Pillars

FIGURE 5.6 How Hydroponics Supports the World Bank Group’s

Four FCV Pillars

ANALYSIS OF HYDROPONICS

among World Bank Group FCV Pillars

1

PREVENTING VIOLENT CONFLICT AND INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE

1 2

REMAINING ENGAGED DURING CONFLICT AND CRISIS SITUATIONS 3

HELPING COUNTRIES TRANSITION OUT OF FRAGILITY WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? 4

MITIGATING SPILLOVERS OF FCV

Tackling risks and grievances early on, and Tackling risks and grievances early on, and strengthening sources of resilience, before strengthening sources of resilience, before tensions turn into crises. tensions turn into crises.

Building resilience, protecting Building resilience, protecting essential institutions, and delivering essential institutions, and delivering critical services like health or critical services like health or education. education.

Strengthening the capacity and Strengthening the capacity and legitimacy of institutions, renewing legitimacy of institutions, renewing the social contract, and supporting the social contract, and supporting private sector development. private sector development. Addressing spillovers such as forced Addressing spillovers such as forced displacement, as well as shocks displacement, as well as shocks resulting from climate and resulting from climate and environmental challenges. environmental challenges.

WHY DOES "CLIMATE IN A BOX" HELP ADDRESS THESE ISSUES?

Agriculture and climate change are often the root cause of several conflicts and agriculture is also cause of several conflicts, and agriculture is also one of the most affected sectors during conflict. one of the most affected sectors during conflict. Hydroponics may help reduce violent conflict and Hydroponics may help reduce violent conflict and interpersonal violence through increasing interpersonal violence through increasing independence among households/communities and independence among households/communities and less reliance on conventional agriculture. less reliance on conventional agriculture.

Supplementing conventional Supplementing conventional agriculture with hydroponics helps agriculture with hydroponics helps households become more resilient in households become more resilient in food security and livelihoods given food security and livelihoods given the uncertainty of outcomes and the uncertainty of outcomes and circumstances in conflict and given circumstances in conflict and given climate change. climate change. Hydroponics helps foster a local Hydroponics helps foster a local private sector since it uses a private sector since it uses a controlled environment less controlled environment less susceptible to disease and pests susceptible to disease and pests while increasing livelihoods since while increasing livelihoods since food can be grown year-round. food can be grown year-round. Hydroponics is specifically suited for Hydroponics is specifically suited for the most vulnerable populations the most vulnerable populations given it does not require land, uses given it does not require land, uses less space, can use solar panels, can less space, can use solar panels, can be implemented using local be implemented using local materials, and uses 90% less water materials, and uses 90% less water than conventional agriculture. than conventional agriculture.

HOW DOES "CLIMATE IN A BOX" HELP ACHIEVE THESE PILLARS?

• Having a household/community hydroponic garden creates a sense of ownership among household/community members. • Reduces agricultural crimes. • Helps build community. • Hydroponics can help FCV contexts be more prepared for and speed up recovery. • Agriculture is the first sector to recover and hydroponics is more productive than conventional agriculture. • Helps communities develop more stability through controlled environment. • More productive and increased opportunities for scalability than conventional agriculture.

• Displaced communities and migrants garden creates a sense of ownership among can grow a portable garden. household/community members. • Increases safety for vulnerable • Reduces agricultural crimes. communities since it does not require • Helps build community. a field and can be grown at home. • Creates resilience and resistance to a variety of shocks.

recover, and hydroponics is more

EXAMPLES OF HYDROPONICS IN FCV COUNTRIES

In Djibouti, a pilot project trained 27 Djiboutians on hydroponics to increase food security and develop resilience to shocks. Since Djibouti hosts several thousands of refugees, increasing knowledge and applications of hydroponics could make the country more resilient to shocks. In Djibouti, a pilot project trained 27 Djiboutians on hydroponics to increase food security and develop resilience to shocks. Since Djibouti hosts several thousands of refugees, increasing knowledge and applications of hydroponics could make the country more resilient to shocks. In urban/peri-urban areas of The Gambia, idle household women and youth (especially those living with HIV/AIDS) were trained to help increase food security and to increase income generating opportunities for the youth to reduce the temptation of illegal immigration. In the West Bank and Gaza, a pilot project to train women to use hydroponic wicking bed systems was implemented to enhance food security at the household level. The surplus production that is not consumed by the families is often sold to neighbors, thus these systems enable income generation for small farmers. In Sudan, a project is training vulnerable women IDPs to use hydroponics so they can grow their own food. These women are also being linked with microfinance institutions and local banks to set up village savings and associations, to create a ripple effect on peacebuilding and increasing society stability.

In urban/peri-urban areas of The Gambia, idle household women and youth (especially those living with HIV/AIDS) were trained to help increase food security and to increase income-generating opportunities for the youth to reduce the temptation of illegal immigration.

In West Bank and Gaza, a pilot project to train women to use hydroponic wicking bed systems was implemented to enhance food security at the household level. The surplus production that is not consumed by the families is often sold to neighbors, thus these systems enable income generation for small farmers.

In Sudan, a project is training vulnerable women IDPs to use hydroponics so they can grow their own food. These women are also being linked with microfinance institutions and local banks to set up village savings and loan associations, to create a ripple effect on peacebuilding and increasing stability.

Source: World Bank Group 2019. Note: FCV = fragility, conflict, and violence; IDPs = internally displaced persons.

Economic Viability: Costs, Labor, and Profitability Costs

As hydroponic systems are scaled up, production costs decrease and profits come sooner. In the pilot in the Kakuma refugee camp (box 5.1), the first year’s investment cost for one household unit to install six circular gardens

with the required inputs, such as seedlings and nutrient water solutions, was US$1,006: US$926 for the hydroponic structure and US$80 annually for inputs. Households used the hydroponic produce for additional income and household consumption. Three circular gardens would allow a single household to consume vegetables at least twice a week compared with only once a week previously. Households could sell excess produce to generate additional income. In one year, the household unit earned US$173 when it kept half the harvest from the six units for self-consumption and US$347 when it sold the entire harvest. By this measure, it would take a household 3.2 years to recoup the investment costs if it sold the entire harvest, and nine years if it sold half and kept the other half for personal consumption. The breakeven point was even faster for group units of 40 circular gardens that supplied 10 beneficiaries. The first year’s investment for the group was US$5,740: US$5,140 for the structure and US$600 for annual variable inputs. The group unit earned US$2,469 when it sold its entire annual harvest. At this rate, the breakeven point for a group unit was 2.4 years, or 3.6 years if the beneficiaries kept 25 percent of the harvest to consume themselves.

Simple low-tech hydroponic equipment costs are relatively low for areas where imports are expensive and local resources are available. Commercial hydroponics requires an expensive greenhouse or warehouse and specialized equipment, depending on the complexity of the system being used. Some commercial hydroponic operations also require controllers, computer systems, large-scale lighting fixtures, ventilation and heat recovery systems, irrigation and rainwater harvesting, and specialized labor (Pantanella et al. 2012). For a basic wick system in West Bank and Gaza, a local wicking bed unit kit costs US$820. The kit contains four beds and, depending on crop type, can plant up to 100 seedlings per season for three to five seasons per year. The average annual yield is 156 kg, with an average total market value of US$220.5 The cost of an NFT hydroponic system in West Bank and Gaza is US$1,000, and the system can yield 175 kg of produce, with a total market value of US$245.6 The installation cost of a hydroponic pipe system package, a third system available in West Bank and Gaza, is US$1,135. The package includes a shading system, which consists of a shadow mesh held up by a metal frame, and an electrical conductivity meter, pH meter, timer, and submersible pump. The package consists of eight pipes, each with 16 holes—or planting eyes—per pipe. Thus, the system allows for 128 seedlings per planting cycle (photo 5.4). These simplified hydroponic systems can become profitable, but the start-up costs are high for poor farmers. Simplified hydroponic systems cost significantly less if labor and materials are locally available. The West Bank and Gaza example shows that costs are relatively low for simple systems in areas where imports are expensive and local resources are available. For a comparable example, tables 5.3 and 5.4 show the variable and total costs, respectively, associated with hydroponic cucumber production in Turkey.

Hydroponic greenhouses can cost 2 to 20 times more than soil agricultural systems (Mathias 2014). These costs can increase even more with sophisticated