S09 - Session O1 - Preliminary market research on a zero-acreage farming model - The home-scale organic hydroponic tent set

Authors: Ting-I Lee *, Yi-Hsuan Hsieh

Growing food on rooftops or balconies and no additional cost of land has been embraced by amateur urban farmers. Among the type of Zero-Acreage Farming, hydroponics is a cultivating practice adopted by some home-scale growers for many reasons, including optimal use of location and nutrients, low water consumption, low-maintenance, and non-susceptibility to soil-born pests and weeds. In spite of having many advantages, hydroponics is not easy for beginners because it requires certain expertise, expensive costs of equipment and cultivation, and treats of system failure. Most importantly, the sustainability of conventional hydroponics is argued as it relies mainly on synthetic fertilisers instead of organic ones and such a cultivation system is often isolated from soil and nature. By contrast, organic hydroponics using organic fertilisers relying on microbial mineralisation capacity helps to redirect organic wastes into food production cycle. However, lack of knowledge and skills, practicing organic hydroponics locally, vertically and organically is challenging for urban amateur farmers and home growers. In order to understand the market, this study explored the potential users' and industrial professionals' perceptions of a home-scale organic hydroponic tent set by conducting semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey in Taiwan between June and September in 2019. The study analysed qualitative data collected from 12 interviewees and quantitative data from 36 questionnaire respondents. The results presented those potential users who recognised disadvantages of hydroponics and strived for solutions; however, the local providers of protected horticultural facilities did not value the niche market. Moreover, market prices of a quality facilities have exceeded the mean prices which potential customers were willing to pay for, no more than 60 euro/m2, let alone the whole package of the cultivation system. Further research is required to optimize the affordability and usability of organic hydroponic cultivation systems for amateur farmers.