Several innovations by Qatar Foundation (QF) are being showcased at the ongoing International Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha.
These are solutions for a sustainable future, created and driven from across QF as visitors around the world descend on the first top-tier international cultural exhibition in Qatar and the region.
The space powered by QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University is hosting technology, ideas, projects, and interactive workshops according to an article on the QF website.
Throughout the six-month event, a space within the Family Zone at the Expo site enables visitors to engage with sustainability under the theme of ‘Local Innovations for Global Resilience’ – including examples of sustainable technology, youth-led projects, and opportunities for members of the local, regional, and global community to experience sustainable practices for themselves.
QF presence at the Expo presents to a global audience technologies and ideas to advance sustainability in Qatar, while also having the potential to benefit countries with similar climate challenges.
The space hosts several zones such as : A Horticulture Zone; A Waste to Resources Zone; A Theatre Zone; A Workshops Zone; A Community Farm Zone as well as a Student Exhibition.
The Horticulture Zone features a dynamic greenhouse that reflects Qatar’s research efforts in the field of food sustainability, highlighting the pioneering fields of hydroponics and aquaponics and providing a glimpse into the future of sustainable farming practices. Artificial Intelligence technology will provide the opportunity to engage with QF research surrounding agricultural sustainability, while visitors can explore a green wall – a vertical garden that conserves water, enhances urban greenery, and enriches soil quality – and how contaminated water can be treated to enable it to be used in agriculture.
At the Waste to Resources Zone Doha visitors can learn about how climate change impacts Qatar’s soil and land, and QF’s work on developing innovative solutions to soil degradation, such as Biochar – made from domestic and industrial waste. Over the course of Expo 2023 Doha, this zone will enable people to see firsthand the comparison between plants grown with Biochar, and those grown with natural fertilizer.
Visitors can join interactive talks and workshops led by QF experts at the Theatre Zone with the aim of inspiring people to make sustainability a central part of their daily lives while the Workshops Zone offers interactive, hands-on sessions for children hosted by ‘A Flower Each Spring’, focusing on topics including planting, recycling flowers, and water conservation. These workshops will be available all day, every day, during Expo 2023 Doha, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Community Farm Zone holds workshops where visitors can discover the art of gardening in a desert environment. Members of the community will have the opportunity to manage their own community garden bed.
Finally, the Student Exhibition explores sustainability-focused projects led by QF students, and learn about the journeys of students from HBKU’s College of Science and Engineering who are dedicated to leading sustainable lifestyles. The Education City Gift Shop is also present in this zone, offering a wide variety of merchandise including items created by local artists.
