Seawater-grown food
An agricultural endeavor in Aqaba is using saltwater to alleviate Jordan's strain on food, energy and freshwater production.
A high-tech farming initiative near the Jordanian port of Aqaba has started, on a 3-hectare stretch (equal to the size of 4 football fields) of barren land.
Led by the 'Sahara Forest Project' a public-private consortium whose donors include the Norwegian government and the European Union, it relies on a combination of sustainable technologies to grow crops using the abundant Red Sea saltwater resources nearby.
It’s a complex set-up; designed to minimize water losses, boost crop yields and save energy.
Jordan is one of the world's most-water stressed countries, and the effects of climate change are putting an extra strain on resources and agricultural production.
"The core idea is to utilize what we have plenty of, such as sunlight, seawater, deserts and CO2, to produce what is most needed: food."
Read the full article by Louise Sarant via Nature Middle East.
[Photo by Roberto Saltori | Flickr]
