Senior Project and research

My idea is a research/project

I want to research practical ways to create a in home hydroponics system that uses multi-tiered space saving techniques to produce both high caloric yields and diverse selection of crops. I am very interested in taking this is far as it would go and my goal is to achieve a tangible product if possible. Here are some of my brainstorm points.

Food Types

I need to know which crops to utilize to provide the best nutritional mix- a mixture of both high caloric yield and nutritionally diverse crops.

Nutrients

I want to study different ways to use compost, possibly bat guano, and various methods of PH control in order to create your own nutrient solutions. I want to also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of chemical solutions.

Energy and efficiency

I want to study various designs, pumps, lights and system orientations to maximize energy efficiency. I want to come up with different dimensions for systems in different home situations. The main concern I have is finding ways to supplement energy from the sun for lights- directly (with windows) or indirectly (solar panels). I need to figure out how much space this system would take and what the most efficient tier system I can implement would be.

Marketability and practicality

My main concern is to create a system that can not only provide a practical function but could also possibly be marketed to middle class groups. I also see how a community of such systems could form a farmer’s market type system to increase diversity of foods and increase the cultural freedom of that community.

Secondary benefits

There are hydroponic systems out there that use the exhaust from high powered lights to supplement heat in a home. Also, air purification, ionizing effects.

Social Philosophies I’m approaching this from

This whole idea stems directly from my philosophies concerning sustainability and how society can possibly move towards it. The basis of this idea is to fight the overwhelming reliance we have on this system for the very tenants of survival- food, water, and shelter. These things, very simply constitute the necessities for personal freedom. If a group of people want to have true freedom, then they must be able to become more self sufficient in these categories. A local network of these systems set up in a kind of farmer’s market has the potential to empower a large number of people against the practices of mono-culture and over-cultivation of the land. I think this is a very worthy first step in starting productive movement towards sustainability.
As IDS majors and aficionados, we exhibit a higher level of mental freedom then many of our more singularly focused colligate counterparts. If we can start moving towards physical freedom we will be that much closer to making a tangible difference in society.