Saudi Arabia is teaming up with a Dutch greenhouse company to create “a synthetic climate” to make the desert bloom.  It’s carving out an area the size of some 15 soccer fields to form a horticulture oasis on the outskirts of NEOM. The commitment marks the biggest food-tech investment for a country whose largely arid landscape and extreme summer temperatures have long left it reliant on food imports. 

The urgency has only grown since the global pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlighted risks to food security in the Middle East.  Apart from meeting the needs of the new city, the goal is eventually to turn the fledgling facilities into a regional food hub.

 

“We are building a synthetic climate where outdoor growing is difficult,”  - Van Der Hoeven CEO Michiel Schoenmaeckers

 

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