You may produce your vegetables and herbs organically at home by using hydroponics, which involves growing plants in mineral nutrient solutions in water rather than soil. Furthermore, this farming technology consumes up to 90% less water than traditional soil-based cultivation.
The macro and micronutrients in the water are supplied directly to the plant, allowing it to grow quicker and produce more.
Do you want to give it a shot at home? Here are eight startups from throughout the country that are leading the charge and can assist you in establishing your own hydroponic garden.
Chennai's Acqua Farms
Rahul Dhoka, the founder of Green Rush Organics and Acqua Farms, a hydroponics farming consultant, grows over 6,000 plants in just 80 square feet of area. From Italian basil to carom (ajwain), mint, spinach, lettuce, and a variety of leafy greens and herbs, he grows it all. Furthermore, he plants these vegetables in PVC pipe planters.
"In addition to a starter kit, Acqua Farms offers larger planter systems with 24, 48, 72, 96, and 1,000 depending on the user's demands. They also provide a subscription-based service to individuals who are unfamiliar with hydroponics, in which they assign the customer an agronomist who takes care of their plants and monitors them once a week for a monthly charge," he said.
Goa's Letcetra Agritech
Letcetra Agritech, located in the Mapusa district of Goa and founded by software engineer-turned-hydroponics farmer Ajay Naik, is the first such indoor hydroponics farm that grows high-quality, pesticide-free vegetables. Their 150-square-meter garden produces loads of leafy crops including lettuce and salad greens, as well as cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and basil.
"Letcetra has grown to incorporate two more farms totaling 2,300 square metres. The combined fresh production from all three farms is around 6-8 tonnes of various varieties of lettuce and other leafy greens every month," he noted.
"We offer full commercial hydroponic system design, operations, and maintenance solutions to individuals who have land and wish to put it to profitable use, while also solving the critical need to generate food for the country's expanding population," according to the company website.
Bengaluru-based BitMantis Innovations
Based in Bengaluru, this IoT and data analytics start-up has created Green SAGE, an IoT solution that allows individuals and commercial farmers to grow fresh herbs all year round with no effort.
Green Sage offers the Micro Edition and Greens Edition kits, both of which employ hydroponics technologies to make optimal use of water and nutrients.
"The Green SAGE Micro Edition equipped with 2 trays for growing micro greens at one's leisure. The Green SAGE Greens Edition comes with replacement trays for growing culinary herbs, salad greens, or micro-greens," according to the company's website.
Hyderabad's Urban Kissan
Vihari Kanukollu, Dr. Sairam, and Srinivas Chaganti founded Urban Kissan, a startup that aims to incorporate the 'In My Backyard' concept into sustainable farming. With the Urban Kissan's assistance and supervision, you can now grow fresh food such as lettuce, herbs, greens, and exotic veggies all year. They may be grown everywhere, from rooftops to balconies
"The firm provides a variety of alternatives, ranging from a model kit of 18 to 36 plants. The kit is made up of seeds, coconut waste, and a variety of nutrients. After you place an order based on your preferences, the firm will assist you in selecting a location and arranging delivery logistics. "The employees will come to your house and assist you in setting up the farm," report states.
Once you've established your farm, all you need to do is spend a few minutes each day watering the crops.
Chennai Future Farms
This Chennai-based startup, founded by Sriram Gopal, who formerly headed an IT firm, creates affordable and effective farming kits to assist hydroponics farming. Future Farms today cultivates 16 crop varieties classified as English Exotic, Asian Exotic, and Indian Exotic on 15 acres of land distributed across ten states. It recorded a $1 million turnover last year. Their main concentration is on green vegetables, and they have fields all throughout the country, from Delhi to Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat.
Cochin Ela Sustainable Solutions
Shijin VS and Amal Mathew, a Cochin-based teacher-student duo, founded Ela Sustainable Solutions to assist urban farmers in setting up hydroponics farming systems and mini-polyhouses in small spaces up to 100 sq ft. "From tomato, cabbage, capsicum, cucumber, beans, tapioca, cauliflower, carrots, radish, brinjal, ladies finger to leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, and coriander, you can grow Apart from establishing your own hydroponics farms and polyhouses, you may also give full smart garden kits to your loved ones," according to them.
Himachal Pradesh's Junga FreshnGreen
Junga FreshnGreen, situated in Himachal Pradesh, operates a 9.3-hectare hydroponics-based agricultural facility in Shimla district in collaboration with InfraCo Asia Development Pvt. Ltd. (IAD). "Our goal is to build a farming model... under the 'Hydroponics' model, producing farm fresh veggies with a predictable yield, using little or no pesticides, and being unaffected by weather or soil conditions while being cultivated in a protected greenhouse area," they claim.
They welcome inquiries from landowners who want them to recreate this strategy for them with consistent profits.
Chandigarh's Pindfresh
"We create hydroponics do-it-yourself (DIY) kits in varied sizes that are supplemented with replacement nutrients, organic seeds, and inert mediums—exactly everything that you need to start producing your own food supply," explains Pindfresh's chief fabricator, Somveer Anand, in an interview.
Pindfresh also provides installations for inside the home, with packages that enable you set up minute indoor kitchen gardens that require only diffused sunshine. They can provide customised illumination solutions in the absence or lack of direct sunlight.
