Agriculture
Every day, the food we eat connects us to a vast global network involving farmers, traders, processors, distributors and others involved in the food chain, from start to finish. The crucial issues for humanity are centered around this global food system.
The ecological footprint of the global food system is significant. Agriculture occupies almost 40% of the earth's surface, far surpassing all other human activities. What's more, crop irrigation consumes 70% of the water used worldwide, and agriculture contributes directly to around 11% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly attributable to livestock. Expansion of agricultural areas can lead to deforestation, additional GHG emissions and loss of biodiversity.
The OECD lists the three challenges we face: feeding a growing population, providing income for farmers and protecting the environment, and we need to tackle them all at the same time if we are to make sustainable progress on all fronts.
Materia Nova's projects and innovations in this sector focus on two areas:
1/ the production of clean energy from agricultural waste:
- optimizing biogas production,
- the production of ammonia (without CO2) through urine,
- CO2 conversion.
2/ advanced technological solutions to increase production and reduce environmental impact:
- seed treatment
- diagnostic tools - sensors
- water treatment and purification
- measuring environmental impact