Seawater and solar power grow crops in the desert

Photos: Greening the desert
Green growth – Joakim Hauge says skeptics have been won over after seeing the produce, like with these cucumbers.
Hide Caption
1 of 7

Photos: Greening the desert
Securing food – A worker collects the first barley harvested at the facility.
Hide Caption
2 of 7

Photos: Greening the desert
Desert bloom – The violet plant, Limonium axillare, takes salt up from the soil and excretes it through its leaves, a process that could be used to desalinate soil.
Hide Caption
3 of 7

Photos: Greening the desert
Hope beacon – The facility uses concentrated solar power plant, which is a system that focuses sunlight onto a small area with mirrors.
Hide Caption
4 of 7

Photos: Greening the desert
Transplanting nature – Virginia Corless, the science and development manager, working in the greenhouse. She says Qatar's environment acts as a harsh testing ground for the technologies.
Hide Caption
5 of 7

Photos: Greening the desert
Liquid assets – With the algae pond, researchers are finding ways to cultivate the organisms without the usual high costs and geographic constraints.
Hide Caption
6 of 7

Photos: Greening the desert
Model system – The design of the project is to have several technologies working together to address many issues at once.
Hide Caption
7 of 7