In a country where water is a scarce and costly resource, water consumption is not a detail: it is a criterion of viability. Here, hydroponics has a structural advantage over open-ground farming. Here is why.
The principle of the closed circuit
In open ground, a significant share of the irrigation water seeps deep down or evaporates before it can be absorbed by the plants. In NFT hydroponics, the nutrient solution flows in a loop: the water not absorbed returns to the reservoir and re-enters the cycle. Nothing is lost to seepage. To understand this circuit in detail, read the NFT system explained.
Water put to better use
Beyond the quantity, it is the efficiency that changes: every litre serves directly to feed the plants, at the right concentration. You therefore produce more biomass per litre of water than in conventional growing — a far higher water-use efficiency.
An economic argument, not only an environmental one
Less water consumed also means lower running costs. Combined with the electricity savings made possible by solar power, this control over resources directly improves the profitability of the greenhouse.