Hydroponics has been around for a long time. From the hanging gardens of Babylon to the floating gardens of the Aztecs, growing plants using water rather than soil has been a proven method of success for cultivating food for thousands of years.

In 2011, the world’s population hit seven billion and as we march on into the new year, the question begs to be asked: where are we going to get our food as the planet fills up with more people and less arable land? Many are looking to hydroponics, the centuries-old method of farming, for the answer.

Over the next few weeks, check out our blog every Tuesday for profiles on various new hydroponic gardens cropping up in cities around the world that are working to provide for the communities around them. Next week: come back to discover how a garden in Montreal is providing fresh tomatoes and Bok Choy to its customers in the middle of a Canadian winter.

A hydroponic garden operating in a greenhouse. Photo courtesy pgoings, Flickr Creative Commons.