HYDROPONIC GREEN FODDER AND ECOLOGY

Abstract

The need of producing more food is clear around the world. Climatic change and water scarcity make this duty a hard and expensive task in certain arid places such as the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. In this arid zone there is a huge need for water in order to produce feed for fattening cattle. Cattle need to be fed with a special diet in which proteins must be provided. Proteins can be found in green fodder and it can be made up from different crop sources such as oat, barley or wheat, among others. The average water waste to produce a kilogram of dry matter fodder out of wheat by the traditional method is 505 L, and therefore sustainable production is so crucial. One of the most viable, sustainable and low water consumption ways to produce fodder is using hydroponic techniques. The average water consumption to produce wheat hydroponic green fodder (HGF) is 2 L. The HGF we produced was tested in 10 cattle heads with different weights. The water savings found varied from 690 to 2100 L, which represents a key alternative for agriculture in arid places like Chihuahua. Taking into consideration that the human population is growing worldwide, HGF production represents a great sustainable way to increase meat production in order to meet population increasing demands.