Hydroponics enables farmers to grow food without soil, using water with mineral nutrient solutions, hence the word ‘hydro’, and various minerals to support the roots. Although hydroponics relies primarily on water, the system is efficient in managing the resource. Recent studies indicate that hydroponic technology is at least ten times more efficient in water usage compared to traditional farming.

When growing in hydroponics, plants do not expend energy rooting out nutrients from the soil, which explains the quick growth experienced through this method. The farmer has near total control over the nutrients the plant receives.

With higher-quality and quicker yields, hydroponics can provide farmers with a smart-agriculture technique that allows them to grow  nutritious vegetables, herbs or berries more efficiently especially in urban areas where space is limited.

Sydney is one of the project participants supported by Welthungerhilfe and the World Food Programme (WFP) with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) under the Urban Food Security and Resilience Building Programme. The business, 160 Hydro Farm provided Sydney with technical support.

The Urban Food Security and Resilience Building Programme is addressing urban food insecurity through a combination of cash transfers and long-term resilience building approaches such as urban agriculture.