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COMMENT
Vertical Farming
Revolutionising sustainable agriculture and ensuring food resilience in the Middle East MIDDLE EAST
By adopting new technologies and leveraging innovation, it is possible to build a more sustainable future writes HDR’s Ron Mathew
F
ood scarcity is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. This is driven by a combination of factors, including population growth, a projected decrease in arable land availability, an ever-changing geopolitical landscape and economic fluctuations, such as rising interest rates and fertiliser prices surging by nearly 200% between 2000 and 2022. The situation is exacerbated by the climate change crisis, bringing unprecedented temperatures and weather patterns. Reports suggest that approximately 350m people will be affected by food insecurity this year, an increase of nearly
September 2023 | MEConstructionNews.com
60% from 2020, and the world needs to boost its food production by 70% in the next 25 years to avoid an emergency. Sustainable food production has always been difficult in the Middle East, given its desert climate and insufficient freshwater supplies, together with low precipitation levels. According to World Bank findings, most MENA nations depend on imports for half of the calories consumed, and the figure is 90% for the GCC. In parallel to this, the MENA region is actually recording the highest population rise globally. We must therefore explore new solutions to be well prepared for the next generation.
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The 330,000 sqft, threestorey facility comprises 27 grow rooms