# Toxic and Environmental Effects of Neonicotinoid Based Insecticides
## 8 Ways to Minimize Neonicotinoid Use
### Soil-Free Hydroopic Farm Operations  
Operations that involve growing crops in a medium that is not soil are referred to as hydroponic farm operations. In these methods, the roots of the crop sit in a nutrient solution that contains the perfect amount for the application. If a certain crop requires certain nutrients, the concentrations of said nutrients can be easily controlled by a variety of methods. A grow tray holds the plants via some type of pot or permeable container. This grow tray is kept at a desirable level and is connected to the reservoir by a circulation pump. This pump periodically floods the grow tray with the nutrient solution in order to maintain ideal nutrient concentrations.  
The benefits of growing in water versus soil alone should be enough to change the perspective of the general public. Hydroponic operations can more easily be implemented in indoor settings. This means that they can operate without ever inadvertently polluting nearby ecosystems. The hydroponic system can be run in a near-closed manner. The water in a hydroponic setup is recycled until it is not suitable for use, thus maximizing water efficiency, preventing pollution, and eliminating neonicotinoid use.  
Aquaponics are a subset of hydroponics, and they involve the use of fish in the nutrient cycle. In the nutrient cycle, fish food is supplied to grow fish; subsequently, the ammonia produced by fish is metabolized, with the help of microbes, into nitrites and nitrates, which are then absorbed by the plants. The incorporation of multiple types of farm operations, as discussed above, is needed to meet food demands while maintaining environmental sustainability.  
[PERSON] et al. [47] reported an interesting technology that incorporates hydroponics with smart technology in farming operations. This technology is novel and promising for effective and environmentally friendly crop production, and it eliminates the need for soil and reduces water usage. The IoT (Internet of Things) and automation allow for the constant monitoring of soil conditions, nutrient levels, and plant vitality. Smart farming lessens the need for organic chemical inputs, and it promotes safe methods of pest management.  
A life cycle analysis (LCA) helps to assess the environmental impacts and aids in decision making by prioritizing values and resources to determine the best and most innovative countermeasures [48]. One can compare hydroponic versus conventional farm operations using an LCA. The indicators for environmental sustainability can include land use, water footprint, and the level of pollution. The indicators used for economic sustainability can include the production rates and efficiency of production. Social sustainability can be based on speculation from both environmental and economic indicators.  
It is reported that hydroponically grown tomato plants have, on average, a higher leaf count and higher quality than those grown in soil [49]. A hydroponic producer is able to control the growing environment better; on the other hand, a soil growing environment is primarily dependent on weather conditions. Hydroponic operations require much less water usage and typically cost less to initiate and operate than conventional farms. The price of land makes it much more expensive if multiple acres of land are needed for soil farming. If the price of electricity is very high (i.e., in extreme hot/cold climate regions), there is a necessity for constant heating/cooling; thus, it may become prohibitively expensive to operate a hydroponic farm. The water demand for conventional farming will always be much higher than that of a hydroponic farm. These factors suggest that, from environmental and social perspectives, future farming methods will include a balanced combination of outdoor soil farming and hydroponic methods. Since indoor operations do not have a requirement for pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, hybrid operations will minimize the release of pesticides into the environment.