"Jim Webster" wrote in message
...


It has been interesting looking at hydroponics in the 3rd world. I
suspect
in the UK, we are deterred by the high capital cost and such things as
energy. Somewhere with adequate sun is going to short circuit a lot of
that.
I was interested at how cheaply the systems can be set up.

I suspect the nearest we see to hydroponics outdoors in the UK will be
dirty
water irrigation on sandy land :-))


Isn't that the point, we have soil, stuff grows in it. My limited
understanding of the situation in developing countries is that many folks
in urban areas get poor nutrition much as folks living in rapidly growing
cities in the UK did a couple of centuries ago. We got around this by
moving cows near (or even into town) and shipping in fodder, and by
ranching sheep for mutton on Exmoor, and no doubt many other schemes -
mostly livestock based. The world has change and now it's fresh vegetables
that are used to save lives and for that you need rather more sophisticated
technology. Though UHT milk, milk powder, etc. has a role too.

For reasons of "hygiene" some cities in Africa prohibit the keeping of
livestock, so the back yard poultry and pig keeping that would have been
common in the UK in similar situations is replaced with back yard
aubergines.

Michael Saunby