Habbi

Develop new and sustainable methods for food production.

The challenge

Modern agriculture poses many problems to the environment through cutting down forests and destroying habitats to clear the way for new farms, excess use of fertilizer and pesticides which may leach into water sources and contaminate them, or by tilling the ground, destroying its microbial ecosystem, making the ground more prone to flooding, droughts, and desertification, while also decimating it's carbon holding capacity. Some have tried to solve these issues using hydroponics, a method to grow crops without using soil while producing higher yields, although most of these farms only grow leafy greens like lettuce or herbs like basil or certain crops like tomatoes or peppers, while they do help, these crops are not what feeds the world, nor what forests are being cleared for, these farms are also very expensive to set up and operate and require a skilled workforce.

The solution

My solution is a new approach to hydroponics and indoor farming. Potatoes are one of the most cultivated crops, they are highly nutritious, calorie-dense, and a staple in many cultures. However, potatoes are a root crop and thus, difficult to grow with traditional hydroponics. I developed a hydroponic method that allows us to grow different root crops like potatoes to cheaply feed the masses and more expensive crops for specialized markets. The system works both indoors, for year-long production, or outdoors, to save on lights and ventilation costs. While avoiding ground tillage, pesticides, and leaching of pollutants. The system is built with readily available materials, making it modular and simple to set up, also requiring little maintenance while producing higher yields with better quality in less time. These features make it optimal in disaster-struck areas and refugee camps to provide food security or within urban centers.