FLOATING HYDROPONIC CROPS PROPOSAL: TONLE SAP LAKE, CAMBODIA

The paper presents an innovation project elaborated by the authors as an entry for the Empowering People Award, an international competition launched by Siemens Company in 2013. The aim of the competition was to develop sustainable solutions in order to improve the quality of life in local communities from emerging countries. An important condition was the use of eco-friendly technologies, in order to solve supply problems considering financial constraints. The proposed solution represents a floating vegetables garden based on a simple hydroponics technology system which is powered by solar energy and is mostly made of recyclable and local materials. The location of the project is the area of Tonle Sap Lake (Kingdom of Cambodia), the largest freshwater lake in South-East Asia, a rural region with more than 1 million inhabitants. The aim of the design was to improve and to diversify food food supply for the residents of the floating villages, considering the primary food resources are fish and rice. Thus, the main objectives of the solution were to enhance the life quality of the local communities in a sustainable manner, both at social, economic and ecological level. The results of the study include: target groups, technical feasibility and functionality, technical plans and illustrations of the proposed solution.