Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions

ABSTRACT Agriculture in arid regions encounters significant challenges, including water scarcity, poor soil quality and low crop yields. Sandponics, also known as the Integrated Aqua Vegeculture System (IAVS), presents a promising solution by utilizing sand as a sustainable, water‐efficient medium f...

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Main Authors: Chythra Somanathan Nair, Meera Bakheet Hamad Alsudain, Ramya Manoharan, Drishya Nishanth, Radhakrishnan Subramanian, Anicet Manga, Abdul Jaleel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-10-01
Series:Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70033
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author Chythra Somanathan Nair
Meera Bakheet Hamad Alsudain
Ramya Manoharan
Drishya Nishanth
Radhakrishnan Subramanian
Anicet Manga
Abdul Jaleel
author_facet Chythra Somanathan Nair
Meera Bakheet Hamad Alsudain
Ramya Manoharan
Drishya Nishanth
Radhakrishnan Subramanian
Anicet Manga
Abdul Jaleel
author_sort Chythra Somanathan Nair
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Agriculture in arid regions encounters significant challenges, including water scarcity, poor soil quality and low crop yields. Sandponics, also known as the Integrated Aqua Vegeculture System (IAVS), presents a promising solution by utilizing sand as a sustainable, water‐efficient medium for food production. This review explores the potential of sandponics as a scalable, eco‐friendly agricultural practices in arid regions. Sand, being abundant, recyclable and cost‐effective, offers a viable alternative to conventional growth media, making sandponics a practical and resource‐efficient option. The method has demonstrated success in enhancing crop productivity, particularly, in saline environments, while minimizing environmental impact. Sandponics supports food security and land use optimization by transforming challenging conditions into productive agricultural landscapes. Future research should focus on refining sand selection, optimizing nutrient and environmental conditions, managing microbial interactions and scaling up sandponics for broader application, thus advancing their role in sustainable agriculture.
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publishDate 2024-10-01
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spelling doaj-art-e197abe197d94145a9eb934bff42e8432025-08-20T02:51:10ZengWileyJournal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment2767-035X2024-10-0134n/an/a10.1002/sae2.70033Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid RegionsChythra Somanathan Nair0Meera Bakheet Hamad Alsudain1Ramya Manoharan2Drishya Nishanth3Radhakrishnan Subramanian4Anicet Manga5Abdul Jaleel6Department of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine United Arab Emirates University Al Ain United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine United Arab Emirates University Al Ain United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine United Arab Emirates University Al Ain United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine United Arab Emirates University Al Ain United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine United Arab Emirates University Al Ain United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Plant Production and Agronomy, UFR of Agricultural Sciences, Aquaculture and Food Technologies Gaston Berger University Saint‐Louis SenegalDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine United Arab Emirates University Al Ain United Arab EmiratesABSTRACT Agriculture in arid regions encounters significant challenges, including water scarcity, poor soil quality and low crop yields. Sandponics, also known as the Integrated Aqua Vegeculture System (IAVS), presents a promising solution by utilizing sand as a sustainable, water‐efficient medium for food production. This review explores the potential of sandponics as a scalable, eco‐friendly agricultural practices in arid regions. Sand, being abundant, recyclable and cost‐effective, offers a viable alternative to conventional growth media, making sandponics a practical and resource‐efficient option. The method has demonstrated success in enhancing crop productivity, particularly, in saline environments, while minimizing environmental impact. Sandponics supports food security and land use optimization by transforming challenging conditions into productive agricultural landscapes. Future research should focus on refining sand selection, optimizing nutrient and environmental conditions, managing microbial interactions and scaling up sandponics for broader application, thus advancing their role in sustainable agriculture.https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70033eco‐friendly farmingIntegrated Aqua Vegeculturesandponicssustainability
spellingShingle Chythra Somanathan Nair
Meera Bakheet Hamad Alsudain
Ramya Manoharan
Drishya Nishanth
Radhakrishnan Subramanian
Anicet Manga
Abdul Jaleel
Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions
Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
eco‐friendly farming
Integrated Aqua Vegeculture
sandponics
sustainability
title Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions
title_full Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions
title_fullStr Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions
title_full_unstemmed Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions
title_short Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions
title_sort sandponics a sustainable agriculture solution for food security and resource efficiency in arid regions
topic eco‐friendly farming
Integrated Aqua Vegeculture
sandponics
sustainability
url https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70033
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