Over the past week, we have geared our discussions of Open Source towards ecology and the great benefits and impacts it can have on a society and community in need as well as promoting social and environmental growth. One of the instruments that is promoting this growth, is a hydroponics system.
Hydroponics systems are very useful and provide many environmental benefits. These systems can grow all sorts of vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Additionally, hydroponic systems can be built in almost any setting (small or tight areas), and more importantly provide an alternative to inadequate land or soil. There are many variations of hydroponics systems that are appropriate for any climate settings. Also, these systems do not need soil to grow. Hydroponics systems are very cost effective and affordable. Small refugee camps that are struggling to produce an adequate amount of food can greatly benefit from these systems. Not only do these systems not need soil but also many plants grow up to 50% faster than plants in soil.(1) This shows that the growth of hydroponics systems could be the answer to diminishing the amount of people affected by world hunger. Refugee camps can build as many hydroponics systems as they can sustain, while producing crops that they otherwise couldn’t have done due to climate restrictions or other barriers, and in a faster manner as well.
From the evidence above, one can see the monumental affect hydroponics systems can have on different communities and areas. More so, all of the designs are open source, making it a viable option for those in need.
Jason Ellington - Open Source - Spring 2016 
Hi Jason. I agree with you that there is tremendous potential with hydroponics for refugees. I think that the popularity of hydroponics and its growth in recent years as seen by the many kits sold on Amazon and other retailers such as Walmart would not have been possible without open source. I really believe that open source platforms such as open source ecology has popularized hydroponics and has allowed it now to be a viable option for refugees. If hydroponics were not open source, my team and I would not have been able to come up with a design as quickly nor as flexible. Using and building off other hydroponic systems while also researching the challenges that others faced with their own designs, has been tremendously helpful. We are able to leverage all these experiences to make a system that functions in the most effective way given our means.
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