The discussion of hydroponic-as-organic is an "almost-religious dispute," because it traffics in hopes and fears, said Jack Rabin, the associate director of farm programs at Rutgers, N.J., Agricultural Experiment Station.
In a recent email exchange, Rabin elaborated: "Some people have negative association of hydroponics with industrial farming. Yet, most future local and urban agriculture that becomes commercial will incorporate controlled environment practices due to land costs and protection," he wrote.
Conversely, promoters of soil-grown organic food "claim the healthy, high ground," Rabin added.
Yet "hydroponic production is a clean, sanitary and safe, healthy, high quality, resource-conserving, local, space-efficient, labor-efficient and labor-dignity, non-polluting production system in its own right. It should not need organic certification," he wrote.
