Hydroponic Crop Cultivation (HCC) for Global Food Security

Food security is an urgent global challenge, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where traditional agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events. Hurricanes and tropical storms frequently disrupt food production, infrastructure, and supply chains, exacerbating the reliance on food imports and increasing economic instability. To address these challenges, this dissertation investigates Hydroponic Crop Cultivation (HCC) as a climate-resilient agricultural alternative to Conventional Crop Cultivation (CCC). The research begins with an experimental analysis of HCC and CCC in Chapter 2, evaluating yield performance, water-use efficiency, and climate adaptability. Results indicate that HCC achieves up to 6.4 times higher yield per growth cycle than CCC, shortens growth cycles by up to 60%, and improves water-use efficiency by a factor of eight, making it a promising solution for sustainable agriculture in SIDS. Additionally, two hydroponic system designs—tray-based and Dutch bucket systems—were developed and tested, demonstrating scalability and adaptability to different environmental conditions. Building on these findings, Chapter 3 addresses operational optimization by developing a stochastic optimization model for HCC production planning under demand uncertainty. Given the unpredictable nature of energy supply, food demand, and hurricane disruptions, the model optimally balances crop production, energy use, and inventory management, ensuring that HCC remains economically viable and operationally resilient. The results show that risk-aware decision-making frameworks significantly reduce operational costs while stabilizing food production, reinforcing the feasibility of large-scale HCC implementation. While Chapter 3 focuses on production efficiency, Chapter 4 evaluates the resilience of HCC in mitigating food shortages and economic losses caused by hurricanes using system dynamics modeling. The analysis demonstrates that higher adoption rates of HCC significantly reduce post-hurricane food insecurity and accelerate agricultural recovery. The study also identifies key feedback loops between hydroponic adoption, government policy interventions, and disaster response strategies, providing a data-driven approach for integrating HCC into climate adaptation planning. Finally, Chapter 5 shifts toward strategic agricultural planning, developing a portfolio optimization model that guides farmers and policymakers in crop selection, resource allocation, and investment decisions under climate risk. The model demonstrates that a diversified hydroponic farming strategy can increase net economic returns while reducing agricultural risk, offering a scalable framework for long-term climate-resilient food security strategies. The dissertation’s findings contribute to multiple research domains, including agricultural resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable food systems, by demonstrating that HCC is not only technically viable but also operationally sustainable and economically scalable. By integrating empirical evidence with advanced modeling techniques, this research provides scientific, policy, and practical insights for transitioning toward climate-resilient agriculture in SIDS and other regions facing similar environmental challenges.