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 around the size of 15 soccer fields to form a horticulture oasis on the outskirts of Neom, an entirely new city being built on the Red Sea coast that extends out into the desert. 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 imports to supply most food.
The project is just the start, according to Dutch horticulturist Van Der Hoeven, whose $120 million contract with the Saudi government entails design and construction of two test facilities on Neom’s outskirts, along with their service and operation over multiple years.