UN: The Young Champion of the Earth award for a hydroponic project
Hydroponic technology that enables you to grow fruit and vegetables much faster by using ten times less cultivated area and water than conventional horticulture is the crazy challenge met by Adam Dixon, winner of the Young Champion of the Earth award attributed by the UN for Europe, as a reward for his project, Phytoponics.
This young engineer of 25, from Cardiff, has indeed developed a system that allows crops to grow in small bags made of biodegradable polymer that give the roots of the plant a simultaneous supply of water and oxygen, thus improving the effectiveness of irrigation.
The objective? Develop this technique in the largest number of farms in the suburbs of cities to minimize crop transport but also, by 2050 have only 10% of the land area of the planet used for agricultural purposes. Adam Nixon’s project therefore contributes to fight against food insecurity as well as against the gradual disappearance of natural habitat areas that could be reoccupied by the fauna.
Adam Dixon, winner of the United Nations award “Young Champion of the Earth Europe”:
In short, admittedly intensive agriculture, but ecofriendly, that frees land, reduces the consumption of water, energy and fertilizers, preserves nutritional qualities…and limits transports. Humanitarian applications are already under development.
For its first edition in 2017, the United Nations program for environment rewarded six young people aged 18 to 30, each representing a region of the world, selected among some 600 candidates. Announced on November 16, the Young Champion of the Earth Europe award attributed to Adam Dixon is combined with $15,000 (€12,722) in seed funding, customized training and access to high-profile mentors to help him make his project a reality.
More information on the Phytoponics project