Hydroponic growing recirculates and recycles water and uses way less per plant than soil cultivation. It also contains the nutrients in a closed system so that it doesn’t pollute the groundwater. Despite what the organic purists say, when used with organic nutrients (hooking up a compost tea brewer to the nutrient tank) it is a sustainable way to grow food. Even though they can’t be certified organic, more hydroponic growers are using organic nutrients and techniques in their growing operations.
I have personally visited over a hundred commercial hydroponic vegetable operations all over the world. I think this video shows the Mirabel lettuce operation near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a very efficient and productive operation using a floating raft technique.
Hydroponics Dictionary
