The UAE is becoming popular in its food industry that grows vegetables without having to use soil. On Feb. 25, an interview with one of their biggest farms that handle this business would surely make everyone want to learn how to do it in the comfort of their own backyard.
CNBC talked to Rudi Azzato, horticulturist and marketing director at Emirates Hydroponics Farms (EHF), as he explained what exactly is this new trend of growing food without having to use soil. "Hydroponics is a method of growing vegetables in a thin layer of water together with nutrients, so it's such a unique method of growing large volumes in an ethical manner for... mass production," Azzato said.
UAE has been dependent on imported foods that 85 percent to 90 percent of their food does not come from their own country. That is when Azzato's company realized there is something they could do to solve that issue, as it is not a wise move in both economic and environmental terms. With their company existing in the UAE, the country could now benefit salads from them all your year-round, which means cutting on the cost of imported vegetables that are most of the time really expensive.
Lots of benefits can be acquired from this method of growing food and among them is the fact that one doesn't need to use pesticides to keep their food healthy. All you need is water as the alternative of soil to make it possible to grow vegetables. If the UAE can do it, which is a country dominated by the desert, how much more America and other countries that have a strong supply of water.
The good news is that the U.S. is actually already starting to be open to this idea. Home Town Station said that even in the middle of drought, the country could still pull this off as long as the people would really put their mind to it.
