Greenhouses are among the prettiest things you can see (well, if they’re done right). But there are places that having such places can be a challenge if water supply or weather is an issue. There are researchers trying to find solutions for these kinds of problems and so we’re seeing innovations when it comes to greenhouses and plant care. Those who live in coastal communities but are experiencing arid weather will definitely benefit from this latest agricultural farm innovation.

Designer: Sergio Gamberini

The project is called Nemo’s Garden and it is currently resting 15 feet below the water in a northwestern village called Noli in Italy. It is basically an underwater greenhouse and agricultural farm with giant plastic orbs and tubes with plants connected to the main structure. Each of these orbs can hold up to 528 gallons of air. The plants themselves grow in the tubes and they spiral up to the center. So what you get are alien-looking orbs with tentacles under the sea.

What’s great about these “gardens” is that they are self-sustaining and requires little maintenance. The sun is able to reach down into the structures under the ocean and bring them heat. The humid air is able to condense and then trickle down into the soil to “water” the plants inside the orb. This way, they have a water cycle within and all on their own so you don’t need a lot of water to get them started. This will benefit arid coastal communities that have a hard time making green things grow.

A report has shown that these underwater agricultural farms are also acting as artificial coral reef and so they are also attracting marine life. They didn’t say if there are harmful effects to the underwater eco-system but most likely if there are any, they should be minimal. They do look amazing and interesting to the human eye like they’re alien-like structures just bubbling underneath. It’s still in the experimental stage so we’ll have to wait if they will be able to replicate these in other coastal communities globally.

The post Alien-like underwater agricultural farms bring self-sustaining greenhouses to coastal communities first appeared on Yanko Design.

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