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:

• Clean energy production from biomass: 1/ Energy: Optimization of anaerobic digestion to produce biogas; production of decarbonized hydrogen; conversion of CO₂ into useful resources. 2/ Biomass valorization: Use of photosynthetic bacteria and microalgae to produce alternative proteins, extract high-value compounds, and develop applications in the agri-food and environmental sectors.
• Alternatives to pesticides for sustainable agriculture: Development of innovative plasma-based seed treatments for decontamination and improvement of sanitary quality, particularly for organic farming, in order to reduce the use of plant protection products.
• Pollutant degradation and purification: Development of innovative processes for the treatment and purification of agricultural water, with assessment of the ecological footprint to minimize environmental impact.
• Targeted detection and intervention: Design and optimization of smart sensors for the early detection of atmospheric pollutants, stress-indicating gases in crops, diseases in certain livestock, and for monitoring pathogens or biocontrol products in the field.
• Characterization and scientific expertise: Advanced expertise in proteomics and microbiology for characterizing microalgae and bacteria, including in extreme environments, with international collaborations (e.g., European Space Agency).
• Life cycle assessment expertise: Support for the eco-design of new products or technologies and evaluation of their environmental impact from production to end-of-life, including circularity diagnostics.