Photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables almost all life on Earth, is extremely inefficient at capturing energy -- only around 1% of light energy that a plant absorbs is converted into chemical energy within the plant. Bioengineers propose a radical new method of food production that they call 'electro-agriculture.' The method essentially replaces photosynthesis with a solar-powered chemical reaction that more efficiently converts CO2 into an organic molecule that plants would be genetically engineered to 'eat.' The researchers estimate that if all food in the US were produced using electro-agriculture, it would reduce the amount of land needed for agriculture by 94%. The method could also be used to grow food in space.
A field costs next to nothing to use. Setting up and maintaining a vertical farming setup already is not competitive. Add another layer of complexity with DNA engineering etc. and how exactly is it suddenly supposed to be competitive?
The nonsense 94 % number can go right down the toilet. If I plant my stuff on the side of a building it needs no space at all. If I put the vertical farming flat on the ground it’s a bit less. If I put it in the highest possible building or underground it’s essentially zero again. The number is useless because it is arbitrary.
A field costs next to nothing to use. Setting up and maintaining a vertical farming setup already is not competitive. Add another layer of complexity with DNA engineering etc. and how exactly is it suddenly supposed to be competitive?
The nonsense 94 % number can go right down the toilet. If I plant my stuff on the side of a building it needs no space at all. If I put the vertical farming flat on the ground it’s a bit less. If I put it in the highest possible building or underground it’s essentially zero again. The number is useless because it is arbitrary.