Picture: Glacier Media
Should you’ve seen The Martian, you’ll know that Matt Damon survived 543 Mars days by rising potatoes within the native soil, fertilized together with his personal poop.
“That in all probability wouldn’t work,” says Gavin Schneider, vice-president of agronomy at Ecoation Modern Options.
The North Vancouver-based agency – recognized for constructing synthetic intelligence techniques that improve effectivity of meals manufacturing – is growing new know-how for astronauts to farm nutritious and engaging meals on long-term house missions.
On Thursday, judges from the Canadian House Company visited Ecoation to guage the agency’s rising system as a part of the Deep House Meals Problem, which is awarding greater than half-a-million {dollars} in funding to finalists. In the meantime, NASA is evaluating U.S. firms within the stateside portion of the competition.
Presently, a bunch of top-10 Canadian semi-finalists are preventing for 4 finalist spots. The winners, which will likely be introduced this spring, will take residence $100,000 every. Subsequent yr, a grand prize of $380,000 will likely be awarded to the highest agency.
To boldly develop the place no plant has earlier than, Ecoation has developed CanGrow, which is designed to complement astronaut’s food regimen a three-year mission to the Moon or Mars.
“What we constructed is an indoor meals manufacturing system that grows every little thing from tomatoes to mycelium,” Schneider stated.
CanGrow is a modular rising system of tubes, trays, sensors, lights and carbon dioxide tanks designed to maximise meals manufacturing with minimal enter. Air that’s fed to crops, additionally cools LED lights. A big portion of the greywater from watering the crops is recycled again into the system.
Whereas a giant portion of the competition is creating environment friendly know-how, one other is the meals itself. A number of the rivals are focusing solely on algae, others are rising black soldier flies.
“However the underlying part that goes into all meals is style,” Schneider defined. “If it doesn’t style good, you’re not going to eat it. In order that’s why we’ve chosen issues like tremendous candy tomatoes.”
They’re additionally rising radishes for a spike of flavour, and mycelium – basically the basis construction of mushrooms – for savoury flavour and texture that folks wish to chew.
One other a part of the standards that hits nearer to house is the potential software of techniques like these in distant areas on earth.
“The true intention of this system is to develop and speed up meals functions that might be used for terrestrial functions right here on earth,” Scheider stated. “To feed refugee camps, to make use of one of these system together with common area agriculture as nicely, or you possibly can do propagation of the crops to hurry up the quantity of meals that you would be able to develop.”
It may even be utilized in city settings, in line with Ecoation CEO Saber Miresmailli.
“The issue with city farming and homegrown meals is the truth that the amount that you would be able to produce is simply too small. And the rationale monoculture in agriculture may be very profitable is as a result of they will do massive volumes,” he stated.
The modular nature of this technique means you possibly can theoretically stack a whole bunch of those rising cabinets, functionally changing a metropolis constructing right into a farm.
“I believe a apply like this may really make city farming way more actual than what’s it proper now,” Miresmailli stated.
