An Italian family working in the diving equipment business decided to create an underwater agricultural site, given that the site is not being exploited.
Nemo’s Garden is the world’s first underwater plant growing system.
The farm is located off the coast of Noli, Italy, southwest of Genoa, and consists of a group of suspended, transparent, domed greenhouses called “biospheres” anchored on the ocean floor.
“The mission of this technology is to change the concept of agriculture, to give it an additional opportunity to grow food on the vast expanses of the coasts of the Earth, while being sustainable and not affecting the environment,” co-founder Luca Gamberini told CNN.
Luca’s father and founder of the underwater equipment company Ocean Reef Group, Sergio Gamberini, came up with the idea by combining his passions for scuba diving and gardening.
In 2012, the project began by growing basil inside an underwater balloon. Ten years later, Nemo’s Garden is booming.
“We have a limited amount of resources, and our (current) method of extracting these resources is not sustainable, and we believe that underwater spaces give us some advantages (compared to) traditional agriculture,” said Gamberini, explaining that plants in “Garden Nemo farms, which float approximately 6 to 10 meters underwater, are separated from any external pathogens and pests, yet have access to fresh water resulting from local condensation within the “biosphere” (biosphere). ) and the relatively constant temperature of ocean water is an ideal environment for plant life.
Nemo’s Garden uses hydroponic technology, which relies on nutrients found in water, not soil. The same method is used in most indoor vertical farms.
Although sunlight reaches the plants, supplemental grow light can be used if necessary.
Source: CNN
