Makoko 2035: An Encyclopedia

Hydroponics

Small, flexible, hydroponics systems are among the many tactics that have been developed for food production in Makoko. Traditionally, the inhabitants of Makoko have made their living from the lagoon, both through the catching and sale of fish, as well as the smoking of fish brought in from elsewhere. Most of the food production in Makoko has therefore been mostly centered around fish. Historically, this created untenable nutritional deficiencies in the residents' diets, which required supplementation with food brought in and sold from Lagos. After the tensions began between Makoko and Lagos after the economic crisis, which resulted in the tightening of the borders, Makoko was forced to turn to new sources for vegetables and fruits. 

The growing movement of hackers and citizen engineers trained at the Floating School began to work out solutions to this problem by sourcing materials illegally from the mainland and building systems for vertical gardening, seaweed farming, and most commonly, small, mobile hydroponics systems. These last are constructed from recycled PVC, solar cells, water pumps, and rechargeable batteries. Each unit can be easily maintained by its owner, and any soil required can be obtained or produced by multiple methods including human compost, and the dredging of certain areas of the lagoon. The pumps can be run with regularity on their solar cells, with battery power available when the weather dictates.

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