国土９割が砂漠のリビアで「緑のパラダイス」　食料自給率向上に奮闘

【トリポリＡＦＰ＝時事】黄色い防水シートに覆われたトンネル形の温室で、シラジュ・ベチアさん（２０）とパートナーのムニルさんは水耕栽培のレタスの出来を調べていた。国土の９割が砂漠で、伝統的な農業が困難なリビアでは先駆者だ。（写真はリビアの首都トリポリから東に約４０キロ離れた小さな町で水耕栽培のレタスをチェックするムニルさん）
　この「グリーンパラダイス」で貴重な作物を支えているのは、プラスチックのカップに穴を開けた鉢と、ホームセンターで購入した合成樹脂管、結束バンド。間に合わせの園芸用品ではあるが、作物はぐんぐん成長し続け、栄養分と酸素濃度の高い水を送り込まれたレタスが白い根を長く伸ばしている。
　ベチアさんとムニルさんは首都トリポリの東４０キロの小さな町で何か月もこのプロジェクトに打ち込んでいる。
　ベチアさんはＡＦＰに、水量が少なくて済み、農薬も要らない水耕栽培を広めていくのが願いだと語った。国土の大半を不毛な砂漠が占めるリビアで、水耕栽培は食料の自給自足率を高めることにつながるというのがベチアさんの考えだ。
　アフリカ最大の原油埋蔵量を誇るリビアでは、経済は炭化水素関連の分野を中心に回っており、農業は脇に追いやられている。耕作に適した土地は国土のせいぜい３％しかなく、地中海沿岸の肥沃（ひよく）な土地にも都市化が急速に広がっていることから、残されたわずかな土地もこの先どうなるか分からない。
　農業をさらに難しくしているのが、農作業に最も必要な水が不足していることだ。
　南部の地下水面からくみ上げられた飲料水は、リビアの大規模なパイプラインを通じて国民の大半が暮らす北部の各都市に運ばれている。だが、水資源には限りがあり、この供給網も、独裁者だった故ムアマル・カダフィ大佐の失脚以来１０年間続いた内戦による損壊が激しい。

■「リビアの消費者は有機野菜を求めるようになった」
　水耕栽培は、理論上は従来の農法に比べると収穫量も収益も多い。従来の農法は、天候や水不足の影響を受ける一方で、野放図な農薬散布による汚染のリスクもある。
　ベチアさんは、「リビアの消費者は農薬まみれの野菜にそっぽを向き、有機野菜を求めるようになった」と指摘する。
　水耕栽培の野菜は農薬まみれではないにしても、味が水っぽいとけなされることもある。また一般的には有機野菜には分類されないが、専門家は、リビアの水不足を補う新たな農法として、水耕栽培に期待を寄せている。
　とはいえ、普及するにはまだ多くの障害がある。手間がかかり、リビアで必要な材料を調達するには費用がかかり過ぎると専門家は指摘する。
　それでもベチアさんはくじけない。「根気強く続けて、信念を貫くしかありません」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/04/26-12:36）

Under a yellow tarpaulin stretched over an arched metal frame, Siraj Bechiya and his partner inspect their hydroponically-grown lettuce, pioneers of the method in mostly-desert Libya where conventional agriculture struggles.
Zip ties, punctured plastic cups as pots and PVC tubing bought in DIY shops hold the precious crops at Green Paradise -- so dubbed by the two young Libyan entrepreneurs spearheading the project.
But the ad hoc nature of the materials hasn't stopped the plants from thriving, their long white roots nourished by water rich with nutrients and oxygen.
Bechiya and his partner, Mounir, have been working tirelessly on their project for months in the small town of Qouwea, 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, erecting a tunnel-shaped greenhouse surrounded by breeze-block walls on a semi-arid site.
Their hope is to demystify hydroponic farming, which guarantees a good yield in small spaces, uses little water and doesn't need pesticides, 20-year-old Bechiya told AFP.
Soilless farming has gained ground in many countries but is still in its infancy in Libya.
But in a country whose territory is 90 percent arid desert, the method could offer a path toward more food self-sufficiency, Bechiya believes.
- Lack of water -
Agriculture remains a marginal sector in Libya, where the economy is dominated by hydrocarbons, the country boasting the most abundant oil reserves in Africa.
Arable land barely makes up three percent of Libya's territory and is under threat, as rapid urbanisation eats up the fertile strip along the Mediterranean coast.
Another major challenge to farming in Libya is the lack of water where agriculture needs it most.
The Great Man-Made River -- a pharaonic project realised by the toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi more than 30 years ago -- carries drinking water pumped from groundwater tables in the south to the northern cities where most Libyans live.
But this resource is not infinite, and the GMMR's network has been heavily damaged in the decade of conflict that has ravaged Libya since Kadhafi's ouster in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.
In the face of these challenges, Bechiya and Mounir set out to train in hydroponics two years ago in neighbouring Tunisia.
When we came back, it was imperative that we move from theory to practice, Bechiya said.
We started with some vegetables in the house and we were surprised by people's enthusiasm.
- 'Patience' -
In theory, hydroponics can guarantee higher yields and profits than conventional farming, which is at risk from weather, water shortages and pollution from unregulated pesticide use.
With more space in the greenhouse, the idea was able to take off. We will continue to develop it... and improve quality, said Bechiya, as he measured the acidity of the water feeding his young lettuce.
Libyan consumers don't want produce full of pesticides anymore, but organic produce, he added.
While not saturated with pesticides, hydroponic products, poo-pooed as bland by detractors, generally are not labelled organic.
Agronomist Abdelkafi al-Amrouni said the method paves the way toward the introduction of new agricultural techniques in Libya to compensate for water shortages.
There are still obstacles to widespread hydroponic use, however.
It's complicated and very expensive to get supplies in Libya, even as the country tries to turn the page on a decade of chaos, Amrouni said.
Such costs could make the products ultimately prohibitively pricey.
But Bechiya is not deterred.
You have to be patient and believe in your idea, he said.