Halophytes are edible plants that grow in salty water. They might be among the only products that can survive the salinity crisis plaguing farms across the globe. Now, one West Australian farm is growing the plants commercially and supplying them to some of the top restaurants in the country.
According to the WA government, more than 2 million hectares of Australian farmland is affected by the issue, and half of that land is in West Australia.
"Salt kills everything in its path, it's a really silent killer," one grower said. "It spreads and kills everything in its way whether it's natural vegetation or introduced grasses or cropping."
Around the globe, food watered with salt water is now being touted as a possible solution to feeding the world's growing population. Some of the varieties the business grows include karkalla, samphire, sea purslane, warrigal greens and crystal iceplant.
Source: abc.net.au