Casa do Sal da Figueira da Foz

Seawater Farms Eritrea is unlike any farm ever built

Eritrea Aerial Construction began with a huge channel from the Red Sea. This saltwater river, wide enough for small boats, runs onto the land, providing water to the land-based brick and concrete circles in which we raise our shrimp, fills the three salt lakes that hold the bulk of our fish, nurtures the thousands of mangroves that will shade its shores, irrigates our field crops, and drains, finally, into a sea garden park. This park, forested by several varieties of mangroves, shelters innumerable species of flora and fauna; herons, flamingos, and other shorebirds, marine animals of many kinds, and even allows domesticated animals, like goats and camels, a place to graze.

Shrimp Harvest From the sea garden, the water slowly percolates through the soil on its sub-surface return to the sea, as clean or cleaner than it was before. This cycle of use guarantees that the sea will not be fouled by farm wastes, and that the waters offshore remain clean.

The innovative design of the farm enhances the
environment in many ways

By eventually planting hundreds of thousands of hectares of field crops, we will be greening a substantial portion of coastal desert. By planting millions of new mangrove trees, we will be creating new mangrove forests. Both fields and forests will absorb immense amounts of atmospheric carbon, helping to lessen global warming. The newly green fields and forests will also create new micro-climates, making the surrounding area more livable and more attractive to tourism.

Goats Feeding Nothing here is wasted. The bricks used to construct our shrimp circles are made here on the farm. So is the food we give our shrimp. Our feed mill also makes feed for chickens, goats, cattle and camels, which is much needed in Eritrea. Wastes from the fish and shrimp help to fertilize our field crops. After the fish are filleted, their skins are tanned for leather and their bones and innards go into the shrimp food. One of our principal field crops, Salicornia, provides a gourmet vegetable from its young shoots. The mature plant provides seeds that produce a fine edible oil and a high protein meal. There is also a large amount of biomass which can be used, along with other seawater-irrigated crops we grow, for animal fodder, particle board, and fire bricks. Combinations of Salicornia straw and meal with fish and shrimp meal provide a complete feeding regimen for most domestic

We expect this first commercial-scale integrated seawater farm and its associated research facilities and industries to be a magnet for eco-tourism, for academic study, and for itnerested government and agribusiness officials from all over the world. Accordingly, we have a visitors' center, a Seafalls Restaurant, and plan a luxury Sea Garden Hotel. Guided boat tours will traverse the entire expanse of the farm, and opportunities will be afforded for close observation of our technology and direct discussions with our agronomists and aquaculturists.