Improving agricultural production in the Gaza Strip
The agriculture sector in the Gaza Strip faces a number of systemic issues; most prominent is the depletion of its coastal aquifer, which is the only source of freshwater. The aquifer is also extremely polluted; and high groundwater salinity leads to poor plant performance for some of the most produced vegetables in the Gaza Strip. Against this background, it was necessary to introduce farm-level technologies that increase resource use efficiency and sustainably reduce groundwater consumption. One method of production that could contribute to this goal was soilless culture, also known as hydroponics. The project aimed to identify, assess and disseminate applicable, low-tech, hydroponic vegetable farming methods for sustainable agricultural production in the Gaza Strip, and promote its adoption.