| Summary: | The utilization of saline soil and water resources by Saline Agriculture systems is an economical and viable strategy for meeting the rising demand for global food. However, despite vast experiences in research and commercial accomplishments, Saline Agriculture have still not played a key role in the extension of sustainable agriculture in saline areas. This could be due to an insufficient devotion to the holistic needs (food, water and energy) of local societies in salt-affected regions. Consequently, Haloculture was developed as a new Saline Agriculture technology, which is defined as the sustainable production of biological and non-biological products in saline environments. The main objective of this paper is to describe and discuss Haloculture in the context of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEFN). This technology integrates engineering tools and sciences referred to as Haloengineering with agricultural sciences to meet the holistic needs of human societies in salt-affected areas. Haloengineering attempts to produce water and energy by exploitation the inherent potentials of saline ecosystems. Haloculture tries to sustainably exploit the services and potentials of saline environments for the production of food, water and energy. It conforms to the contexts of WEFN, and promotes water and energy securities along with food security. Therefore, Haloculture can be a viable strategy for sustainable rural development in saline regions.
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