Among the plethora of issues plaguing the world right now is hunger. With the global population continuing to rise, it becomes a bigger challenge every day to make sure everyone is fed. This is made even more difficult when compounded with the fact that global warming may be restricting the amount of food that can be produced compared to years previous. So we as a species are forced to find new and more effective ways to make food. Hydroponics is one of those ways. Put simply, hydroponics is where plants are grown with no soil, just water. There are various ways this is done, but the basic concept is the water contains all the minerals needed for the plant and the roots are allowed to absorb this water. The three main methods discussed in this Café are where the roots are submerged in still water, water is constantly run over the roots, and the water is sprayed on the roots.

Each of these techniques have their own pros and cons, but one thing they all have in common is the lack of a need for soil. Even if we manage to completely optimize all farming on the planet, we are still limited by the amount of land available to use. This is why hydroponics can have such a large impact. Imagine being able to grow vegetable in the middle of a desert city, or an arctic research base all year round. It would greatly impact how much food the world can produce and possibly be a step towards decreasing world hunger.