Hopin’ China’s reforesting tech proves sustainable. Also Prolekult/James Bell was mentioning hempcrete, which is another that I’d think would help a lot. Hopin’ for new sword technology. . .

  • TheDrink [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Hydroponics. Requires some setup but once it’s in place you have plants growing while consuming up to 90% less water than traditional agriculture, and it’s easy to make the whole system totally passive so that the only labor inputs are putting in new plants and harvesting old ones.

    It also turns out that some plants really benefit from being grown hydroponically - put them under a grow light and in a greenhouse and you can grow multiple times as much produce on the same parcel of land while consuming less water and fertilizer to do it.

    It’s a process that can be scaled up industrially, but because of the high upfront cost it’s fairly rare, the most mature industrial greenhouses are those in The Netherlands. Once a farm has made the transition there are logistical advantages to hydroponics as well - a farm can stagger grow times to have consistent smaller harvests instead of one or two massive harvests, making staffing and income more consistent.

    Not every plant can be grown this way, but those that can absolutely should. Especially in places like California where I live, where we have the financial and technological ability to do so and our environment would greatly benefit from reduced water use.

    • frauddogg [null/void, undecided]@hexbear.net
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      3 days ago

      Can you fit a current-day hydroponics rig for ‘personal use’ into an apartment? A lot of why my partners and I are trying to stick out a house for as long as possible is access to land we can grow herbs and veggies in; but having a way to do it in an apartment would be a considerable weight off my shoulders regarding a potential downsizing.

      • TheDrink [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        3 days ago

        You could definitely put a grow light and a dutch bucket in a closet. My home setup started at about $100 and consisted of some white buckets with holes drilled into them (it’s way more expensive now but that’s cuz I bought a greenhouse, solar panels, space heater, a big battery…).

    • krolden
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      2 days ago

      Ive yet to have a hydroponic tomato that tastes like anything