The history of agriculture is one of continuous evolution, from the wooden plow to agricultural drones. But now we are faced with something completely different. A team of bioengineers has developed a system that could make photosynthesis itself obsolete. It is an agricultural technology that challenges everything we know about plant breeding, promising to producing food on 94% less land and in complete darkness.
A question of agricultural efficiency
La photosynthesis, the fundamental process that has sustained life on Earth for billions of years, has a surprising open secret: it is remarkably inefficient. Only 1% of the light energy a plant absorbs is actually converted into chemical energy. This fact has prompted researchers to look for more efficient alternatives. Bioengineers of the University of California, Riverside and Washington University in St. Louis they proposed an innovative approach: theelectro-agriculture. Their work, published in the journal Joule (I link it here), presents a system that reaches an efficiency of 4%, four times higher than natural photosynthesis.
“If we no longer need to grow plants with sunlight, we can separate agriculture from the environment and grow food in controlled indoor environments,” he explains. Robert Jinkerson, biological engineer of theUniversity of California.
Acetate as a new nutrient
The heart of this agricultural technology is theacetate, a molecule similar to the acetic acid found in vinegar. Solar panels fuel a chemical reaction between CO2 and water to produce this compound, which becomes the main food for plants. Plants are genetically modified to “wake up” a metabolic pathway that they normally use only during germination, when they feed on the reserves contained in seeds. Feng Jiao, electrochemical of the Washington University, is working to optimize this process.
This approach doesn’t just work for plants: fungi, yeasts, and algae already use acetate as an energy source.

The potential risks of electro-agriculture
Every innovation brings with it challenges that must be carefully considered. In the case of electro-agriculture, we must evaluate the long-term effects of genetic modification on plants and theimpact on agricultural biodiversity. There is also a question of resilience: Concentrating food production in centralized vertical structures could make us more vulnerable to technological or energy disruptions.
Another aspect not to be underestimated is theaccess to this technology: could create an even wider gap between advanced agriculture and traditional, influencing the economy of rural communities that depend on conventional agriculture. The challenge will be to find a balance between innovation and the preservation of traditional agricultural practices. It seems important to me to underline that, despite the significant benefits promised, We will have to proceed with caution and carefully evaluate the effects of this transformation on our food system.
The future prospects of agriculture
Researchers are focusing their initial efforts on tomatoes e lettuce, but the goal is to extend this agricultural technique to high-calorie crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes e cereals. Currently, modified plants can utilize acetate along with traditional photosynthesis. The final goal, as mentioned, is even more ambitious: create plants that can grow completely in the dark, using only acetate as an energy source.
“For plants we are still in the research and development phase,” he admits. Jinkerson. “But fungi, yeasts and algae can already be grown this way today, so I think these applications could be commercialized first.”
Agricultural Turn 2.0, From Land to Space
One of the most exciting aspects of this agricultural innovation is its potential application in space. The ability to grow food in controlled environments, independent of sunlight, opens up new prospects for future space missions. Electro-agriculture could transform agricultural fields into multi-story buildings, where food is produced in a controlled and efficient way. This is a significant change in our relationship with food production.
The team continues to refine the acetate production system, seeking to further increase its efficiency. As he notes jiao: “This is just the first step for this research: its efficiency and costs could improve significantly in the near future.”