Food production needs to increase by 70 per cent in the next 30 years to feed a world population expected to reach 9 billion people, according to a recent study.
However, traditional agriculture is facing increasing scarcity of water due to climate change. Freshwater - what we all drink, wash and cook with - accounts for only 2 per cent of all water on Earth, and we don’t even have access to most of it because it is locked away in glaciers.
In many areas, such as the Sub-Saharan region and the Sub-Indian continent, water is seriously scarce or heavily contaminated.
Even regions famous for their wet weather, such as the UK, are facing droughts due to low rainfall and increased water usage. In 2020, the UK saw only half of the average rainfall it would usually expect. According to the UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, that spring was the fourth driest ever recorded and the driest spring on record in many regions of England and Wales.
That’s why a farm on Scotland's West Coast is using the Atlantic Ocean to grow vegetables instead.
Led by Glasgow-based startup Seawater Solutions they are using saltwater instead of fresh to grow food.
“We take this land, whether it’s degraded farmland or flood-affected lands, and we then build an artificial saltmarsh ecosystem where we can extract food at the same time,” Yanik Nyberg, founder of Seawater Solutions, tells Euronews Green.
“We’ll pump seawater over this area, sometimes we flood it, and then we’ll begin to grow saline plants.”
These crops, called halophytes, thrive in waters with a high percentage of salt such as semi-deserts and seashores.
Halophytes can be eaten or used as raw material for cosmetics, biofuels and sea-plant animal fodder. The salt marshes where they grow protect the coast from flooding and erosion and absorb 30 times more carbon than rainforests do.
As an added benefit, Seawater Solutions reckons farmers who adopt their artificial ecosystems could sell carbon credits for over €2,600 per year for each hectare.
The Dowhill Farm, located in Ayrshire, focuses on species such as samphire and sea aster for food consumption. While these unusual vegetables remain a niche market, they aren’t just selling them to fishmongers or upscale restaurants anymore.
UK supermarket Tesco, which sells samphire during summer months, saw demand skyrocket by 80 per cent in 2016 after the plant was featured on several popular TV cookery shows.
According to Nyberg, this means halophytes can be profitable in Britain, with Dowhill Farm selling produce for €22-32 per kilo with a yield of 20 tonnes per hectare - 10 times as much as they would grow in an open field.
Its artificial salt marshes are powered by off-grid, renewable systems which make it economically viable and environmentally sustainable. euronews - link - Giulia Bottaro - link - more like this (food and drink) - link - more like this (Scotland) - link
However, traditional agriculture is facing increasing scarcity of water due to climate change. Freshwater - what we all drink, wash and cook with - accounts for only 2 per cent of all water on Earth, and we don’t even have access to most of it because it is locked away in glaciers.
In many areas, such as the Sub-Saharan region and the Sub-Indian continent, water is seriously scarce or heavily contaminated.
Even regions famous for their wet weather, such as the UK, are facing droughts due to low rainfall and increased water usage. In 2020, the UK saw only half of the average rainfall it would usually expect. According to the UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, that spring was the fourth driest ever recorded and the driest spring on record in many regions of England and Wales.
That’s why a farm on Scotland's West Coast is using the Atlantic Ocean to grow vegetables instead.
Led by Glasgow-based startup Seawater Solutions they are using saltwater instead of fresh to grow food.
“We take this land, whether it’s degraded farmland or flood-affected lands, and we then build an artificial saltmarsh ecosystem where we can extract food at the same time,” Yanik Nyberg, founder of Seawater Solutions, tells Euronews Green.
“We’ll pump seawater over this area, sometimes we flood it, and then we’ll begin to grow saline plants.”
These crops, called halophytes, thrive in waters with a high percentage of salt such as semi-deserts and seashores.
Halophytes can be eaten or used as raw material for cosmetics, biofuels and sea-plant animal fodder. The salt marshes where they grow protect the coast from flooding and erosion and absorb 30 times more carbon than rainforests do.
As an added benefit, Seawater Solutions reckons farmers who adopt their artificial ecosystems could sell carbon credits for over €2,600 per year for each hectare.
The Dowhill Farm, located in Ayrshire, focuses on species such as samphire and sea aster for food consumption. While these unusual vegetables remain a niche market, they aren’t just selling them to fishmongers or upscale restaurants anymore.
UK supermarket Tesco, which sells samphire during summer months, saw demand skyrocket by 80 per cent in 2016 after the plant was featured on several popular TV cookery shows.
According to Nyberg, this means halophytes can be profitable in Britain, with Dowhill Farm selling produce for €22-32 per kilo with a yield of 20 tonnes per hectare - 10 times as much as they would grow in an open field.
Its artificial salt marshes are powered by off-grid, renewable systems which make it economically viable and environmentally sustainable. euronews - link - Giulia Bottaro - link - more like this (food and drink) - link - more like this (Scotland) - link
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