Project: Hydroponics

Foundations of Technology
The Designed World: Agriculture and Biotechnologies

Submission Guidelines:

What to hand in: Save the documents below to your computer. Complete the project and submit to drop box.
Rubric and Directions (Word doc)
[ Alternate version (.rtf) ]

Where to hand it in: Hydroponics drop box.

When to hand it in: See course calendar for due date.

Problem Statement: In this project, you will design a hydroponic system to support a given population. You will determine the scale and sustainability of your hydroponic system to meet the needs of 10 billion people, as well as the natural and man-made resources needed to develop the system.

Background: Agribusiness has changed the landscape of agriculture from the small scale family farm to massive hydroponic, aquiculture, and technologically intensive agricultural operations. These technologies have environmental benefits and impacts that must be understood to meet the needs of a growing world.

Directions (Overview)

Briefly, each student will:

Conduct a brief review of existing technologies for hydroponics or aquaculture.
Design and diagram a system that will provide the food needs for 100 people on an ongoing and sustainable basis.
Determine the resources needed to implement your system on a global scale for 10 billion people.
Recommend those agricultural products that your system would produce, that best meet the nutritional needs, in a sustainable way, for a hungry planet.

plant in hand