H2Grow's custom hydroponic system allows crops to grow in deserts

This article is part of The food fight: A series that explores how the UN World Food Program is using technology to fight food shortages and end hunger by 2030. Check out the rest of the articles here.

A lush green carpet of fresh animal fodder is an unlikely sight in the Sahara Desert, but a UN World Food Program (WFP) project is helping crops thrive in unexpected places. Using specially designed hydroponic systems, Sahrawi refugees from western Algeria were able to grow barley grass to feed their livestock, increasing milk production and meat quality. By selling surplus fodder, refugees were able to earn extra income and buy goods once they were out of their means. Some 150 units have been installed in recent years, producing nearly 4,500 pounds of fodder a day.

The project is part of H2Grow, an initiative aimed at solving the problem of hunger in arid regions and helping vulnerable communities to become more self-reliant by securing their food resources. H2Grow is currently sponsoring seven projects around the world, from refugee camps in Chad to slum deserts in Peru. With the help of agro-technical systems, it is hoped that communities living in the desert will be able to overcome food shortages and become resilient to some of the most immediate impacts of climate change.

Leaving dirt in the dust

The secret of H2Grow lies in hydroponics, a soilless cultivation technique that uses up to 90% less water than traditional agriculture, according to Nina Schroeder, in charge of setting WFP innovation accelerator. Better still, hydroponics does not require a lot of land and does not depend on the seasons. As long as you have the right basic ingredients (seeds, water, light and nutrients), the crops can grow all year round.

Hydroponics is by no means a new concept, but most people are familiar with urban technology, as a way of growing crops indoors, with an interest in large scale farming in a limited space. . These companies tend to focus on high technology and business.

"What is different in our way of doing hydroponics is to take the technique and adapt to the harsh conditions in which we work," Schroeder said. "We are making it a localized, affordable and streamlined solution designed for people with no particular background. [in agriculture], using only locally available materials. "

This poses a challenge for the H2Grow team. What is local and affordable in Peru may not be local and affordable in Sudan. WFP is therefore working with community partners to identify and understand some of their most pressing issues.

H2Grow uses a common base system for each region and adapts the system from it. The result is a bespoke hydroponic system, adapted to the community for which it is intended. "There is no single solution," Schroeder said.

Different shots for different people

In Chad, people wanted to grow fodder to feed their livestock. Forage seeds such as barley grass contain enough nutrients to grow using only water and light. "Users just need to soak the seeds, add them to the hydroponic pots, make sure they get enough sun, and on the seventh day they are ready to be harvested," said Schroeder.

In Lima, Peru, however, residents wanted to grow products, such as green leafy vegetables, that require the addition of nutrient solutions during the growth process. With the help of community partners, WFP launched a pilot program in three districts of the capital, reaching more than 200 vulnerable women and their families. The group is currently exploring ways to scale up the system to provide business opportunities for these residents.

The most sophisticated H2Grow units are desktops designed for Syrian refugees in the Azraq refugee camp, east of Amman, Jordan. The power computer uses sensors to monitor climate, energy and plant growth in a specialized culture chamber. Powered by a Raspberry Pi, the system monitors temperature, humidity, dissolved oxygen and mineral consumption to achieve optimal growth potential. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development have helped WFP develop computers for food products.

It takes a village

In each case, H2Grow aims to maintain the initial investment at less than $ 100,000, while providing some community partners with the resources to motivate neighbors to follow.

"We start with the most motivated champions in the community," said Schroeder. "They are starting to grow their own fodder, we are giving them some extra training and are inviting them to go out with this training material on hand to train other people in the community."

H2Grow systems have benefits that go beyond solving the problem of food shortage: they are also designed to provide financial and physical security. During the dry months of Sudan's Belail refugee camp, women often forage outside the camp's security, Schroeder explained, exposing them to the risk of theft, violence and kidnapping. . Through the hydroponic pilot program, WFP hopes to strengthen food security and hence the physical safety of residents.

There are challenges inherent in providing these solutions. Some of the crops WFP wishes to serve are traditionally pastoral, which means that agricultural production is new and unknown to them. But it is hoped that by learning to use these systems, vulnerable communities will be better equipped to face the existential threats at their doorsteps.

One of these threats is climate change, which is causing conflicts around the world, as people struggle to gain access to more and more water and food resources. Equipped with hydroponic systems, "people would not have to migrate and" share "the less available pasture," said Schroeder. "If they can grow crops in difficult conditions and save a lot of resources, that will change the game. Now the trick is to spread knowledge and increase access to tools that allow more people to start growing. "

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