Gaza’s rooftop oasis grows food without soil

Gaza City / DPA

From the roof of his house, Said Abu Nasser gazes over the concrete jungle of Gaza. There are no seating areas, no parasols and hardly any plants on the surrounding rooftops.
But next to Abu Nasser, green and red pepper, and mint thrive in blue plastic tubs. Six stories below, the 53-year-old has also created an oasis beside his home, with aubergines, pepper and salad – and all without using soil.
The amateur gardener has been growing plants in water for around six years and wants to use this technique to improve the quality of life in Gaza. “My plants are now bearing fruit for the first time,” says Abu Nasser, as water bubbles through long plastic troughs surrounding him. “I am so happy, but I really want to make it even better.”
The population of the Gaza strip currently stands at 1.9 million and is growing rapidly – farmland has to give way to housing. To address this issue, the United Nations is seeking alternatives to traditional methods of growing vegetables. Over recent years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has supported 219 households in the Gaza strip with rooftop gardens and soilless plant cultivation. Abu Nasser received the
equivalent of over 5,400 dollars, as well as training.
“Such interventions are particularly important in Gaza because they introduce innovative technologies that use fewer natural resources like water and land,” says a spokeswoman. They also use less insecticide and fertilizer, she says. Wearing a grey suit and striped shirt, Abu Nasser doesn’t look like your typical amateur gardener. In his day job, he works at the Interior Ministry of the Islamic fundamentalist organization Hamas, which governs the Gaza strip. Israel and Egypt have largely closed the borders due to security concerns.
“The water in Gaza is not suitable and requires a special treatment,” he explains. The plants are placed in polystyrene panels, which float in troughs, with roots hanging in water. Abu Nasser adds various minerals like magnesium and calcium to the water, and watches how the plants react.
At first, for instance, the salad did not grow. But Abu Nasser says he has now given 2,000 heads of lettuce to his friends and family, as well as around 200 kilos of aubergines and 100 kilos of green pepper. “It’s a clean and healthy type of salad,” he says.
The electricity for the pumps comes from solar collectors on the roof. Mahmoud Al Ajouz, who teaches agricultural plant production at Al Azhar University in Gaza, is collaborating with Abu Nasser on his project.
“In Gaza day after day we have less water for the people. It’s becoming highly salinated,” says Al Ajouz, whose specialist field is herbicides.
Cultivating plants without soil saves water compared to conventional agriculture because it is reused several times, he says.
Growing plants in this way also requires less space and less time, he adds. “Usually we can plant 3,000 to 4,000 lettuce in 1,000 square metres. With hydroponics we can plant 30,000 in the same area.” Abu Nasser and Al Ajouz are also experimenting with plants that grow on stones, using fertiliser that comes from fish manure.
The idea for his water garden came to Abu Nasser when a neighbour was trying to grow plants in water pipes. His friends laughed at him. But the amateur gardener is already thinking ahead – he wants to expand, and to train others. The UN wants to expand too. “One day everybody will be required to use this new technology,” says Abu Nasser. By then the concrete jungle of Gaza could have become green.