Bioengineers have proposed using an innovative method to grow food called "electro agriculture," a technology that enables food to grow in the dark and massively reduces energy use.
As Interesting Engineering reported, our rapidly changing climate is making it harder to grow crops efficiently, necessitating technological adaptations to bridge the gap. Traditional agriculture requires tons of resources, such as land, water, and fertilizer, which are under enormous pressure as the population grows.
That's why bioengineers came up with the idea to grow food indoors in the dark to improve efficiency. The IE report explained the process would mimic photosynthesis in plants using a solar-powered chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and water, producing acetate. Genetically engineered plants would then utilize the acetate for energy rather than sunlight, resulting in an efficiency rate four times higher than photosynthesis.
Under normal climate conditions, photosynthesis would be efficient enough to provide food for everyone, even though only 1% of sunlight is transformed into chemical energy. But with rising demand, it's crucial to harness technology so we have plenty of food for the future.
"Since electro-agriculture is not dependent on climate conditions and offers greater efficiency than traditional farming, it could serve as a valuable method for producing supplemental food when necessary," senior author Feng Jiao told IE.
"With global climate change affecting agriculture, innovative food production technologies are becoming increasingly vital to stabilize food markets and support a growing population."
If the electro agriculture method is made commercially available, it could reduce land needed for agriculture by a whopping 94%, the researchers explained in a news release.
Agriculture is a major contributor to our overheating planet, accounting for roughly 10% of total U.S. pollution, per Resources for the Future. Growing food in vertical indoor farms powered by solar power would help reduce heat-trapping gases and free up land for conservation or other purposes.
The key to achieving success with this method is getting the plants to eat acetate instead of consuming sunlight for energy. While bioengineers are still working on reconfiguring plants to eat acetate, we can look to mushrooms, algae, and yeast for encouragement since they already rely on acetate for energy. This means that with more research, the technology to grow other crops using this process could be available on a mass scale sooner than we think.
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The team is currently working on growing lettuce and tomatoes using electro agriculture, but it hopes to produce other nutritious foods, such as cassava, sweet potatoes, and grains in the future.
"We have successfully produced mushrooms entirely from acetate derived from CO2. These mushrooms look and taste just like traditional mushrooms, with no noticeable differences. Other food products are still under development, but they are expected to have a similar taste to conventional options," Jiao told IE.
Vertical ocean farms that produce oysters and clams, and indoor farms that grow fruits and veggies, are becoming an increasingly popular way to bolster our food supplies. One way we can make a difference is by eating more plants and less meat for our health and the planet.
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