By 2050 global agricultural output will need to increase by 60% to meet our demand for food Agricultural output on such a scale will put an increased strain on resources such as water Lack of fresh water supply for agriculture is becoming a global problem, brought to light by the current drought in California Arid regions such as the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, and the Horn of Africa have long faced problems with water scarcity in agriculture Seawater Greenhouse Ltd is collaborating with Aston University, and Gollis University (Somaliland) on a new project in the Horn of Africa jointly funded by DFID through the Agri-tech Catalyst
The project aims to overcome these problems and provide a sustainable method to increase crop yields allowing farmers, comprising 75% of the population, to maintain a consistent income Why The Horn of Africa?
The Project Seawater Greenhouse Ltd is collaborating with a team from Aston University and fellow academics at Gollis University in Somaliland The team is designing specialised, cost effective, tent structures that
The key problem that arid regions, such as the Horn of Africa, face is that plant transpiration is far higher than precipitation Seawater Greenhouse uses seawater, wind, a low-cost net structure, and evaporative cooling techniques to significantly reduce transpiration
Seawater is pumped from the sea using solar energy, with reverse osmosis creating freshwater for irrigation The remaining seawater is trickled over a cardboard pad, adjacent to the wind direction, to create a cool and humid breeze that reduces transpiration.
Seawater is pumped from the sea using solar energy, with reverse osmosis creating freshwater for irrigation The remaining seawater is trickled over a cardboard pad, adjacent to the wind direction, to create a cool and humid breeze that reduces transpiration The windbreak design creates an adjacent micro – climate for the cultivation of less intensive crops, which multiplied over many interconnected units forms a substantial and sustainable agricultural asset
Sahara Forest Project: From vision to reality from Sahara Forest Project on Vimeo.