The impressive ability to Sand to Green, in transforming the desert into fertile soil, represents a bastion of hope in the era of climate change. The Morocco-based startup opens new frontiers in agriculture, offering a sustainable model for feeding a growing population. Let's take a closer look at what it's all about.
Desertification is the future of many countries today. Our solution is to use agroforestry to create a new type of agriculture that is sustainable and resilient to climate change.
Wissal Ben Moussa, co-founder and agricultural manager of Sand to Green
Green revolution in the desert
One third of the earth's surface it is threatened by desertification: for this reason initiatives such as the “great green wall” African, or this proposal from Sand to Green take on crucial relevance. Wissal Ben Moussa, co-founder and agricultural manager, is on a bold mission: to convert barren desert land into fertile, productive agricultural areas. As?
The Sand to Green approach is based on three principles: theagroforestry, a method that integrates the cultivation of fruit trees and herbs in one space, maximizing biodiversity and resource efficiency. Intercropping, a technique that allows you to grow different plant species together, optimizing space and increasing production. The third fundamental element of this process is the use of brackish water, a resource often abundant in desert areas. Sand to Green uses solar technologies to desalinate this water, making it suitable for irrigation. Fourth and final crucial aspect of their method? Soil regeneration with “green manure”, a mixture that includes compost, biochar and microorganisms that help the soil to "awaken".
Successes and future prospects
The importance of Sand to Green's work cannot be understated: the results of this startup are remarkable. During a five-year trial across a five-hectare area in southern Morocco, they tested a variety of plants to identify those best suited to this environment.
The next objective is to expand the project to a 20-hectare commercial site, also in southern Morocco. The startup's techniques could be very useful in countries such as Mauritania, Senegal, Namibia, Egypt, in the Arabian Peninsula, in some areas of the United States and on the Mexican coast.
We can go anywhere in the world, as long as we have access to brackish water. The good news is that there is a lot of it along the coastal areas.
Wissal Ben Moussa, Sand to Green
From Morocco to the world
In an era where food security and environmental sustainability are of vital importance, Sand to Green's approach represents an important step forward. It's not just a startup with a revolutionary vision; it is an example of how innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand, offering concrete solutions to global problems.
This story that originates in Morocco and looks far into the future is a reminder that, even in the most unfavorable conditions, human resilience and creativity can thrive, leading to positive and lasting changes.
