Conventional agriculture in Bangladesh faces increasing challenges due to declining arable land, water scarcity, and climate variability. Aeroponics offers a resource-efficient alternative by enabling soil-free cultivation with minimal water use. This study designed a low-cost vertical aeroponic tower using locally available materials and evaluated its performance for lettuce (Lactuca sativa) production. During the cultivation process, lettuce was grown in both aeroponics and soil over a 20-day period in February 2025. Plant height, root length, leaf number, dry biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic return were assessed using independent t-tests. Aeroponic plants showed significantly greater height (26.65 cm), root length (12.3 cm), and dry biomass than soil-grown plants. The aeroponic system achieved a WUE of 15.88 g L⁻¹ and used 94% less water than soil cultivation. Economic analysis produced a benefit–cost ratio of 1.164, indicating feasible small-scale adoption. The results demonstrate that vertical aeroponic cultivation method can improve productivity and resource efficiency, offering a promising approach for climate-resilient farming in Bangladesh.
Singha et al. (Wed,) studied this question.