Hydroponics and alternative forms of agriculture: opportunities from nanotechnology

Globally, soil quality is decreasing, putting additional pressure on our food system. As soil degradation continues and freshwater supplies become scarce, development of farming approaches that use both land and water more efficiently and productively to grow food is essential. This need has created a niche for scientists and farmers to develop techniques to improve either land productivity or to use alternative agricultural techniques. Twenty four percent of the UK farmers now employ some form of precision farming, whereby a range of sensors, drones, or satellite imagery is used in order to generate data about the growing crop’s specific needs and requirements in terms of water, fertilization, or other inputs. Precision farming can be employed through a range of different techniques which will be discussed further in this chapter.