One problem you may have had with implementation was the point at which where you tried to start your program. In a crisis situation, crisis workers are not going to want to work with growing plants. People who are not in any shelter are going to be too exhausted from sleep deprivation to help. Shelters dealing with a massive influx of people are going to be too overwhelmed to deal with the program. At the time of the initial crisis they will probably have enough food donations, also. One possibility is starting a program in the shelters  after the dust settles. They are always looking for volunteers and possible job training opportunities.

Although I agree there should be a system for starting food at the time of a crisis, right now there is not  at least in the US. With todayÂs changing times, I believe hydro growers need to continue to experiment with emergency hydro setups, especially in the area of disaster situations. Even if now is not the time to implement a program, it is still a good time to work bugs out of systems.

In the Sri Lanka disaster, there was a grant proposed for an emergency hydro program. I have not read the outcome of this grant, but some info is at the link below.

Those who are avid "organic hydro growers" need to know conventional hydro methods in the event of water contamination, etc. The ISH, which is very pro organic, in their grant planned to use inorganics the first year  no organics.

Here is a link that might be useful: ISH proposal

Hi Baci, what you say is quite true. When I tried to set up some systems in the Florida Immoklee area where migrant farm workers lost their housing and their work (severe damage to the sugar cane industry from the last hurricane), the organizations there were too busy. Also, FEMA still has not provided any trailers or other housing where these people could use the systems. They are still being shuffeled from place to place. I think that now, I will focus my work on developing something that will be useful on a larger scale. For lack of a better word, I will refere to it as a GROW-ROPE. The rope like material would have the seeds and enough slow release neutrients sufficient for the plants to frow until being harvested inside it. The grow-rope material could be something like sloft cotton rope. The process of inserting the seeds and the nutrients could be automated easily using simple technology well within the volunteer-hobbiest abilities. The product could be any length, laid out in rows. The process might not be hydroponic, or it might be hydroponic using plastic lined earth troughs. The whole idea is to make it possible for inexperienced non-farmers to get a crop up and growing with minimal equipment and supplies. Thank you for your insight and the links. It dosen't appear this is the best forum for this discussion. I'm not sure which GardenWeb forum might be. Maybe an emergency food growing forum might draw interest someday. chuck

Your Grow Rope sounds like a good product  once you develop it you should file for a patent. The idea of keeping it simple is good. No one wants to learn complex techniques when they are going through a disaster.

I do believe in emergency hydro, especially with todayÂs changing times. We all have our disasters we need to be prepared for. You have expertise from a hurricane area that would influence you in your system design. I have been through tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires, factors which I take into consideration. The last wildfire I went through was so bad people were walking around with gas masks. We were told to stay in & use air filters because the ash could have carcinogenic effects. It made me think about air filtering systems for my plants.

As we see the crises of modern times unfold before our eyes, what can we learn from the plight of others? No immediate food, no potable water, no help. Then there are the topics no one wants to talk about  attacks on our crop supply.

Most of the postings on the recent disasters have been of sympathy and concern; not "what can we do if it happens to us." Maybe dialogue is a bit difficult now because you are breaking new ground. It is my biased opinion that hydro is the forum for it. There might be more activity and contributions by including soil based growers, however, simply because there are more of them. You can always go to the suggestions forum.
Maybe this is a topic whose time has not yet come, but in the meantime we can still prepare.

Hi Chuck,

I assume the "emergency growing system" or EGS will come packed with seeds? One thing to consider is seed longevity and viability. Here's a good site to research the subject.

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/g503.htm#tabi

Hank