PITTSBURG — Pittsburg State University students are experimenting with developing a sustainable food production system that can grow plants without soil while also raising fish.
The Joplin Globe reports that the group is working with the university’s biology department and Enactus, a nonprofit that encourages entrepreneurship.
Hydroponics is growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water. The students say they’re growing arugula, red kale, romaine, collard greens and butter lettuce in a garden built from PVC pipes. The rooftop greenhouse plants are covered with mosquito netting to diffuse sunlight.
Enactus donated a hydroponic prototype to the project. The prototype was also used to establish a hydroponics operation at a Haitian orphanage.
Fish will soon arrive for use in the Pittsburg food production system and their waste will provide nutrients for the plants.
