Seawater Greenhouse: Cheap Drought-Busting Greenhouses For The World’s Most Arid Regions

Seawater Greenhouse's Somaliland project required a change of design.

A severe drought can devastate harvests and lead to nationwide famine. This low cost greenhouse could make that a thing of the past.A growing world population combined with climate change induced weather patterns means food security is fast becoming a critical global concern, especially in developing nations where these factors are generally more prevalent.

Autor*in Mark Newton, 05.16.18

A severe drought can devastate harvests and lead to nationwide famine. This low cost greenhouse could make that a thing of the past.

A growing world population combined with climate change induced weather patterns means food security is fast becoming a critical global concern, especially in developing nations where these factors are generally more prevalent.

In order to produce enough food to feed local populations, farmers – who have for generations relied on traditional means to grow food – are increasingly turning to new technological solutions to overcome today’s agricultural challenges.

One group developing such solutions is Seawater Greenhouse, an UK-based company specialising in the development and construction of greenhouses in arid environments. Most recently, they embarked on an ambitious project to build a dought-proof, closed-loop growing facility in Somaliland on the Horn of Africa.

Somaliland’s location and economic makeup presented new challenges for Seawater Greenhouse, which had up to this point mostly operated in wealthier nations such as Australia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The Somaliland project, based in Berbera, would need to be drastically cheaper and simpler than their previous greenhouses, which had incorporated such technical devices as hydroponic systems and computer controls. What’s more, Berbera’s location on the coast meant not only was it subjected to 45 degree celsius heat, but also fierce winds of up to twenty meters per second.

How Do Seawater Greenhouses Work?

The Berbera concept would still largely work by Seawater Greenhouse’s tried and tested concept, by which seawater is used to cool and hydrate plants in a greenhouse. Seawater is pumped to the facility whereby it undergoes several processes. Firstly, it is used to humidify and cool the interior of the greenhouse, protecting plants against scorching heat, and secondly it is then evaporated and distilled to produce fresh water for agriculture.

To modify the concept to Somaliland, Seawater Greenhouse employed the aid of Aston University who developed mathematical models and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations based from local meteorological information. This allowed Seawater Greenhouse to better predict the variables in local climate and adjust their construction accordingly.

As a result, they were able to devise a new system which utilised evaporatively-cooled shade net structures that allows the greenhouse to capitalise on the use of ambient weather conditions to drive the process. Furthermore, a salt production facility, powered by its own solar power plant, was also added, providing farmers with another source of income. The air from the greenhouses can also be expelled to the exterior, coolling these temperatures and making the whole area more conducive to farming. All told, the final concept was ten times cheaper than previous greenhouses.

All thjat remained was for Seawater Greenhouses to team up with regional non-profit PENHA (the Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa) to find a location and start building. Construction stared in August 2017 and finished only two months later. Check out the video below for an aerial view of the finished farm.

Recently, we’ve heard of a range of innovative greenhouse designs aimed at overcoming local issues for food producers. For example, we’ve seen storm resistant greenhouses in India, greenhouses that produce their own solar power and ‘greenhouses’ that can grow plants in the middle of a bustling city or even the Artic.

TAGGED WITH
SOLHO: Off-Grid Greenhouses Powered by Sun and Sea

Without access to electricity, farming can be a struggle. The Dutch ecopreneurs behind SOLHO have developed an innovative system for greenhouses that produce their own energy.

AeroFarms: Growing Salad Indoors Without Sunlight or Soil in the World’s Largest Vertical Farm

Can we really grow fresh greens without soil or sunlight? Right in the centre of a busy city? In the US, AeroFarms is moving food production inside - and upwards.

The Climate Change Resistant Greenhouses Protecting India’s Crops Come Rain or Shine

A new affordable, climate-change-resisting greenhouse could help strengthen rural Indian farmers' defences against extreme weather conditions.

La Caverne: Growing Mushrooms Under the Streets of Paris

A disused car park hidden under the streets of Paris has become the home of a huge indoor agriculture experiment - an urban permaculture project called "the cave".

Can Innovative Greenhouses in the Arctic Solve Food Security Issues?

Food security in the Arctic isn't simple. Access to sufficient variety and nourishment relies as heavily on the weather as anywhere else in the world.

New Approaches to Farming in the Age of Climate Change

A pre-release event for the upcoming report from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has presented a bleak future if inaction is still remains the biggest form of action. A recent seminar held at Humboldt University looked at some of the report's findings and discussed the need to keep agricultural policy one step ahead of the game.