Nicaragua
Hydroponic Farming: An Alternative For Everybody
Many poor people in our cities have discovered the secret of cultivating without land, and this has transformed their lives. Hydroponics is an economic alternative, and also a human one.
Raquel Fernández
Felipa Rojas has become the owner of her own destiny. Although life has not been particularly generous to her as she grows older, she has found a stable source of income in hydroponic farming. She has turned the small patio of her house into a garden where she grows lettuce, basil, celery and other vegetables that bring a good market price, especially since they are grown without pesticides. In Nicaragua, the majority of those experimenting with hydroponic farming are women.
How Does a Plant Grow?Hydroponics was born in an unusual place a university research laboratory. At the end of the 19th century, German universities began research to understand what plants eat and how to grow bigger plants of certain species.
What was known up to then was that water, soil and sun gave vegetables all they needed to grow. But scientists were beginning to wonder what specific nutrients each plant needed.
It was not merely scientific curiosity or a way for idle researchers to kill time. The result of this research was the Green Revolution, with all its bitter consequences. Because when it was known exactly what a plant needed to grow large and quickly, an attempt was made to "fatten" them up, as if they were pigs, as if nothing mattered but the economic factor. The soil these plants were grown in was thus quickly depleted.
But years passed and a number of steps were taken before a crisis situation was reached. The scientists' first discovery was that all plants, whatever their size or variety, are basically nourished by large quantities of the same three elements: phosphorous, potassium and nitrogen. Plants also need sulphur, calcium and magnesium in smaller, but still important quantities, In very small quantities, much as human beings need vitamins, plants need eight products more: zinc, manganese, copper, boron, iron, molybdenum, chlorine and cobalt. Soil with all these elements is good for almost any crop, but this kind of soil doesn't exist in Nicaragua.
Theoretical research about plants continued, but laboratory cultivation without soil hydroponics came to a halt because it was not economical. With the onset of World War II, hydroponic crops once again came under consideration. In their effort to take on the Japanese Empire, the Allies were forced to maintain garrisons on a number of small South Pacific islands with little arable land. Transporting fresh vegetables to the soldiers to prevent scurvy was expensive and dangerous. The almost forgotten information about hydroponic farming offered a viable and efficient alternative.
An Option for the PoorHydroponics came to Latin America during the 1970s. At the outset, it was used to market vegetables considered luxury items. But anything that offers an option in terms of eating cannot long be removed from those who are hungry. By the mid 1980s, hydroponic farming began to be a popular alternative among the very poorest. It made it to the miserable hillside slums surrounding most large Latin American cities, where many peasants are thrown together in overcrowded conditions the same peasants thrown off their land by the Green Revolution and other social political counterrevolutions.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) promoted hydroponic farming both to satisfy the basic food needs of the poorest in the urban areas and to offer them an economic alternative. After being born with a silver spoon in its mouth, Hydroponics opted for the poor.
After notable successes in Chile, Venezuela and Colombia, among other countries, hydroponic farming came to Nicaragua in 1993 with César Marulanda, a UNDP official who had been working in hydroponic farming in his native Colombia and other Latin American countries for over 10 years.
His first experience in Nicaragua was disheartening. The people who most needed to grow vegetables using hydroponic methods simply refused to try. "But, do you realize how much land we have in Nicaragua?", was the question frequently put to Marulanda. "Why should we get into farming without soil, if that's one thing we have plenty of?" Marulanda's response was, "That's true, but how much of that land is yours?" That was a question they couldn't answer, because those asked were always very poor.
The Crop "Beds"The skepticism actually grew after a series of technical explanations about hydroponic farming. When Marulanda left Nicaragua to take a post in another country, he was sure that hydroponic farming had great potential here, but knew that convincing future farmers of it would not be easy. He returned in early 1993, and got to work.
Despite their skepticism, some residents of Managua's squatter settlements decided to try hydroponics, even if only to please this man, "such a good person." Later, they were greatly surprised to see the beautiful gardens taking shape in their own patios.
Hydroponic farming is the cultivation of plants in aqueous solutions, sometimes on a base of rice husks and sand, depending on the vegetable species. Yields multiply with this procedure, as virtually no seed is lost. It is estimated that 85 95% of the seeds become marketable products and that cultivation time is radically reduced as well. Lettuce, for example, is ready to harvest in one month.
There are many ways to develop hydroponic farming. In the industrialized countries it is done in greenhouses in which the concentration of basic nutrients needed varies according to the species, the time of year and the color and form desired for the final product, given the extreme demands of the vegetable market. The light, humidity and temperature are controlled electronically and there is no danger of parasitic invasions since the greenhouses are maintained in a more aseptic state than most Third World operating rooms. In these conditions, the yields are truly impressive as are the investments and material resources.
In Latin America, the marginalized populations don't have the capacity to undertake anything so complex and sophisticated, but the tradeoff is that they do have a tremendous amount of sunlight, which balances out many other problems. Faithful to its option for the poor, Latin American hydroponics needs very little infrastructure, and what it does need can be built out of discarded materials.
The crops are planted in what are called beds, but are more like tables, at a height suitable for the particular gardener. They aren't normal tables the surface doesn't have to be continuous, but can be parallel strips of wood surrounded by a railing about 10 centimeters high.
The "beds" can be built with scrap wood. A perfect bed is made of old wood sawhorses and discarded cargo flats. They can also be made in split old tires or in wood packing boxes arranged so planting takes place at the right depth. Almost anything works, though it is always important to leave some distance between the ground and the bed to allow for sufficient ventilation and help discourage domestic animals from damaging the plants.
Everything's Easy to Find ...and CheapOnce the crop bed is ready, it's lined on the inside with black plastic. Afterwards, depending on the type of crop to be planted, the bed is filled with water or a mixture of solid materials. Lettuce, basil, celery and endive are grown in water. To prevent the plants from submerging and thus drowning, styrofoam supports are made, with different size holes depending on the different vegetables. The best styrofoam is the kind used for packing, which is usually discarded and can be found in garbage dumps. A 1 square meter bed has room for 31 adult lettuces.
Other vegetable species need a base of sand, volcanic rock and rice husks mixed together, all of which are easy to find, as well as inexpensive. It is important to leave adequate drainage a piece of old hose to eliminate any excess water. The hydroponic plot can be irrigated several times a day with this runoff water, in which the nutritional solution has been dissolved.
Both research and practice show that each square meter of hydroponic garden needs a gallon of water a day for optimum results far less than the amount used in any other crop cultivation method.
In addition to saving water, hydroponic farming also saves time, because the vegetables grow much faster. Almost any kind of vegetable can be grown with hydroponic farming methods: spinach, green and red peppers, young beans and peanuts.
One characteristic of hydroponic farming in all of Latin America, and especially in Nicaragua, is that agrochemicals are not used. The crops develop in a totally artificial environment, but without the use of fertilizers or pesticides.
Efficient natural and mechanical procedures are used to combat insects. To scare off certain types of flying insects, 60 centimeter yellow flags dipped in motor oil are placed among the crops. Insects that fly too close to the flags end up stuck to them.
At nighttime, candles are put inside bottles, which are in turn placed in pans of water. The insects are attracted by the candles and begin to buzz around; they eventually end up falling into the water.
Natural substances are also used, including the neem tree. Each grower tries things out and then lets his/her neighbors know what works. Since many marginalized people who do hydroponic farming in the city originally came from the countryside, where they still have friends and families, the new knowledge is socialized out to a still greater circle.
Who Can do Hydroponic Farming?Perhaps the most interesting aspect of hydroponic farming is looking at the people who get involved in it. Who are they? Almost anyone. Physical disabilities and the most absolute poverty present no obstacles at all. In Bogotá, it was found that people affected with Down's syndrome were excellent hydroponic farmers, giving the plants meticulous and constant attention. In Nicaragua, where so many years of war have left a nearly incalculable number of severely disabled people with virtually no way to make a living, hydroponic farming could be an excellent alternative.
Many single Nicaraguan women who are heads of household are farming hydroponic crops in the patios of houses they can't leave unattended. Such is the case of Concepción Thomas. She has two young children and is afraid to leave them home alone. She started hydroponic farming in May 1994, after asking for a 280 córdoba credit line (about $40) for the infrastructure she needed. "I've already paid that loan back," she says proudly, "so I can prepare new beds, and now I'm thinking of asking for more credit to expand my crops." In the small patio attached to her humble house, the hydroponic beds are covered with vegetables in different stages of development.
Three Secrets: The Mix, Water and LoveLike everything else, even the simplest things, hydroponic farming has its secrets. One of them is the nutrient composition. According to Marulanda, preparing the proper nutrient mix doesn't require an advanced degree, but some training is necessary. The ingredients include water and the 14 elements mentioned above. The quantity of each nutrient and the order in which it is added to the mixture must be attended to carefully.
"Manufacturing the nutrient is like making cookies," says Marulanda. "Anybody can do it if you pay attention and follow instructions. You can't add the flour before the sugar, if the recipe indicates otherwise, because it won't turn out properly." The need for proper order is even greater in the case of hydroponic crops, since certain elements can actually neutralize the action of others if they aren't introduced to the mixture properly.
Because nutrient preparation needs time and skill, a number of people have been trained to prepare the nutrients; they then sell it at very favorable prices to the farmers who are part of the UNDP's Urban Productive Communities (CUP) Program. They also sell to other gardeners, but at a higher price.
In any case, obtaining the nutrient is not an impossible expense, because a gallon of it is enough for 440 square meters. The nutrient isn't used undiluted, but rather a small quantity is mixed into half a gallon of water a sufficient daily dose for each square meter.
The second secret to hydroponic farming is the quantity of water. In Managua, where the heat is oppressive, it may be necessary to water the crops up to four times a day, preferably with water collected from the day's first irrigation, when the sun is just coming out.
"But the real secret to hydroponics is affection," Marulanda notes. "Daily care, careful attention to the plants so they know they are important to the farmer. Plants grow better if they know they're loved."
The René Cisneros heighborhood is a poor settlement in Managua that, like many others, is in the center of a city with no center. Many of the houses there have hydroponic gardens.
A Hydroponic NeighborhoodMargarita Aguirre is a convinced hydroponic farmer. She is part of that large group of skeptics who had to see it to believe it. In the beginning, she thought that growing things in boxes, particularly shallow ones, was impossible. Now, in addition to her home garden for her family and some sales she's in charge of the communal garden, used to finance CUP's basic costs.
The CUP provides hydroponic farmers with seeds or small plants, sells the nutrient mixtures and also facilitates credit for starting or expanding hydroponic plots, as well as repairing necessary infrastructure.
Rebeca Marley is a young woman from the Atlantic Coast who came to the CUP to buy a gallon of nutrient mixture. Like other people in her neighborhood, Rebeca sells what she grows to the supermarket. At first she didn't think much of hydroponics, but she's been convinced by what she has seen. Now she's not only growing vegetables for herself and her family, she has remembered her small "country" of Bluefields, where it's difficult to grow things and many foodstuffs must be brought in by plane or boat at prohibitive prices. If hydroponic farming takes off in Bluefields, it could be a real solution. One of Rebeca's aunts is planning a trip soon and hopes to convince her neighbors with her example.
The René Cisneros neighborhood could be called a "hydroponic neighborhood." Even in its small school, part of the area used for recess is covered with hydroponic beds the children use them to experiment and to learn about hydroponic farming. A number of students have expressed interest in hydroponic farming and the principal, Dora Cano, thinks that several of them have a real vocation for agriculture "something this country really needs," she points out.
All the neighborhood's agricultural produce is marketed, to help improve the living standard of people there. It is estimated that $100 profit can be made monthly with 10 square meters of hydroponic plots. While this might seem to be an almost irrelevant amount, that is the difference between eating and going hungry in Nicaragua. And that's a relevant difference indeed.
In the neighborhood, Felipa Rojas is in charge of marketing. She's also interested in scientific research. Through the system of hydroponics, Felipa has been able to plant ornamental plants and trees, which she cares for during their first stage of development, then transplants them to soil. She's also working on developing hydroponic crops in soil to obtain seeds from interesting species.
Hydroponics came into Felipa Rojas' life when she was over 60 years old. It was like a rebirth for her. With no husband, and all her children grown and out of the house, her life had become a sad struggle for daily bread until she discovered the secret of farming without soil.
Today, in addition to marketing what her neighbors grow which has made her an important person in her neighborhood she's an expert who has been invited to other communities to explain the René Cisneros experiences. She has complete economic independence and can thus look to the future with confidence. She knows that even if she lives to be very old, she'll still be able to tend her gardens with the little strength she has left.
"That's the most important thing about hydroponics," declares César Marulanda, "its ability to transform lives, to give people confidence in themselves again, to make them feel that they're important."
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