In a greenhouse established off the coast of Italy, vegetables are grown under the sea.
Apart from premium basil with a richer than usual flavor, there is hope to also provide a solution to the disappearance of agricultural land due to rising sea levels.
Its hard to say how the idea sparked in Gamborini’s mind but the result was surprising Gamborini imagined the unused areas under the water and perhaps he was hungry at that moment and after trying once and again, he decided to attempt growing vegetables under the sea.
Gamborini, CEO of Ocean Reef, has since gone through a difficult journey including harsh winters, lost equipment and in depth research.
But with perseverance and belief, he managed to turn the dream into reality.
While scientists are trying to understand how to deal with the destructive effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and loss of agricultural land, “Nemo’s Garden” (named after the clownfish from the Disney movie) realized that the solution lies beneath the sea.
At a depth of seven meters in the waters off Noli, five biosphere domes are now anchored to the seabed, where vegetables are grown using advanced hydroponic systems.
In Nemo’s Garden, the farmers are divers who descend into the garden to plant, fix problems and harvest their unique crops.
Marine Agriculture in a Changing World
To understand the need for growing vegetables under the sea, it is necessary to take a step back and understand how rising sea levels will affect various places on Earth in the future.
Sea level rise is caused by warming and expansion of seawater, along with melting glaciers, which adds more water to the oceans.
The continuation of this accelerated trend could flood vast areas that are currently inhabited or farmed and also raise salty groundwater levels, salinizing soils.
In the Maldives, for example, where the maximum ground elevation is only two meters above sea level, rising seas could submerge the entire country.
But it is not only tourist destinations at risk a one meter sea level rise could affect many densely populated regions that produce significant amounts of food, such as the Nile Delta, the Mekong and the Mississippi.
One way to prepare for the situation where large areas of farmland may end up under water, or become too salty for crops, is to expand food growing options through marine agriculture.
In this type of agriculture, fish, seafood and seaweed are cultivated using various methods that do not require farmland or fresh water.
Growing vegetables without soil already occurs in cities worldwide (a practice known as hydroponics), but growing vegetables in or under seawater, as in Nemo’s Garden, is a new and emerging practice.
When Divers Become Farmers
Even in Nemo’s Garden, vegetables are grown hydroponically, where plant roots grow in tubes with fresh water.
The vegetables are inside small biosphere domes anchored to the seabed and filled with air. Advantages of underwater growth include relatively constant water temperatures, absence of pests, and year-round sunlight penetration through the water column into the domes.
The system is also sustainable: plants receive fresh water through evaporation from the sea water on the dome’s roof, which is desalinated for irrigation.
Fertilizers currently come from outside, but the company plans to produce natural pesticides from seaweed growing near the domes in the future.
In Nemo’s Garden, primarily basil leaves are grown, from seed to the desired underwater harvest, maintained by the diving staff and monitored by control room personnel via cameras.
A surprising advantage of the domes is the dense foliage of basil leaves, producing particularly strong flavors.
Basil leaves from the domes have represented Italy regularly at the global food exhibition in Milan in recent years.
Winter in Nemo’s Garden
At the beginning of 2017, Nemo’s Garden decided for the first time to continue growing vegetables during winter.
This decision proved particularly successful.
In December 2016, when the water temperature outside the garden was 16 degrees Celsius, the temperature inside the dome was 18 degrees allowing the growing season to continue successfully even in winter.
Another milestone was recorded in September, when the first underwater orchid bloomed.
Currently, the company is working on launching biosphere domes for home aquariums and encourages people to share their experiences to expand knowledge on this growth method. Recently, solar panels were also installed on the roof of the cultivation domes.
Potential of Underwater Agriculture
Even if Nemo’s Garden is still mainly a curiosity or promise for the future, the potential of marine agriculture does not need to be limited to fish, seafood, and seaweed it can include a wide range of underwater growing methods.
Even before sea levels rise, the underwater biosphere dome model developed in Nemo’s Garden may be effective in arid countries with limited freshwater access but with access to the sea.
For those near Genoa, Italy, with fins and a mask, it is possible to visit Nemo’s Garden by diving.
Those unable to participate physically can follow the basil plants via livestream cameras monitoring the garden.