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posted by martyb on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the please-pass-the-salt dept.

South Australia is at the forefront of sustainable agriculture this month, with the official opening of a tomato farm in Port Augusta. It's not just any tomato farm. Sundrop Farms is a hydroponic greenhouse facility that doesn't use fossil fuels, groundwater, pesticides or soil. The $200 million, 20-hectare farm doesn't even take up valuable arable land. It's located on arid, degraded land that is too barren for traditional agriculture.

Here's how it works. A solar tower standing 115 metres (377 feet) high with 23,000 mirrors pointed at it provides all the power the farm requires, for heating and cooling. It also powers a desalination plant, which converts seawater into freshwater to keep the plants irrigated.

If it works, there is a lot of "arid, degraded land that is too barren for traditional agriculture" in Nevada and eastern California that could be used the same way.


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  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:23PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:23PM (#413673)

    pounds of tomatoes, not pounds' worth of tomatoes

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