Can hydroponic or aquaponic = organic?

[Alex]

NY Times article

 

Quote

In 2010, the Organic Standards Board recommended that hydroponic systems be ruled ineligible for organic certification because they excluded “the soil-plant ecology intrinsic to organic farming systems.”

 

The U.S.D.A. has not acted on the board’s recommendation, allowing organic certification of crops grown in hydroponic systems to continue.

 

Is this a real food-related issue, or does it ultimately boil down to the non-food issue of protecting turf (i.e., money)?

[Lisa Shock]

I can see parts I like on both sides.

 

On the one hand, the hydroponically grown produce will be as pure and pesticide-free (and many other things-free) as any other organic, maybe even better. So, that's good for me as an eater. But the carbon footprint, and other issues like urban heat islands need to be looked at as well.

 

On the other hand, a big part of organic farming is stewardship of the land. I recall reading about organic issues in Scientific American in the 1980s, when farms using commercial fertilizers were having terrible problems with their topsoil. Farms that had used modern methods were losing topsoil and had huge erosion issues, while farms that never started using commercial fertilizer and still relied on manure had plenty of great topsoil. And, often one of each of these farms would be next to each other -in stark contrast. I think managing the land is very important. If a hydroponic 'farm' is essentially like another high-rise (especially if you make a mini-city of them), then it's not helping the ecosystem.

 

I think, I'd like to see the hydroponics located in areas without arable soil, not disrupting grasslands or farmlands.

[Spork]

I question the micro nutrient value of such. 

[OldHobo]

6 minutes ago, Spork said:

I question the micro nutrient value of such. 

It's not new. Googling aquaponics yields millions of links from ignorant amateurs like me and hundreds or thousands of peer-reviewed scientific and academic articles. 

[chromedome]

Given that the nutrient quality of conventionally grown crops is known to be in decline, it's worth taking a decent look at the literature surrounding aquaponics (and hydroponics). A handful of the top results:

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0570178316300288

 

http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/10/467/htm

 

http://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/3/2/32/htm

[heidih]

Here is just one example of a local opertion.  http://futurefoodsfarms.com/Future_Foods_Farms/Welcome.html

[Spork]

On 10/28/2017 at 8:26 PM, chromedome said:

Given that the nutrient quality of conventionally grown crops is known to be in decline, it's worth taking a decent look at the literature surrounding aquaponics (and hydroponics). A handful of the top results:

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0570178316300288

 

http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/10/467/htm

 

http://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/3/2/32/htm

 

I’m not going to pretend to know all on this but;

 

The first link deals with an atmospheric condition. I would think all of the proposed/discussed would share the same, as well as the same consequences. 

 

The last three do not include terra firma as a control. 

Edited October 31, 2017 by Spork (log)

[chromedome]

27 minutes ago, Spork said:

 

I’m not going to pretend to know all on this but;

 

The first link deals with an atmospheric condition. I would think all of the proposed/discussed would share the same, as well as the same consequences. 

 

The last three do not include terra firma as a control. 

 

Oh, for sure. It wasn't meant as a serious survey of the current literature, and it's also not especially pertinent to the topic of organic vs non-organic (I'd forgotten to check the subject before posting). 

That being said, I should think that determining the most bioavailable forms of nutrients and supplying them in a closed system should be entirely within the bounds of what's currently possible. I know the Dutch are doing seriously intensive growth within enclosed greenhouse environments, in both soil-based and hydroponic systems, and I'd be surprised if they aren't also looking at atmospheric tweaks and their effect on growth, productivity and nutritive content. 

[KennethT]

Most greenhouses and indoor farms enrich the air with extra CO2 (to usually about 1500ppm as opposed to 400-500 found normally) to increase growth rates. I don't have access now, but there have been several studies that show that nutrient density and amount of essential oil and flavor compounds in hydroponics (basically keeping your plants on IV nutrition) is actually higher than in conventional farming. Also, since greenhouses and indoor farms are usually much closer to the consumer, they spend much less time in transit thereby keeping more nutrients post harvest and reducing spoilage waste.

[TicTac]

Fair enough -

 

I am simply curious to see whether it is as economical as purchasing from say, the organic farm where I get all those green goodies from.