Tunisia has launched a Hydroponics project to boost farming procedures in the country for more agricultural outputs.
The coordinator of the Agricultural Innovation and Sustainable Development Project in Tunisia said the technology of hydroponics or soil-less cultivation can reduce the use of water for irrigation by 80 percent compared to traditional agriculture and the use of chemical fertilizers by 90 percent.
“The main objective of the project is to encourage young entrepreneurs, Farmers, and investors to use this modern technique of hydroponics to better manage water resources and save water. Tunisia and the whole world are now facing water scarcity. This agriculture is more sustainable because it uses fewer chemicals,” an official said.
The Tunisian Union of Agriculture says reusing water several times can help the country achieve food security amid the challenges of climate change and persistent drought.
“Traditional cultivation uses 400 Kgs of water to produce one kg of vegetables while Soil-less cultivation uses only 15 to 20 percent of this amount of water to produce the same amount of vegetables which helps to adapt to climate change”, another official said.
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The hydroponics experts have also stressed the need for people to adopt off-soil crops and urban areas so that households can produce leafy vegetables and fruits for their own consumption.
“Hydroponics has many advantages. Even ordinary people can produce their own food. This system is like a factory producing easily and efficiently fruits and vegetables at a low cost”, an official added.
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The use of soil as cultivation at the farm has allowed it to produce agricultural output monthly on an area exceeding 500 square meters.
The Tunisian Union of Agriculture has called for the integration of the equipment necessary for hydroponic farming in the list of agricultural equipment to limit their import costs and to remove the customs and financial barriers that farmers and investors are facing.
