Goducate pilots hydroponics strawberry production in Indonesia

In Bandung, Indonesia, strawberry production mostly involves soil agriculture. One limitation with this production scheme is the long gestation period (generally 8 months) from planting of runners until harvesting of the initial fruits. With hydroponics, however, harvesting is possible 4 months after transferring the tissue-cultured plantlets into the hydropots and growing them in nutrient-rich water.

To highlight the advantages of hydroponics in producing strawberries, Goducate initiated a static prototype in Bandung in September 2012. Ten pieces of 10-mm diameter PVC pipes about 3.25 m long were each perforated with 20 holes to accommodate 20 hydropots. Three A-frames made of bamboo were used to support the three vertical layers of PVC pipes. Each pipe was then filled with about 28 liters of water containing 14 of the 17 macro- and micronutrients for optimum plant growth (the three other elements – carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen – are generally sourced by the plants from water and air). To eliminate the possibility of excessive dilution of nutrients from rain water, san improvised roofing using daylight plastic sheets was constructed.

By end of November 2012, the hydroponically grown strawberries were flowering profusely. Harvesting took place a month later.

Hydroponics offers several advantages in that there is no need for soil preparation. It also involves less fertilizer, water, area, labor, pest/disease incidence, energy/carbon footprint, and production risk. It enables the producer to have more cropping cycles. This technology is akin to using less to produce more.

Goducate has been teaching emerging technologies in agriculture like hydroponics to farmers in Indonesia during the past few months. Instead of dealing with popular and very expensive systems such as automated drip irrigation and nutrient-film technique, Goducate focuses on very affordable static hydroponics, which involves passive aeration, does not use electricity, and eliminates protective structures such as greenhouse and screenhouse.

In Bandung where the elevation varies from 700 to 1,800 meters above sea level, high-value vegetables such as lettuce, cauliflowers, cabbage, and broccoli are ideal for backyard production through hydroponics. Under an urban setting where much of the backyard spaces are concreted, household members will benefit greatly from this technology. Recyclable materials abound in various Indonesian towns and cities, and for an initial investment of only SGD0.80, one can produce vegetables worth SGD4.85.

We hope that in the very near future, the trainings on emerging agricultural technologies initiated by Goducate will help ensure food security among Indonesian households.