Solar energy and salt water power vegetable farms in the desert
With scorching summer temperatures and little rainfall, the barren scrublands around the port of Aqaba in Jordan, one of the world’s most arid countries, might seem ill suited to cultivating cucumbers. Yet a Norwegian company is planning to set up a solar-powered, 20 hectare (50 acre) facility that promises to grow a variety of vegetables without wasting a drop of fresh water.
There Will Be Water: A bright spark in dark times
This determined declaration is an apt title for Danish filmmaker Per Liebeck’s award-winning documentary about British engineer Bill Watts and his relentless effort to turn some of the driest places on earth into fertile fruit and vegetable farms. Released last October and screened on Tuesday at the Transitions Film Festival in Sydney, There Will be Water chronicles the origins of The Sahara Forest Project, which began as an idea by Watts and his team to tackle food, water, and energy crises, some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
