Part 30: The state of hydroponics technology in the Republic

I must argue the case of the Liberals. While it is an amazing feat to have finally left the planet of our birth and taken our first unsteady steps towards fulfilling our Manifest Destiny among the stars, we have forgotten how tenuous our hold on Mars really is. Without the ability to grow substantial amounts of food Redside, our species is still vulnerable to disaster. Should the unthinkable happen and some calamity befell our Blue Mother, it would mean the slow, gasping death of billions of Martians, leaving a huddled few to subsist on synthetic protein paste and anemic hydroponic trash. Development of more efficient and advanced farming techniques may allow us to one day bring forth food from the crimson soil of Mother Red. In the short term such advances will alleviate the food stress that has been pressuring our citizens, but in the long term they will guarantee the survival of the Human race.


E: I assume since we have Biospheres that we missed out on Hydroponic Farms. In universe, I'm taking that to mean our hydroponics are shit, and couldn't maintain more than a tiny population, like a few million, or so.