Hydroponics used in WWII to feed American troops

In the late 1940s, Robert B. and Alice P. Withrow, working at Purdue University, developed a practical hydroponic method. His hydroponic system alternately flooded and drained a container containing gravel and plant roots. This provided the plants with the optimal amount of nutrient solution and air to facilitate rapid and efficient growth.

During World War II, shipping fresh vegetables abroad was impractical and the remote islands where troops were stationed were not a place where they could be grown on the ground. Hydroponic technology proved itself as a viable source of fresh vegetables during this time.

In 1945, the US Air Force built one of the first large hydroponic farms on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, followed by additional hydroponic farms on the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in the Pacific, using crushed volcanic rock. as a growing medium and, on Wake Island in western Hawaii, using gravel as a growing medium. These hydroponic farms helped meet the need for a supply of fresh vegetables for the troops stationed in these areas.

During this time, large hydroponic facilities were established in Habbaniya, Iraq, and Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, to support troops stationed in those areas near large oil reserves.

The US Army and the Royal Air Force built hydroponic units at various military bases to help feed the troops. In 1952, the special hydroponics branch of the US Army grew more than 8,000,000 pounds. of fresh produce for the military demand. One of the largest hydroponic farms in the world was also established at this time in Chofu, Japan, consisting of 22 hectares.

Following the success of hydroponics in WWII, several large commercial hydroponic farms were built in the US, most of which were in Florida. However, due to poor construction and management, many of these farms were unsuccessful. Although the potential of hydroponics was incredible, commercial hydroponics in the US was held back until hydroponic systems that were inexpensive to build and relatively easy to operate became commercially available.