South Asian Forum for Environment

Hydroponic float farming and Aqua-farming for Building Capacities towards Climate Resilient Agriculture.

The objective of the proposed intervention is to naturalize hydroponic float-farming and aquaculture as an adaptive, integrated climate-resilient agricultural contrivance for climate-vulnerable communities of coastal and riverine floodplains, thriving in a resource-poverty trap, towards sustainable livelihood and inclusive growth. The intervention proposes hydroponic technology in organic float farms, fed by solar desalination units and micro-irrigation systems, as a collective farming practice, in inundated rural farmlands. It integrates advanced aquaculture and agrobiodiversity conservation through regenerative no-tillage agriculture in grow-bags on floating platforms along with plantation and coastal embankment stabilization to prevent erosion due to flooding, assuring both habitat conservation and alternative livelihood for indigenous marginal farmers and fishers sustaining below poverty-level.  The innovation lies in its adaptive design approach and circularity of technology transfer for risk spreading. It leverages circular economic benefits through agro-waste recycling for sustainable intensification of primary productivity to appeal to ‘green financing’.