Take advantage of the mattress to leave and plant trees in the desert

Experts from the University of Sheffield, UK are instructing refugees to create a "desert garden" using recycled foam.

At the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, the team, led by Professor Tony Ryan, is taking advantage of the discarded bed mattress to develop a technique of hydroponic growing on peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and mint. They sow seeds into the foam, then place them inside the nutrient solution container.

As young plants grow, the foam acts as a substrate - a soil substitute - that helps retain moisture and provides a good chance of root growth. Ryan says the technique can create sustainable and water-saving gardens, helping millions of people living in arid areas of the world to maintain a clean supply of food.

"Desert garden" inside a refugee camp in Jordan.(Photo: Sheffield University).

"The refugees we've trained are now able to turn the project into their own and grow things we never thought could survive in a desert environment by using recycled materials , " Ryan said of the refugees. "Many of them are experienced farmers."

According to the research team , foam-based hydroponic techniques not only use significantly less water than traditional agriculture (saving up to 70 - 80% water), but also are clean and have a lower cost because they are not used. Use pesticides and nourishing regulators.

Planting foam is used from the discarded mattress.(Photo: Sheffield University).

"The new type of agriculture has helped us a lot. It would be good if everyone in the refugee camp learned this technique because the soil here is not suitable for planting trees. At present, we are only deploy a pilot project, but want to make it bigger and more efficient in the future, "said Abu Wessam, who lives in Zaatari.

To date, nearly 1,000 refugees have been taught polyfoam hydroponic technology. The team hopes to invest an additional £ 250,000 (about US $ 324,000) to provide seeds, nutrients and train another 3,000 refugees in Zaatari.

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