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A Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative
Overview
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Project |
A Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative | |
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Collaborators |
Wir Farm in Zarqa River and one large farm in the Highlands. The community households cluster will be identified during the feasibility study. | |
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Location Applied |
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Jordan is considered to be one of the ten most water-scarce countries in the world. As water becomes scarcer, its availability for agriculture is expected to decrease. Hydroponic technology, an intensive form of agriculture, uses much less water than conventional farming and offers an excellent opportunity for farmers to increase their income while reducing their water use. Although farmers have expressed their interest in this new technology, its application in Jordan is still limited.
Clean Energy Solution
ECO Consult has developed an integrated model of hydroponic and photovoltaic farming to compete with conventional greenhouse technology and drip irrigation systems. To make the technology attractive to large-scale commercial farms, ECO Consult will retrofit a multi-span greenhouse with advanced hydroponic technologies and photovoltaic panels to generate enough power to operate the lighting, pumping, and air moderation systems.
Impact
ECO Consult’s beneficiaries include large commercial farms as well as small household farms. As more farms adopt these new technologies, the value of their agricultural produce will increase, while their use of scarce natural resources will decrease. Simultaneously, as more rural households adopt this technology at a small-scale, they will realize additional sources of income and new employment opportunities for women and youth.
Organization
Established in Jordan in 1995, ECO Consult is a leading development firm with more than 15 years of experience working in Jordan and the Middle East. Past work includes projects in public sector reform, private sector development, local governance and development zones, energy, water, and environment.
Progress Update
ECO Consult organized a national advisory group in Jordan for hydroponic farming. As part of USAID’s Powering Agriculture program and Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative, they have designed indigenous hydroponic systems, incorporating materials readily available in Jordan. To date, ECO Consult has installed the hydroponic systems at four sites on a cost-share basis with the owners. A demonstration hydroponic pepper farming greenhouse was established to show systems that can be adopted for large and small-scale farming. Other crops being grown at the demonstration sites include thyme, lettuce, and other vegetables.
Further Information
References
