Underground Hydroponics

[Charles]

[SIZE="3"]The Subterranean Farms of Tokyo[/SIZE]



Pruned weblog has an interesting look at an underground "farm" built by Pasona, used for training unemployed kids how to farm.

My initial reaction: they're growing the wrong crops.

[joshuaism]

In actuality, it was built primarily as a demonstration and training facility for jobless young people who see a career in agriculture as a possibility. Though not really plugged in to the youth culture of Japan, we'll say that the presence of all that hi-tech equipment can do a long way to maintain interest.

I'm sure this kind of training is really useful to unemployed, urban populations. Pretty hard to fail at farming when watering, temperature, and lighting are all computer controlled. What does this leave for kids to learn about real, sustainable, profitable farming? All the kids are going to learn is how to be migrant fruit-pickers.

[2triky]

I'm sure this kind of training is really useful to unemployed, urban populations. Pretty hard to fail at farming when watering, temperature, and lighting are all computer controlled. What does this leave for kids to learn about real, sustainable, profitable farming? All the kids are going to learn is how to be migrant fruit-pickers.

No but it teaches them how to grow herb that can then be slanged to the geinojin for profit.

[Visitor K]

[SIZE="3"]The Subterranean Farms of Tokyo[/SIZE]

looks like my friends medical grow operation back home!

and if you think that growing indoors is easy, you have obviously never tried.

[2triky]

looks like my friends medical grow operation back home!

and if you think that growing indoors is easy, you have obviously never tried.

By all accounts it's hard work.

[joshuaism]

Still, what use is an education in hydroponics to these kids? How many jobs are there out there? Is there going to be a boom in buying 'locally grown' foods after the Chinese gyoza scare, leading to large growth in the hydroponic industry? Are these unemployed kids in a position to grow enough capital to start their own farms?

If the purpose of the program is to help unemployed kids find jobs, I can't see how it works.

[succubusqueen]

BTW how big is the hydroponics thingy in Japan?....Some people abroad think it's very sustainable....so I was just wondering..

[Charles]

BTW how big is the hydroponics thingy in Japan?....Some people abroad think it's very sustainable....so I was just wondering..

Depends on what you consider hydroponic. Rice paddies could be considered hydroponic.

[Greji]

BTW how big is the hydroponics thingy in Japan?....Some people abroad think it's very sustainable....so I was just wondering..

The first major use of it was by the US Military, which the Japanese press might be surprised to learn, had in addition to raping operations, a unit called the 8002 Hydroponic Farm Depot, which established and maintained hydroponic farms in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture and Chofu next to the Chofu Airport in Tokyo. These were of course to assist in providing food for Japan. I have no idea how successful they were, but apparently some of the aspects of that type of farming are still used around the world today. War Criminals from the Imperial Army actually helped maintain the Chofu farm.

[Visitor K]

BTW how big is the hydroponics thingy in Japan?....Some people abroad think it's very sustainable....so I was just wondering.

do you mean these big underground things, farming in general, or the illegal type of farming?
usually hydroponics is viewed as very sustainable.. especially when done outdoors in a greenhouse.. looking at this picture, it looks like there are a HUGE number of high pressure lights, these lights are usually in the 600-1000 watt range and stay on for ~12 hours, so the energy being consumed in an indoor grow like this is very significant. that might take a little off the whole 'sustainability' issue.. but there are other factors to consider (such as land and water use/pollution) so it really depends on the type of hydroponics being employed.

as charles mentioned, there are many different types of hydroponics.. many people think that to be hydroponic, the growing medium has to be water, but this is a misunderstanding. by definition, hydroponics is supplying nutrients through water (rather than through soil). this means that whenever you add some Shultz fertilizer to water and poor it in your house plants soil, you are growing hydroponically!

[dimwit]

Why is Pasona training farmers? Doesn't the country have about oh ten times as many farmers as we need. The kind of farming that needs to be done in Japan is large scale and that ain't going to be learned in some piddling plot under the Consumer Mold building in downtown Tokyo.

[Mulboyne]

Why is Pasona training farmers? Doesn't the country have about oh ten times as many farmers as we need.

Given the inefficient farming that is currently the norm, there is a shortage of young workers, a trend fuelled by rural depopulation.

[dimwit]

Given the inefficient farming that is currently the norm, there is a shortage of young workers, a trend fuelled by rural depopulation.

Agriculture unfortunately still is not thought of as a business, and my guess is that the majority of 'new' farmers are retire company employees/civil servants looking for something to do before they die.

What essentially needs to happen is massive consolidation of farms into operations run by business managers with agriculture degrees with season farm labour. This isn't going to happen anytime soon because;

1) Perverse incentives in the tax system make it easier for families living in Tokyo or wherever to hold onto small plots of old family land in places like Shikoku rather then selling it out to commercial farming interests.

2) Lack of policital will. As Both JA and the LDP rely heavily on these small scale inefficent farms.