Growing plants in water rather than soil actually uses a small fraction of the water used in traditional farming—since there’s no soil to absorb water, all of it goes directly to the plants. Currently, agriculture accounts for over 70 percent of global water consumption. With the planet’s freshwater supply dwindling and demand for it increasing, hydroponics could help fill an urgent need to slash water consumption in farming.

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“You’re talking about systems that fill an entire warehouse ceiling,” said Eric Weber, Plant Chicago’s director of operations. “And that’s where something like hydroponics can come in and bring some of that industrial-scale efficiency to urban agriculture.”

Urban agriculture can leave a carbon footprint that’s up to six times greater than that of conventional agriculture, a team of University of Michigan researchers found in March….

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For now, experts say it’s about striking a balance. Weber said they see the potential for growers to create commercial-scale hydroponics operations—but balancing a larger urban farming operation with the energy efficiency tradeoffs remains a challenge that few have conquered.

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