Next-Gen Hydroponics: Emerging Technologies and Economic Pathways Reshaping Farming Systems for Global Food Security
S.T.C. Amarasinghe *
Department of Agribusiness Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
K.P.G.D.M. Polwaththa
Department of Export Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
A.A.Y. Amarasinghe
Department of Export Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: The food security crisis exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and urbanization requires resilient and sustainable agriculture systems. Hydroponics, as a central technology in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), has the potential to be disruptively different from legacy farming with efficient use of water, nutrients, and space. Hydroponic systems can increase the yield by 30-200% depending on the crop or system used, especially in leafy items like lettuce and spinach. Hydroponics use 90-95% less water, in comparison with soil based agriculture because of recirculating the nutrient solution and evaporation differential.
Aims: This review of the scientific literature covers the development and technological advancement of hydroponic systems with respect to initially developed strategies like Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Deep Water Culture (DWC), and Aeroponics, to futuristic use cases with AI, IoT, and automation.
Methodology: This study synthesizes information from more than fifty peer-reviewed articles published from 2015 - 2025 focused on specifically, thematic innovations in system design, vertical farming, recycling of resources, and harvesting-encoding environmental control.
Discussion: Comparative analyses of hydroponics show evidence of advantages with increased yield and resource use efficiency; however, limits remain in terms of scalability, energy needs, and dependence of know-how. The socioeconomic analysis shows promise in employment opportunities and urban food sovereignty, meanwhile suggests a need to dismantle the rural-urban divide and distributional fairness. Policy, and weak institutional backer remain major limits to implementation.
Conclusion: Ultimately, this review shows that hydroponics, with the help of an inclusive policy approach, and interdisciplinary advancements in innovation can be used as a revolutionary strategy for climate-smart sustainable, food systems in local communities on a global scale.
Keywords: Hydroponics, controlled environment agriculture, food security, smart farming, sustainable agriculture