How many times have you heard that “there is not enough land to feed everyone”? It is a refrain that has accompanied humanity since the times of Malthus, that economist who at the end of the 700th century predicted food catastrophes caused by overpopulation. And yet, here we are, more numerous than ever and (on average) better nourished than at any other time in history. The reason? Human ingenuity continues to amaze us. The latest frontier in sustainable agriculture can take us to the next step: growing without sun.
How? With a system called electro-agriculture (we talked about it here (the first time) which could reduce the need for agricultural land by 94%. If this seems like a lot to you, wait until you find out how it works.
Plants? Let's make them eat
Il underlying concept of future sustainable agriculture is simple but radical: make plants "eat" instead of forcing them to use photosynthesis. The latter, although an evolutionary masterpiece, is rather inefficient from an energy point of view, converting just 1% of sunlight into usable energy.
Electro-agriculture offers an alternative. Solar panels capture solar energy (with an efficiency of up to 20%) and power a chemical process that combines water and carbon dioxide to produce acetate. Genetically modified plants absorb this molecule and use it as nourishment, completely skipping millions of years of evolution to embrace a more efficient system.
I can almost see Darwin's astonished face in front of this evolutionary short circuit, where human intelligence rewrites the rules of the game of life.
Electro-agriculture, a revolution comparable to fertilizers
It is no exaggeration to compare this innovation to the invention of synthetic fertilizers. Before that, many feared that we would never be able to feed a growing population. Then, the introduction of synthetic nitrogen changed everything.
The promise of sustainable acetate-based agriculture is even more ambitious: at a time when deforestation is a major driver of biodiversity loss, clearing farmland for wild nature could have a monumental ecological impact.
Initial trials on lettuce and tomatoes have shown promising results. The challenge now is to replicate this success with calorie-rich crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes, or cereals. If we succeed, the global food system could change dramatically. Estimates say that this system could feed a population of 136 billion: that is 16 times the current one.
Sustainable agriculture without meteorology
One of the most fascinating prospects of electro-agriculture is its independence from climate conditions. Droughts, heat waves and increasingly frequent floods would no longer be a problem. The possibility of growing indoors, year-round and in controlled environments is a paradigm shift.
This approach also allows for precise management of resources: less water, less synthetic fertilizers, virtually no pesticides. And because production can be localized, the carbon footprint of global food transport chains is reduced.
I smile when I think about how different our relationship with food would have been if we had had this technology from the beginning. No more praying for rain, no more worrying about the harvest. Just methodical, predictable, and abundant production.
Sustainable Agriculture, a Whole New Food Ecosystem
It’s not just crops that benefit. Other organisms (fungi, yeast, algae) naturally metabolize acetate and can be grown efficiently with this method, opening up exciting possibilities for producing alternative proteins, biofuels, or even drugs in more sustainable ways.
Food companies are already exploring ways to integrate electro-agriculture into their supply chains, not only to reduce costs, but to prepare their operations for a changing planet.
What was once the stuff of scientific speculation is rapidly becoming reality. Sustainable agriculture may not replace conventional farming overnight, but it offers a glimpse of a future where we grow more, waste less, and stop fearing that the world will one day run out of food. Malthusian catastrophes, for now, can wait.
