AEROPONICS
ammonia into nitrates which the plants use for food , cleaning the water in the process . Then , the clean water is cycled back into the fish tank for the symbiotic process to begin again . Fish like perch or catfish can also ensure that the method provides two sources of food .
AEROPONICS
Invented by NASA in the 1990s as a way of potentially raising crops in space ( where tiny soil particles can be a nightmare for delicate instruments and electronics ), aeroponics doesn ’ t use a liquid or solid medium to cultivate crops , instead using a nutrient-rich mist . It uses 90 % less water than conventional hydroponic techniques .
Feeding plants using closed systems like these gives farmers an enviable amount of control over the condition of their crops . In Bowery ’ s system , a simple tweak of the lighting and nitrate levels in the soil can deliver a crop of kale that ’ s less chalky . As with any industry undergoing a digital transformation - and the data-driven , high-tech operations at Bowery ’ s three farms are certainly indicative of that - old roles and new roles are being constantly combined . Katie Morich , a Bowery farmer explained in an interview with Food & Wine that her job has become half farmer and half data scientist . The combination of traditional and tech has been yielding promising results at Bowery , which is scheduled to open its third farm ( an operation some 90 times larger than the company ’ s first operation in New Jersey , situated in Baltimore ) in 2020 . However , despite the success of startups like Bowery , and the promise of
71
© Square Roots www . gigabitmagazine . com