MENA region ripe for controlled environment agriculture

This is the view of KAUST researchers in Saudi Arabia who are calling for a new generation of vast greenhouse complexes, supported by novel solar panels, air-cooling technologies, and advances in salt-tolerant agriculture.

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"Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) uses integrated systems to facilitate sustainable, local crop growth on a large scale," said Kyle Lauersen, synthetic biologist. "Our vision combines several technologies currently in development at KAUST: energy-efficient, transparent solar panels; low-energy desiccant cooling; salt-tolerant edible plants; and algal biotechnology."

Coastal locations in the MENA region have sufficient access to seawater and year-round intense sunlight. CEA makes it possible to use seawater to use grow salt-tolerant crops, such as newly identified varieties of tomatoes and green vegetables. Mixed irrigation means that CEA would have a lower impact on municipal supplies. To source extra freshwater, the researchers plan to harvest it from humid air.