NXplorers students in Qatar Science & Technology School for Boys, in Doha, wanted to find a way to grow more crops in their country’s inhospitable soil. So, they reimagined magnetic forces to develop a solution that would reduce the acidity of native soil and give Qatar the opportunity to become more self-sufficient as an economy.

The team undertook an analysis of farming techniques in the country and used NXthinking tools like the Connection Circle and the Feasibility Funnel to identify technologies that could support their ambition.

They identified that by passing water through a permanent magnet they could create magnetized water that would drain sodium from the soil, reducing its acidity and making the soil more fertile and able to retain water.