CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

There are many threats that are facing the agricultural production of our country, arising from

human induced changes in nature’s systems (Gonzalo Oviedo, 2015). As we progress further into the 21st

century. Some of the issues we face include a rapidly expanding world; as a result, our food production

constantly declines gradually, farmable land becomes scarcer with increasing population and a scarcity of

farmers to help cultivate our lands for crops, finding alternative procedures in cultivating our land to have

a sustainable food supply becomes a primary concern (Lambrague, 2014).

The demand for food production in the Philippines puts stress on land use and natural resources.

The forestland alone is extremely suffering from degradation (Pascual, Marilou & Lorenzo, Gina & Gabriel,

Arneil 2018) Although soil is regularly an abundant medium for plants to grow in, it may have the presence

of disease causing orgiansms and nematodes, unfitting soil reaction, unfavorable soil compaction, poor

drainage system, degradation due to erosion and etc. In addition, conventional crop growing in soil (Open

Field Agriculture) commonly involves large acres of arable land in order to cultivate plants, much physical

strenuous effort to sustain the growth of crops and an immeasurable volume of water to hydrate the soil

(Sardare, 2013). Therefore, to maintain a sustainable food production we need to cultivate new methods

that ensures a way of growing crops without penalties

 As more traditional methods of farming and food production are declining, people are starting to

people are starting to embrace alternative methods in agriculture that are both viable for rural and urban

areas. One such alternative method that has been increasing popularity is the “soil-less culture”, it mainly

refers to the methods of growing crops and sustaining them without the use of any soil. Developing farming

by the use of such methods is highly adaptable and a sustainable method of producing healthy food crops.

One of the best methods in soil-less agriculture is called Hydroponic systems. This technique instead uses

a mineral nutrient solution in a water solvent, allowing the nutrient uptake process to be more efficient than

when using soil (Maximum Yield, n.d.). Through the hydroponic system, plants do not need to produce

extensive root structures into the soil to search for minerals and nutrients for growth which also means that

plants would not need to acquire much energy in executing this action.

The concept hydroponic procedures allow some of the inadequacies of our current

conventional farming techniques to be enhanced. the future of conventional farming brings about

negative effects such as, resource limitations including the decrease of arable surfaces, constrained

(Klinger, et al.,2012), freshwater supplies, soil degradation and soil nutrient depletion also add to

these challenges (Klinger, et al.,2012), hence the role of hydroponics presents a great contribution

to deal with the consequences of our current conventional farming methods. Benefits ranges from

both global to urban sustainable food production and should at the same time diminish pollution

and need the for resources.