In response to the FAO’s demographic projection [1], foreseeing a global population of nearly 10 billion people by 2050, the imperative to increase agricultural production while mitigating ecological impact is undeniable. However, addressing such a task requires a strategic approach that integrates efficient land use, soil preservation and meticulous water management, with the ultimate goal of offering a solution to the escalating food demand. Innovative soilless cultivation methods, e.g. hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics, are emerging as sustainable responses to the demand for the increased agricultural production. In hydroponic systems, substrates like perlite, peat, rockwool and coco exhibit a random porous microstructure with a natural efficient solid-void alternation ensuring fluid drainage and structural plant support. To mimic these features, we propose to design from scratch an engineered cellular material that identifies soilless growing media through the periodic repetition of an unitary cell topology. Methodologically, we rely on 3D topology optimization (TO) and homogenization theory in multi-objective and multi-physics settings [2]. In detail, we integrate a density-based TO technique to shape the new unit cell with the asymptotic inverse homogenization theory, which links macroscopic behavior to periodic microstructure, ensuring desired properties for the cellular material. The numerical discretization is enriched by an anisotropic adapted mesh, dealing with periodic boundary conditions. This computational tool allows the algorithm to deliver smooth and crisp designs, properly refining the tessellation near the layout boundaries, thus reducing computational cost. This presentation outlines the proposed workflow for designing innovative substrates, and assesses the algorithm's performance in crafting porous media for soilless cultivations. In particular, we show numerical test cases, where we prescribe macroscopic mechanical, fluid, and chemical properties to emulate features of commonly used terrains. REFERENCES [1] FAO, Food. The future of food and agriculture: alternative pathways to 2050. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2018. [2] M. Gavazzoni, N. Ferro, S. Perotto, S. Foletti. Multi-Physics Inverse Homogenization for the Design of Innovative Cellular Materials: Application to Thermo-Elastic Problems. Mathematical and Computational Applications, 27(1), 2022.