Photo: DPIRD
Tucked away in a tree plantation south-east of Perth, a saltwater greenhouse is growing plants for innovative restaurants. David Thompson of Moojepin Foods installed the saltwater hydroponic system in 2020 and grows a variety of native and overseas species of salt-tolerant plants for restaurants around Australia. The plants give a kick to seafood, tacos, salads, and meat dishes. He also farms hardier saltbush species on his salt-damaged farmland. "Salinity is a problem that's arisen due to European farming methods, and we have to find a solution to fixing the land," he says. Dryland salinity is spreading across regional Australia, killing crops and native bush, and researchers have spent decades experimenting with saltbush as a way to combat rising salinity. In 2015, they identified an edible species suitable for livestock grazing and remediating saline land, and millions of seedlings are planted around Australia each year.
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