Qatar: Grower says hydroponics key to solving food insecurity

“Hydroponics is the future of agriculture,” Ali Ahmad Saad Mansour al-Kaabi told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the Mahaseel Festival, organised by Katara – the Cultural Village, in collaboration with the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.

His Global Farm, one of the 22 Qatari farms participating in the first edition of the festival, showcases and sells vegetables and fruits grown from hydroponics.

From building a small home-made system for himself, al-Kaabi said he now has a 5,000sq m facility at his farm that operates for commercial purposes.

Global Farm uses different types of designs for its hydroponics such as those from Holland, Spain and China. Due to the growing popularity of the system, al-Kaabi cited an increasing number of farms in Qatar that mulls adopting it. About two to three are doing it.

“We made hydroponics system for houses too because not everyone has a farm, but everyone has a home, ” he noted.

Asked about its future, al-Kaabi said several countries in various regions are now tackling food security and water seriously “on how to save more” due to rapidly growing populations.

“All of them will consider hydroponics in the future to produce more to meet the growing demand for food,” he predicted.

Read more at Gulf Times