Engineering an Improved Hydroponics System

Abstract Much of the food insecurity within the United States is due to urban “food deserts” (large cities where many residents cannot access fresh, nutritious food). Within these cities, fresh food can be expensive to the point where most residents routinely resort to consuming highly processed fast food that lacks important nutritional qualities. In researching this phenomenon, it became clear that one of the solutions to this problem that could address long transportation times, the carbon emissions associated with such transportation, and the general lack of space in cities, would be hydroponic-based systems. Such systems grow crops without soil in compact, urban environments using artificial lighting. In order to test the effectiveness and efficiency of hydroponics-based systems, we developed a hydroponics-based system using already available materials and then tested it to determine if hydroponics could offer a sustainable alternative. Trying to use materials common to an engineering lab so as to be easier to build and replicate findings, we focused on adding PVC parts to a wooden frame to keep it in a 4-foot by 4-foot by 3-foot area. Although the system we created did require more energy than conventional farming, the hydroponics farm was able to successfully grow lettuce plants at a rate faster than Conventional Agriculture, demonstrating the merits of large-scale hydroponics agriculture.