Egyptian farm uses fish waste to grow vegetables

Reuters Videos
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This hydroponic farm uses fish waste to grow leafy greens

Location: Giza, Egypt

NatureWorks farms both Tilapia fish and fresh vegetables

The fish are bred inside tanks, where they release waste

which is then filtered and re-used to nourish the plants

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER AND OWNER OF NATUREWORKS, ABDELRAHMAN AHMED, SAYING:

"Our system here is a closed circle, made up of fish tanks and plant pots. The fish release their eggs, they are very small. We feed the fish. The fish get bigger and release waste. At that stage, the waste is considered a natural fertilizer, which goes through a filtering process. We filter the water, and then the water goes to the plants. The plants swim in the water, and absorb all the nutrients coming from the fish, and then the water goes back to the fish as clean water."

Ahmed says the method saves 95% of the water used in traditional farming

Egypt suffers from significant water shortages

due to climate change, pollution and a growing population