Wicking bed
A wicking bed is an agricultural irrigation system used in arid countries where water is scarce, devised by Australian inventor Colin Austin. It can be used both in fields as in containers. Besides use in fields/containers outdoors, it can also be used indoors.
The system is designed to increase food production while using approximately 50% less water than traditional irrigation, by utilizing underground water reservoirs filled with decomposing organic matter and the process of evaporation.
Despite being an irrigation system, it still remains relatively low-tech.
There are a number of commercially available wicking bed products including re-cycled plastic wicking "cells" that are reported to when compared to above ground irrigation
