The US Military made more recent advances, mostly innovations conceived through necessity. One example is Wake Island, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean and frequent refuelling stop. Incapable of producing crops, the rocky terrain prevented traditional farming. The US Air Force made small, 120 square feet hydroponic growing beds, eventually producing a weekly yield of 90 pounds of fresh produce every week.
Advances in hydroponics have grown tremendously in the last century. As a result, we now fully understand that healthy plants require water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to thrive.