Qatar, which has already funded research for the development of
solar desalination, is now
investigating whether
solar could effectively produce both energy and water for its farming sector.
The Qatar Environment and Research Institute (
QEERI), part of the Qatar Foundation is spearheading the project. The goal is to grow more food locally, effectively and sustainably as part of the country’s
food security program.
Most food is imported into Qatar, and despite the country’s vast wealth, the lack of a long term reliable supply of food is still on the Qatari leadership’s minds. If Qatar truly commits itself to discovering a way of cost effectively desalinating water from solar, this little country on the Gulf could see itself as leading one of the greatest foreign aid programs since the post World War II Marshall Plan.
That
scenario is a long way off, however. But Qatar’s research could have
benefits that
reach far behind this corner of the Middle East.
Read about the United Arab Emirates’ progress on local food production here.
From Bonnie James and Gulf Times.
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
Qatar, which has already funded research for the development of solar desalination, is now investigating whether solar could effectively produce both energy and water for its farming sector.
The Qatar Environment and Research Institute (QEERI), part of the Qatar Foundation is spearheading the project. The goal is to grow more food locally, effectively and sustainably as part of the country’s food security program.
Most food is imported into Qatar, and despite the country’s vast wealth, the lack of a long term reliable supply of food is still on the Qatari leadership’s minds. If Qatar truly commits itself to discovering a way of cost effectively desalinating water from solar, this little country on the Gulf could see itself as leading one of the greatest foreign aid programs since the post World War II Marshall Plan.
That scenario is a long way off, however. But Qatar’s research could have benefits that reach far behind this corner of the Middle East.
Read about the United Arab Emirates’ progress on local food production here.
From Bonnie James and Gulf Times.
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