Hydroponic training session at a Future Farms facility

Training

Hydroponic and mushroom courses from working farmers

Three online courses you can start any time, taught by working South African farmers. One payment, lifetime access, certificate included.

Future Farms CertifiedCertificate with every online course

Available courses

Professionally produced hydroponics courses for any up-and-coming farmer — done online, start anytime. Whether you are growing at home or setting up a large-scale facility, Future Farms has you covered.

Hydroponics: A Broad Overview

Hydroponics: A Broad Overview

Everything you need to know about hydroponics

A complete introduction to soilless growing — systems, water quality, nutrients, EC and pH, crop choice and what it really takes to run a hydroponic setup. Ideal if you are starting out at home or sizing up a first commercial tunnel.

31 Lessons
R500
Start course
Step by Step Guide to Make Money from Hydroponics

Step by Step Guide to Make Money from Hydroponics

Getting a hydroponic farming enterprise off the ground

A detailed, step-by-step business course: costings, yields, capital layout, market access and the calculations behind a profitable hydroponic farm — taught from real South African operations.

51 Lessons
R700
Start course
Commercial Mushroom Farming: From Spore to Sale

Commercial Mushroom Farming: From Spore to Sale

A technical manual for small commercial mushroom growers

Twelve modules covering species choice, the lab, spawn, substrates, composting and casing, incubation, the fruiting room, biosecurity, harvest and cold chain, and the business — costing, pricing, break-even and a 90-day launch plan. Written for South Africa, with every figure either cited or clearly labelled as an assumption.

81 Lessons
Coming soon
Preview course
Grow Your Own: The South African Home Grower's Course

Grow Your Own: The South African Home Grower's Course

For adults growing a small amount at home, for their own use

Adults 18+ · personal use only · not legal advice

Twelve modules that start with the law as it actually stands in South Africa, then work through genetics and seed, the grow space, light, temperature and humidity, nutrition, training, pests and deficiencies, harvest, drying and curing. Personal use only — the course is explicit that there is no lawful way to sell a home grow.

85 Lessons
Coming soon
Preview course

The two hydroponics courses are available now; the mushroom and home-grower courses are coming soon. All courses are hosted here on the Future Farms school. One payment, lifetime access — or take the two hydroponics courses together for R1 000. Browse the school.

Future Farms Certified

Become a Future Farms Certified Hydroponics Grower

Work through every lesson in a course and download your personalised Future Farms certificate straight away — no waiting, no emails. Print it, frame it, or attach it to a job or funding application as proof of your hydroponics training.

A look inside the Hydroponic School

What our students say

“A wonderful course, with valuable material and information and what it takes to be successful. The Future Farms team were also very helpful in answering further questions I had after I finished the course.”
Christopher DavisBusiness Owner
“Incredibly informative, clearly articulated, and supplemented with in-depth costings. Well worth the money and time.”
Alex BergerHydroponic Farmer
“This course is a good match for me. It covered the basics with quick and easy-to-understand information. What I appreciate about the course is the actual steps to follow during the process and the calculations behind what makes a hydroponics farm profitable.”
Andrew RichEntrepreneur

What the training covers

Everything is delivered online through the Hydroponic School — work through it at your own pace, from anywhere.

Hydroponic fundamentals

Growing systems, water quality, EC and pH, nutrients and the science behind soilless growing.

Running the system

Daily checks, dosing, pump and filter maintenance, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Crop management

Seedling raising, transplanting, spacing, pruning, harvesting and post-harvest handling.

Pest & disease control

Scouting, integrated pest management and keeping a tunnel clean without wrecking your crop.

Tunnel climate

Ventilation, shading, humidity and temperature management through South African seasons.

Farming as a business

Costing, yield planning, market access and record keeping.

Future Farms team member training growers on a hydroponic system

Skills transfer that actually sticks

Over the years the Future Farms team has built its knowledge base through hard work, agricultural studies, hydroponic courses and our own research and development. We combine that as professional hydroponic farmers into simple, practical training for anyone in the field.

On the Knowledge Pele community farm in Touws River we trained the personnel who have since taken over full management of the site. In the Johannesburg CBD we trained young entrepreneurs to run rooftop farms and sell into the local market. Handover, not dependency, is the point.

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