Hydroponic agriculture could help preserve scarce water in Jordan

Jordan is the country with the third-highest water insecurity in the world, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. By 2030, 40% of all groundwater is expected to be depleted, as it is being used at a much greater rate than it can be recharged.

The answer to a fast approaching crisis might be in a greenhouse in Madaba province (a 40-minute drive from Amman) where hundreds of tomato plants are lifted half a meter from the ground in a 10 meter (32-foot) high, multi-span structure that takes up an area of 7,200 square meters (77,500 square feet).

“Hydroponics is a high-tech farming technique, where soil is replaced by tuff, peat moss or, as in this case, by coconut fiber supports,”  Said Doaa al-Amayreh, an agriculture engineer with the Jordan Hydroponic Agriculture and Employment Development Project.

The three-year project (2018-2020) is supported by the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands with 12 million euros (around $13.4 million). The project aims at increasing water efficiency and profitability for farmers. It is being implemented by the Jordanian firm, Eco Consult, which is in charge of technical support and training.