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onshore-algae-farms-could-be-‘breadbasket-for-global-south’

陆地藻类农场可能成为“全球南方的粮仓”

Onshore algae farms could be ‘breadbasket for Global South’

New research describes how growing algae onshore could close a projected gap in society’s future nutritional demands while also improving environmental sustainability.

一项新的研究描述了在陆地上种植藻类如何缩小社会未来营养需求的预期差距,同时提高环境的可持续性。

“We have an opportunity to grow food that is highly nutritious, fast-growing, and we can do it in environments where we’re not competing for other uses,” said Charles Greene, professor emeritus of earth and atmospheric sciences and the paper’s senior author. “And because we’re growing it in relatively enclosed and controlled facilities, we don’t have the same kind of environmental impacts.”

“我们有机会种植高营养、快速生长的食物,而且我们可以在不竞争其他用途的环境中种植,”地球和大气科学名誉教授、该论文的第一作者查尔斯·格林(Charles Greene)说。“因为我们是在相对封闭和受控的设施中种植,所以不会产生同样的环境影响。”

Even as the Earth’s population grows in the coming decades, climate change, limited arable land, lack of freshwater and environmental degradation will all constrain the amount of food that can be grown, according to the paper.

该论文指出,即使在未来几十年地球人口增长的同时,气候变化、耕地有限、淡水缺乏和环境退化都将限制可种植的食物数量。

“We just can’t meet our goals with the way we currently produce food and our dependence on terrestrial agriculture,” Greene said.

“以我们目前生产粮食的方式和对陆地农业的依赖,我们根本无法实现我们的目标,”格林说。

With wild fish stocks already heavily exploited, and with constraints on marine finfish, shellfish, and seaweed aquaculture in the coastal ocean, Greene and colleagues argue for growing algae in onshore aquaculture facilities. GIS-based models predict yields based on annual sunlight, topography, and other environmental and logistical factors. The model results reveal that the best locations for onshore algae farming facilities lie along the coasts of the Global South, including desert environments.

由于野生鱼类资源已经被大量开发,加之沿海海洋中海洋鳍鱼、贝类和海藻养殖受到限制,格林和他的同事主张在岸上养殖设施中种植藻类。基于GIS的模型根据每年的日照、地形以及其他环境和物流因素预测产量。模型结果显示,陆地藻类种植设施的最佳地点位于全球南部海岸,包括沙漠环境。

“Algae can actually become the breadbasket for the Global South,” Greene said. “In that narrow strip of land, we can produce more than all the protein that the world will need.”

“藻类实际上可以成为全球南方的粮仓,”格林说。“在这片狭长的土地上,我们可以生产出超过世界所需的所有蛋白质。”

Along with high protein content, the researchers noted that algae provide nutrients lacking in vegetarian diets, such as essential amino acids and minerals found in meat and omega-3 fatty acids often sourced in fish and seafood.

研究人员注意到,除了蛋白质含量高之外,藻类还提供素食饮食中缺乏的营养物质,比如肉类中存在的必需氨基酸和矿物质,以及鱼和海鲜中经常含有的omega-3脂肪酸。

Algae, which grow 10 times faster than traditional crops, can be produced in a manner that is more efficient than agriculture in its use of nutrients. For example, when farmers add nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers to grow terrestrial crops, about half runs off fields and pollutes waterways. With algae grown in enclosed facilities, excess nutrients can be captured and reused.

藻类的生长速度是传统作物的10倍,可以以一种比农业更有效地利用营养的方式生产藻类。例如,当农民在种植陆地作物时添加氮和磷肥料时,约有一半会流出农田并污染水道。藻类生长在封闭的设施中,多余的营养物质可以被捕获和再利用。

Read more at ScienceDaily.com

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