Farming without soil to fight world hunger

Scott Richardson is fighting world hunger by farming without dirt.

Richardson has created a self-sustaining process using less water, less space and no soil that produces more food.

“We were growing 500 heads of lettuce on 50 square feet,” he said.

The process is called aquaponics, and Richardson said it’s very similar to what occurs in nature, but in greenhouses. He calls it an Earthship Vertical Aquaponic Smartfarm system, or EVAS. Plant roots hang down in stacked pots and water circulates over the roots from Tilapia-filled aquariums underground.

The fish’s excrement fertilizes the plants while the roots clean the water, and that cycle continues. It uses 10 percent of the water traditional farming uses.

Additionally, Richardson said this means they can grow anything at any time, resulting in fresh organic strawberries, tomatoes and herbs in the middle of winter.

“This is an opportunity for Pocatello. We’re trying to create a sustainable vision for Pocatello and for Idaho and for the world,” he said. “As we come together as a community, we can make this dream a reality.”

Richardson had a greenhouse through December 2014, but tore it down to prepare for their new location, a 20-acre plot of land in Arbon Valley. While the details are still in the works, Richardson has already worked out the numbers.

A 20 acre plot of land can hold 30 greenhouses per acre, totaling 600 greenhouses. Richardson said they can also grow livestock feed in each greenhouse. With all that is produced, he said that can generate $500,000 of gross income per greenhouse, per year.

Richardson said the ultimate goal is to get these greenhouses built all over the world, especially in areas in need of food. But he said it first has to start somewhere, and this movement is beginning to attract attention from all over the world.

“That’s one of the things where it plays into urban farming,” Richardson said. “We can do a very small facility in a local city limits area and still grow a large amount of food that can go directly to the consumer.”

Richardson also said he wants to use this idea to generate many good-paying jobs for the area. He hopes to eventually have 100 to 200 employees. Furthermore, he wants to hold seminars to help folks do this on a scale that works for them in their own backyard.

Currently the project is gathering funds to build as many greenhouses as they can. To see their progress and to help it along, head to their website Go-TOLO.