Sun hotel to embark on hydroponic farming programme
By Frank Katope
SUN International Zambia will soon embark on a hydroponics of vegetable farming in Livingstone to ensure a steady flow of vegetables to the institution.
This is according to the hotel’s corporate manager Stain Musungaila, who will initiate and monitor the programme.
Hydroponics is the science of growing vegetables without using soil but nutrients placed in water which the plants feed on.
Mr Musungaila who has just returned from Sun City, South Africa where the hydroponics programme is highly successful, said when completed the hotel would save a lot of money.
The new technology of vegetable farming was cost-effective as farmers were not required to use pesticides because plants were covered with a net shade which prevented flying insects from attacking the vegetables.
Other advantages were that hydroponics was far less labour intensive, plants matured quickly and yields were higher while the hydroponics powder, the nutrients vegetables used was not expensive and could easily be obtained within Zambia.
Hydroponics farming originated from Japan where most farmers used it due to land scarcity.
Mr Musungaila said vegetables that could be grown under this method, included exotic lettuces, tomatoes, potatoes, pepper and onions.
Exotic flowers used for decorations in hotels could also be grown under hydroponics.
