posted by admin on Jul 11
If you farmland is flooded – how can you still grow crops?
Well there is one solution that will no doubt help millions of people all across the globe in these times of climate change and rising sea levels – a floating farm!
Many communities around the world inhabit wetland areas and have developed raised housing and methods of transport and livelihoods that make the most of existing circumstances – but growing crops on water?
That really is something quite amazing - and sustainable!
The Idea:
Well, areas of India and Bangladesh for example have annual flooding – but it’s lasting longer and longer these days – and coming when it’s not expected, ruining crops and homes, and leaving farmland underwater and families without anyway to feed themselves.
So, why not farm on the water itself? Well it’s not as difficult as you might think, and as this is only a temporary solution it doesn’t need to be highly advanced and permanent.
Basically you can build up layers of floating vegetation mixed with fertiliser and stabilizers and you have a raised bed for growing anything. And as long as you tether it to your home or river bank – you can grow your crops!
Even if the water levels rise again – your crops do too, so they are not destroyed! And when the water finally falls back to earth – your crops are already on a bed of fertile compost!
When the water level falls, you can transplant your seeds back into the now fertile soil (enriched with sediment from upstream) and grow them to maturity. Maybe you could even sell the excess at a local market increasing your income.
The Implementation:
A small charity called Practical Action is working with communities in Bangladesh and has already helped hundreds of families do just this.
Their solutions are simple and cheap to construct for the local communities as they are made from local ‘ingredients’ and are not huge in size. For example they base their ‘raised beds’ on an initial layer of water hyacinths strengthened with a layer of bamboo strips on top, then bound in place by a further layer of water hyacinth on top so the roots create a sturdy platform.
On top of this solid base is a layer of animal dung and earth – both plentiful in the area – in which to grow the actual crops. And watering them is not a problem!
The Future?
This is already a lifeline to so many people in Asia, but it could help with innovations across the globe. If the future is to bring more flooding and adverse weather to many countries – it’s great to know that there are people out there already working on the solutions.
Some of these recent inventions in areas that are already experiencing problems can be the basis for future inventions and inventors to plan for similar scenarios. Planning for crops that can grow on water could lead to new crops, new farming methods and new lifestyles.
It could also be the first step towards living on water and building flood resistant homes, crops and energy stations!
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