Jordanian farm owner plants seeds of food sustainability using Dutch bucket

AMMAN — A Jordanian man has transformed his father’s abandoned nursery in west Amman into a family-run food sustainability project with the aid of the Dutch bucket system.  

Dutch bucket is a hydroponic system that uses two or more connected containers for growing plants indoors. “The whole idea of the system is that it is water efficient,” said Abdullah Mahmoud. 

Furthermore, the system leaves zero water waste. “The system exists in a greenhouse, where there’s no direct sunlight so water doesn’t evaporate. Furthermore, all the excess water used for irrigation is treated with natural elements and then reused,” he added. 

“I decided to invest in this old plant nursery to ensure food sustainability, especially with the ongoing poultry, vegetable and grain price increases,” Mahmoud, 43, told The Jordan Times

Mahmoud aims to secure his household’s food needs by growing all the produce they consume throughout the year.

“I’m currently growing peppers, tomatoes, okra, green leaves and mangos, passion fruit, and many more,” he added.

He said that his 50-bucket system cost him just under JD1,000.

According to Mahmoud this system is expected to meet food needs of three households. 

A plant is grown in each of the buckets, he said, noting that the main advantage of Dutch buckets is that plants grow vertically.

He noted that the Dutch bucket system allows plants to be scaled to virtually any size.

Mahmoud said that a greenhouse already existed in the nursery before the project, which according to Mahmoud is the major expense when it comes to hydroponics.

Alongside his nursery, Mahmoud is also small-scale livestock farmer.

He said that he has over 30 chickens, and a total of 25 pigeons and four rabbits.

“I haven’t bought eggs in over two years,” said Mahmoud.

“It costs around JD100 a month to buy feed for all the animals I have,” he added.

He stressed that he feeds his livestock with the best feed available at the market.

“I ensure my kids are having a chemical-free meal,” said Mahmoud.

“I also ensure my livestock animals live in a humane way without any dangerous practices such as the use of growth hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics,” he added.