ISLAMABAD
A green start-up by a university student offered a kitchen gardening idea by installing hydroponic farming technology in homes where there is no or very little space for the growing of essential vegetables.
“Through installation of hydroponic technology and with little guidance people can do kitchen gardening and can get higher yields than traditional soil-based growing systems,” explains Marfaa Naseem, leader of the team that proposed green start-up of hydroponic farming at homes for kitchen gardening.
The start-up was granted to university students under the Green Urban Development Program (GUD), a two-year initiative by the Institute of Urbanism (IoU) & School of Leadership Foundation (SoLF), with the support of the US Embassy. The Green Urban Development Programme has been launched to foster a collaborative environment aimed at reshaping the urban landscape for a greener and more sustainable future.
Talking to media, Marfaa Naseem said that through the utilization of a new procedure of farming (hydroponic) people who have no space for cultivation in their homes, can grow vegetables of their choice by utilization of very little space.
“Hydroponics is a type of soil-less gardening that can be done either indoors or outdoors. It’s a great option for people with little or no gardening space, or who want to grow herbs and vegetables,” Marfaa told media.
Hydroponic gardening, she continued, is space-efficient and takes less water than gardening in soil. Growing in water also means no weeds. With artificial lighting, you can grow hydroponically all year long, she added.
About the installation expenditure, she said presently its minimum cost is around Rs. 25 to 30 thousand through which people can grow 32 different plants in their homes and even offices.
Marfaa added that she is also working on preparing a smaller model of hydroponic farming with a reduction in price so that people can easily get it installed in their homes and gain benefits from this modern and sustainable way of farming.
