Water resources are threatened by climate change and population growth

Scottish startup Seawater Solutions is helping the country's farmers grow salt-resistant plants using seawater

Plants like samphire and sea blite are growing in popularity

A British startup is teaching farmers how to grow crops using water from a source which won’t run out – the sea.

Seawater Solutions is helping farmers on Scotland’s west coast adapt to the reality of less rain by choosing salt-resistant plants and developing saltmarshes - land flooded by tidal waters - for them to grow in.

“These plants can create eco-systems and promote wildlife, but they can also feed us in a sustainable way and return health to the soil,” said Seawater Solutions founder Yanik Nyberg, as he planted sea aster – a flavoursome, wild plant.

The company is working with Jay Crawford, a potato and carrot farmer, to farm an acre of his land previously underused because of its exposure to the sea wind and salt spray.

“We’ve taken a piece of land here that was maybe only going to yield a couple of hundred pounds per year into something that could maybe yield a couple of thousand pounds per year,” he said.

Image: Seawater Solutions

Pipelines running from the sea bring water that recreates the tide and irrigates crops of bright green samphire stalks and sea blite, a herb-like plant that looks like rosemary, as well as aster.

Typically used as gourmet garnishes, the plants are becoming more mainstream and demand is growing by 10% per year, according to Seawater Solutions.

George Chubb of Glasgow greengrocer Roots and Fruits said the plants were really popular because of their “extreme taste” and “eco credentials”.