Nemo’s Garden is the world’s first underwater cultivation system of terrestrial plants. Located off the coast of Noli, Italy, southwest of Genoa, the farm consists of an array of suspended, transparent, dome-shaped greenhouses called biospheres, anchored to the bottom of the ocean.

“The mission of this technology is to change agriculture, to give it an added possibility for growing produce on the huge amount of coastlines of the earth, while being sustainable and not affecting the environment,” co-founder Luca Gamberini said.

His father and founder of underwater gear company Ocean Reef Group, Sergio Gamberini, came up with the idea by combining his two passions — scuba diving and gardening. In 2012, the project began with planting basil in a balloon underwater.

With the global population expected to reach roughly 10 billion by 2050, the U.N. estimates food production will need to increase up to 60% to meet this demand. “We have a finite amount of resources, and our current way of harvesting those resources is unsustainable,” Gamberini said, “and we believe that underwater gives us some advantages over traditional agriculture.”

Floating six to 10 meters underwater, plants in Nemo’s Garden are separated from any outside pathogens and pests, while having access to freshwater as a result of desalinated condensation within the biospheres. The relatively steady temperature of the ocean water is an ideal environment for plant life.

Nemo’s Garden uses hydroponics — a technique that uses water-based nutrients instead of soil, the same method used in most indoor vertical farms. Sunlight does reach the plants, but supplemental growing lights are used when needed.

Everything is monitored on land through cameras and sensors, and settings can be adjusted remotely from anywhere in the world.

When it’s time to harvest, a diver will clip the vegetation, place it in bags and float it to the surface.

Since the biospheres are only about two meters in diameter, they can’t grow bigger crops like corn or wheat. But they can fit anywhere from 70 to 100 smaller plants.

A 2020 study from Università di Pisa concluded that basil from the garden had a higher essential oil concentration and contained more antioxidants.

Other companies around the world are also exploring the benefits of the ocean for farming. GreenWave, a nonprofit in North America, is growing seaweed and shellfish on an underwater scaffold. Bangalore-based company Sea6 Energy has created a mechanized tractor that can plant and harvest seaweed on the ocean floor.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【无土栽培】wútǔ zāipéi hydroponics the growing of plants in nutrient solutions

【支架】zhījià scaffold a supporting framework

尼莫花园是世界上第一个水下陆生植物栽培系统，位于意大利热那亚西南的诺利海岸附近，由一系列停泊在海底的悬浮透明圆顶温室组成。

联合创始人卢卡•甘贝里尼说：“这项技术的使命是改变农业的发展，让我们有可能沿着广阔的海岸线种植农作物，具有可持续性、不影响周边环境。”

这个想法来自他的父亲塞尔吉奥•甘贝里尼。老甘贝里尼创设了经营水下装备的大洋礁集团，同时热爱水肺潜水和园艺。项目开始于2012年，尝试在水下的气球里种植罗勒。

预计全球人口2050年将增长至100亿左右，联合国估计粮食产量需要增加60%才能满足需求。

“我们资源有限，目前利用资源的方式是不可持续的，”甘贝里尼说。

“我们相信水下种植比传统农业有更多优势。

尼莫花园中的植物漂浮在水下6至10米深处，与外部病虫害绝缘，利用海水淡化技术获得淡水。海水相对稳定的温度为植物生长提供了理想环境。

和大多数室内垂直农场一样，尼莫花园使用水培法 —— 一种使用营养水基而不是土壤栽培的技术。阳光可以透过海水照到植物，需要时也会使用照明帮助植物生长。

一切都通过摄像头和传感器来监控，可以从世界上任何地方远程调整设置。

需要收获时，潜水员会采摘植物，将其放在袋子里带到水面。

每个水下温室的直径只有两米左右，所以不能种植玉米或小麦等更大的作物。它们可以容纳 70 到 100 种较小的植物。比萨大学 2020 年的一项研究发现，尼莫花园出产的罗勒精油浓度更高，抗氧化剂含量也更高。

世界各地的其他公司也在探索海洋农业。北美的非营利组织GreenWave在水下支架上种植海藻和贝类。总部位于班加罗尔的Sea6 Energy公司发明了一种拖拉机，能在海底种植和收获海藻。(SD-Agencies)