DESERT GREENHOUSES
by Anton Antonio
August 24, 2015
Desertification has been gradually creeping into arable land
(meaning: land suitable for growing crops) in the last three decades. It is the process by which fertile land
becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation or
inappropriate agriculture. Global
warming, according to some climate change experts, remains to be the most
significant culprit. Whatever the cause
of desertification may be, the more appropriate question to ask would be, “Is
there a plausible way of curbing this trend and making these areas productive?”
Here is a researched material that might provide the answer…
“Greenhouses that will use seawater to grow crops in one of
the hottest and driest places on earth will be designed by researchers at Aston
University working with industry partners as part of an international project.
The installations are to be erected in specially selected
sites across the Horn of Africa, a region where temperatures regularly breach
40 degrees Celsius, water is scarce and food insecurity is very high. Due to the climate, conventional agriculture
has been severely marginalised and the situation is worsening.
The project aims to overcome the region’s inhospitable
conditions to help farmers drastically increase their crop yields, providing
them with a consistent, sustainable income.
Currently in Somalia, only 1.5% of the country’s land is cultivated and an
average annual crop yields per hectare are just 0.5 tons --- compared to 700
tons per hectare in commercial greenhouses.
The productivity and quality of crops cultivated in
greenhouses is typically much improves upon traditional open field cultivation
and the use of water and nutrients is much more economical. Once installed, the innovative greenhouses
will pump seawater from the sea using solar energy and convert it into
freshwater for irrigation via the desalination process. The remaining seawater will be brought into
contact with the air inside the low cost net structures of the greenhouses,
creating a cool and humid breeze to reduce plant transpiration. Salt extracted from the seawater will be
utilised in cooking and preserving food.
A team from Aston, led by Dr. Philip Davies and Dr. Sotos
Generalis, will provide their expertise in areas relating to seawater cooling,
desalination of saline water and airflow dynamics, helping to design the
structure and the layout of the greenhouses.
They will collaborate on the project with fellow academics at Gollis
University, in Somaliland, and the firm, Seawater Greenhouses Ltd., that is
leading the whole project.
Dr. Philip Davis, of the School of Engineering and Applied
Science, said: “I think the project could really make a difference to peoples’
futures in the Horn of Africa, which is very much in need of investments to
provide for its growing population. We
will be working very closely with our partners in Somaliland to increase our
understanding of the local challenges and to make sure our contributions are
effective.”
By 2050, global agriculture output will need to increase by
60% on current levels to meet demand for food.
Agricultural output on such a scale will put an increased strain on
resources such as water --- with lack of freshwater already being an acute
problem. The use of desalination and
seawater greenhouses is expected to rise quickly to meet growing demand.
The £722k greenhouse project in the Horn of Africa is funded
by Innovate UK with support from the Department for International Development
under the Agri-tech Catalyst Industrial Research strategy.” ---
Sciencedaily.com
Initiatives like this will not only reclaim land lost to
desertification but will also address the food security woes of countries with
desert areas. Here’s looking into the
future by building and developing desert greenhouses.
Thoughts to
promote positive action…
(Please
visit, like and share Pro EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/
and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)
REFERENCE:
sciencedaily.com, (2015). Retrieved on July 30, 2015 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150714083029.htm
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