In a small green oasis outside Tripoli, 24-year-old Abdallah Elfandi is defying Libya’s harsh climate with an innovative approach to agriculture. His aquaponics farm, HydroHarvest, is a closed-loop system where fish and plants thrive together in water —not soil. As Libya grapples with extreme heat, prolonged droughts, and a failing irrigation infrastructure, Elfandi is proving that sustainable, water-efficient farming is not only possible, but necessary.

Aquaponics: an alternative to traditional farming

Libya’s traditional farmers, like Mohamed Al Zawawi, face a bleak future. Once able to fill four trucks with chard and pomegranates, Al Zawawi now struggles to fill even one. With aging water networks and little government support, he is calling for investment in desalination to keep farming viable. In stark contrast, Elfandi’s aquaponics system recycles water between fish tanks and floating vegetable beds, using nutrients from tilapia waste to feed crops like lettuce, mint, and kale. His farm operates pesticide-free and produces both organic vegetables and fish with minimal resource use — an ideal model for arid regions.

A blueprint for food security amid climate change in Libya

Backed by a €20,000 EU grant, Elfandi is already seeing success and is keen to share his methods. He’s added Azolla, a protein-rich aquatic plant, to his system to curb evaporation and feed his fish. With a growing customer base and a passion for food security, Elfandi sees his work as a blueprint for others. "Change is coming," he says. Even traditional farmers like Al Zawawi are now exploring hydroponics. In a country where climate change is rewriting the rules of farming, innovation like Elfandi’s isn’t just welcome—it’s essential.