hydroponics Market

AeroFarms:

AeroFarms is a Virginia-based cleantech company that specializes in utilizing aeroponics and hydroponics for growing plants. Its well-known vertical farming technology helps in the cultivation of plants in a more controlled environment. AeroFarms aims at producing more crops in less space along with better quality, superior flavor, and improved nutrition.

Agricool:

Agricool is a French startup that specializes in urban agriculture using hydroponic technology. The company has hydroponic shipping containers in Paris and is involved in a hydroponic greenhouse project in Lebanon. Agricool's innovative system aids in the production of fruits and vegetables inside recycled shipping containers, providing local, pesticide-free, and GMO-free food. 

Bowery Farming:

Bowery Farming is a New York-based digital agriculture and vertical farming company that specializes in growing and delivering pesticide-free herbs, leafy greens, and lettuce using hydroponics techniques. These techniques rely on sensors, automation, robotics artificial intelligence, and a proprietary operating system that helps in clicking the images of crops and analyzing the data in real time.

BrightFarms:

BrightFarms is a well-known, US-based company that was acquired by Coz Enterprise in 2021. It is well-known for growing local, pesticide-free, non-GMO, and fresh green leafy vegetables in computer-controlled hydroponic greenhouses. The plants are grown in grow beds with sterile plant-based media that suspends the plant roots in a hydroponics solution. It has farms in New London- New Hampshire, Hendersonville- North Carolina, Selinsgrove- Pennsylvania, Rochelle- Illinois, Wilmington- Ohio, and Culpeper- Virginia.

Freight Farms:

Freight Farms is widely known for its hydroponics container farms that help maintain a controlled environment. It grows a variety of crops like lettuces, leafy greens, and herbs and offers a broad range of farm automation software, farm data analytics and insights, and crop planning capabilities to farmers. The firm operates across five different continents and has partnered with NAS to explore closed-loop farming possibilities in the space.

FreshBox Farms:

FreshBox Farms is a US-based indoor agriculture company located in Massachusetts that specializes in offering innovative agriculture products and services. Its hydroponic systems help in maintaining a high quality of food production with less water consumption. The firm has eliminated the use of herbicides, thus resulting in pure, sustainable, and healthy agriculture.

Green Sense Farms Holdings, Inc.:

Green Sense Farms Holdings, Inc. is a Turkey-based organization, well known for sustainable vertical farming practices and supplying a variety of crops to local markets. It focuses on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with the use of advanced technology and innovative hydroponics systems for indoor vertical farming.

Hydroponics Market Scenario:

The global hydroponics market is growing rapidly and is expected to register a rapid revenue CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. This can be due to the increasing use of hydroponics systems in the indoor cultivation of crops such as vegetables. Furthermore, the adoption of alternative farming approaches by several farmers across different regions. The trend of hydroponics has been propelled by the legalization of marijuana in a few countries such as Canada, South Africa, and the Czech Republic. The growing awareness among customers about the adverse effects of pesticides and herbicides has resulted in increased demand for hydroponics.

However, factors such as higher capital investment, high maintenance costs, and limited knowledge about hydroponics among farm owners in many parts of the globe are expected to hamper the overall market growth during the forecast period.

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