This second episode of Waterproof is all about “The Salty Intruder”.
All over the world, arable land is becoming more and more saline, threatening farmers’ livelihoods and our food security. But there are smart, innovative people looking for solutions - and the Dutch are helping, for example with a new Virtual Reality game to teach farmers to plant salt tolerant crops.
In Egypt, where the Nile delta is getting saltier, farmers like Tariq el Arini are switching from water-intensive rice to saline loving potatoes. And Vietnam’s ‘Sokfarm’ has moved from coconut milk, ruined by salt, to coconut sugar, made from the sap of the flower. Even Dutch farmers are struggling to come to terms with the intruder. But then we meet Hans Elenbaas, who has harvested salty sea vegetables his whole life! And he loves it.