Best Green Houses

Due to the ever growing demand of food caused by a fast increase in human population,

agrarian resources are getting over stretched. In the case of land, farmers have been tempted

to increase productivity by overuse of fertilizers and elimination of pests by using chemicals. As

a result, the ecological balance has been disturbed causing several problems to farmers.

Furthermore, extreme weather patterns due to global warming have also raised the specter of

loss of productivity. Faced with these problems, a farmer might be tempted make the difficult

choice of selling off the land held by the family for years.

The solution

Scientists and agriculture experts advocate that farmers make use greenhouses. Basically, a

greenhouse is an enclosed structure where crops can be grown in a controlled environment.

Inside a greenhouse, conditions required for ideal growth of crops can be provided, such as

water, sunlight, nutrients controlled temperature and absence of pests. Already greenhouses

have been successfully used to grow flowers and tests have now shown that these can be used

to increase crop productivity up to 10 times. Greenhouses can be particularly useful in

increasing the productivity of fruits and vegetables.

Construction

A greenhouses can be constructed in various shapes and sizes, depending upon the climatic

conditions of the area where it is to be installed. In this regard, various materials can be used in

its construction. An area influenced by strong weather patterns such as winds and storms would

require a metallic structure for the greenhouse to survive. The paneling of the greenhouse in

these conditions would ideally require a shatter proof material, such as plastic or Plexiglas, as

against common glass. Similarly, a greenhouse planned to be installed in a saline environment,

exposed to a strong sea breeze for example, would require a rust proof metallic structure to

ensure a reasonable service life. On the other hand, an area experiencing gentle winds and light

rain could simply be made in the form of a polythene tent stretched over wood.

Usefulness

Greenhouses are especially useful during winters. Snow, frost and hails are known to cause

considerable damage to crops. A greenhouse could be supplied with heaters or insulation to

prevent frost during night time. Furthermore, during daytime, a greenhouse acts to trap heat

from the sun within its enclosure hence the term "greenhouse effect" used to describe global

warming. The "greenhouse effect" in the enclosure would provide high temperature that is

needed to preserve plants during winters.

In terms of the economic aspects associated with its installation, a greenhouse is likely to pay

for its installation and maintenance costs by increasing the farms profitability manifold. In this

regard, a farmer must be careful so as to consider the local climatic conditions before deciding

on the type of greenhouse to be installed. It would be highly recommended to consider an

expert opinion before deciding to get one.

Like all other fields of business, agriculture also requires innovation and the use of research to

increase its profitability. In this context, the field of agriculture also comes with its risks like other

enterprises. In this case, risks take the form of diseases, pests and extreme weather patterns. A

greenhouse serves to reduce these risks in order to facilitate increase in profitability. A carefully

selected greenhouse would therefore lead to an increase in crop production that would

ultimately contribute towards the economic uplift of the farmer.