Figures out this year from the UN estimate that the world’s population will soon exceed 8.3 billion and will continue to grow by an annual rate of 0.84 per cent. This means there needs to be a substantial expansion in agricultural output.
However, amid rising fertiliser prices, difficulties in securing supplies, and the increasing scarcity of irrigation water, it has become imperative to adopt modern farming systems that boost productivity while reducing reliance on fertilisers and water. Such approaches are essential to meeting global food needs while conserving vital water resources.
Hisham Al-Ghamry, founder and CEO of Nabat Farms, runs a farm that seems far away from a traditional space filled with fruit trees where visitors might sample salted white cheese, honey, and ever-delightful Egyptian pies, or feteer meshaltet.
Instead, the entrance to the farm comprises an administrative building, where marketing strategies are devised and new products developed using modern methods and technologies. And the cultivation area turns out to be a vast greenhouse where a variety of leafy greens are grown, including newly developed types of lettuce, spinach, rocket, and kale.
At the entrance to the greenhouse there is a large damp mat that serves as a sanitising walkway. Visitors are required to wipe their shoes on the mat in order to prevent pests and contaminants from being carried inside the greenhouse. This is an essential measure to protect the crops from disease.
Al-Ghamry explained that the system he uses is called hydroponics, or soilless cultivation. He began working with this system 12 years ago, driven by a desire to grow new and unconventional crops that were not widely cultivated in Egypt at the time, as well as to overcome challenges related to irrigation.
To implement it, he consulted specialists from foreign companies to acquire the necessary technology.
He said that the most widely used hydroponic method for leafy greens is the nutrient film technique (NFT). In this system, plants are grown inside channels consisting of long pipes containing a very shallow stream of water that barely reaches their roots, allowing them to absorb the nutrients they need. The remaining space is filled with oxygen, which is essential for maintaining plant health.
Hydroponic farming offers many advantages over traditional agriculture. The productivity of a single feddan can equal that of up to 20 feddans cultivated with soil. This is due to several factors, including faster growth rates and improved plant health. Lettuce, for instance, can grow at least twice as fast, thanks to the controlled atmosphere in the greenhouse, where temperature and humidity are carefully regulated.
Lighting can also be adjusted, and plant spacing is managed scientifically rather than randomly, as is often the case in conventional farming, Al-Ghamry explained.
Moreover, plant roots receive nutrients directly from the water within seconds, in precisely measured quantities, rather than expending energy searching for them in the soil, reducing stress on the plant and enhancing leafy growth.
Al-Ghamry noted that the system also significantly reduces water consumption through a recycling process. The water used to irrigate the plants is collected, returned to a reservoir, and reused, meaning that hydroponics consumes only about 10 per cent of the water required in traditional irrigation. It also helps address the global issue of shrinking agricultural land by increasing crop productivity.
Fertilisation takes place simultaneously with irrigation, reducing fertiliser costs while improving plant health. Groundwater is first treated through a reverse osmosis (RO) unit, producing water comparable in purity to distilled water. Nutrients are then added in carefully measured quantities, ensuring both the continued purity of the irrigation water and the precise concentration of elements required by the plants.
For this reason, the system is often described as the “agriculture of the future”, Al-Ghamry added.
He said that pesticides are not used to control pests in hydroponic farming and instead it relies on biological methods. Specialists in entomology closely monitor insect activity in the greenhouse. While the presence of insects is natural, any increase in harmful species is addressed by introducing specific insects bred on-site that feed on pests that damage the plants.
This approach keeps harmful insect populations to a minimum without the need for chemical pesticides.
Putting on protective head and foot coverings, we entered the preparation section, or “kitchen” of the farm. Here, the harvested leafy greens are washed and packaged before being distributed to restaurants and supermarkets.
Al-Ghamry added that hydroponic systems are varied and can be adapted according to the type of crops being grown. Different systems are used for cucumbers, berries, and tomatoes, among others. Costs also vary depending on scale and capacity, and hydroponic systems can be installed on rooftops or expanded across large tracts of land.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 30 April, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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