really reminds me of the 'tangles' in Anathem (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anathem), based on the same principle of growing mutually supporting foods side-by-side
How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
31–40 of 118 posts
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#32This kind of farmers revolutions crop all the time in history, thanksfully! I'm a bit sceptical about the taste of seaweed having being in Japan already, but of course he is right. Just see the land farmers revolutions, fighting industrial farming with new methods. Organic farming (the "bio" label), sellers collectives, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Previously they had to fight the big mills and banks, now t…
"sceptical about the taste of seaweed having being in Japan..." Thanks for settling that then! Nori is just the start. Kombu, a seaweed, is the basis of most soup broths in Japanese cooking, since it has a savory flavor. It would be surprising if there aren't other untapped delicious seaweeds out there for those of us who are not so set in our ways.
Yes, partially I'm sceptical because the tastes can range from throwing up, disgusting, neutral, faboulous (miso soup).
But on the hand he surely knows what he is doing with a successful 20 acres farm, so I rather believe it tastes good.
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#33This is really cool. Any idea how widespread this method is currently used?
No idea. Sounds almost to good to be true. I presume it needs a continental shelf, which precludes the west coast.
Huh. Well I live in Taiwan and people are always looking for new ways to farm. Wonder if it'd work here! The storm resistance is particularly interesting because they get hit every year here.
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#34> Imagine being a chef in 2015 and discovering that there are thousands of vegetable species you’ve never cooked with. It’s like discovering corn, arugula, tomatoes, and lettuce for the first time.
This struck me as particularly interesting. Corn, arugula, tomatoes and lettuce are all a product of selective breeding. To what extent has this been applied to "sea vegetables" and what might the possibilities look like?
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you solve hunger for the existing population, will it not just expand until scarcity increases again?
No, population has stopped growing in western society (where the vast majority of population has access to food) a long time ago, and the number of children per family have consistently decreased from "many" to ~2 as wealth, food and healthcare has reached developing countries.
The notion r/K selection always comes to my mind, regardless of whether or not this is correct and/or a fair analogy (since humans are generally considered clear K-strategists in general). Still, when a human society develops, it's almost like switching from a "slightly-more-r-ish" strategy to a "slightly-more-K-ish" one, given the higher survival chances of children and also the corresponding higher expenditure of time and resources necessary to prepare then to succeed in their environment.
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#36I was a little worried by the following quote: > New farms are being built in polluted areas like Bridgeport and the Bronx River in order to soak up the nitrogen and carbon, pull out heavy metals, and re-build reefs. They're pulling out the heavy metals. Where do those heavy metals go? Into the food? I limit my intake of certain foods because of their heavy metal contents; do I have to do the same for their seaweeds?
He says that just after your quote: "Instead of harvesting food, these farms harvest ecosystem services." That means they don't sell the production
He also commented on it:
> It’s a good point. We have two types of farms: those that we place in pristine waters that are tested weekly and those that grow in polluted water. These “pollution farms” like in the Bronx river, farm ecosystem services, with none of the crops going into the food system. Key is traceability of our crops.
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#37I was a little worried by the following quote: > New farms are being built in polluted areas like Bridgeport and the Bronx River in order to soak up the nitrogen and carbon, pull out heavy metals, and re-build reefs. They're pulling out the heavy metals. Where do those heavy metals go? Into the food? I limit my intake of certain foods because of their heavy metal contents; do I have to do the same for their seaweeds?
He says that just after your quote: "Instead of harvesting food, these farms harvest ecosystem services." That means they don't sell the production
Hmm, they could if it's to make ethanol!
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#38This sounds like a great idea. I'd also like to see sections of ocean protected like we protect our national parks. No fishing, no motorized boats. Sort of make them "reservoirs" where natural life can be undisturbed.
Human activities are just as much a part of natural life on Earth as any other species'.
It's also a human activity to restrict human activities so that they don't interfere in undesirable ways with non-human activities. All natural of course.
I mean, I'm totally for trashing the environment when we don't need it anymore, but right now it's species-wide suicide.
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#39This kind of farmers revolutions crop all the time in history, thanksfully! I'm a bit sceptical about the taste of seaweed having being in Japan already, but of course he is right. Just see the land farmers revolutions, fighting industrial farming with new methods. Organic farming (the "bio" label), sellers collectives, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Previously they had to fight the big mills and banks, now t…
"sceptical about the taste of seaweed having being in Japan..." Thanks for settling that then! Nori is just the start. Kombu, a seaweed, is the basis of most soup broths in Japanese cooking, since it has a savory flavor. It would be surprising if there aren't other untapped delicious seaweeds out there for those of us who are not so set in our ways.
Re: How an Army of Ocean Farmers Are Starting an Economic Revolution
#40It sounds good, but nothing is zero impact. If an area the size of Washington state could feed the planet, it would imply that the solar energy hitting an area of that size is sufficient to produce all the food the planet needs. It seems unlikely to me, but I admit I haven't done any calculations (I don't even know how big Washington State is). More likely, those farms use "free food" that comes their way via ocean currents? So the effective harvesting area would be much bigger.