Scientists in Dubai are developing crops like quinoa that can thrive in the salty soils intruding into the worlds croplands. Winning over enough people to eat them is proving a greater challenge.
Scientists in Dubai are developing crops like quinoa that can thrive in the salty soils intruding into the worlds croplands. Winning over enough people to eat them is proving a greater challenge.
At an experimental farm within sight of the worlds tallest skyscraper, researchers at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) are trying to help farmers in the Middle East and beyond earn a living from unlikely plants known as halophytes. These plants, from trendy quinoa to obscure salicornia, flourish in salty and arid environments where staple crops like wheat or rice would wither.
Concerns about climate change, population growth, and the degradation of fertile farmlands add urgency to the work of ICBA, which runs on a shoestring budget of $15 million a year. The United Nations estimates that food production must increase 60 percent in 30 years to meet demand, while gains in crop yields are slowing.
See full article at Business Mirror
