Phil Cruver | Fighting the food and fertiliser crisis

The May 20 issue of The Economist forecasted a foreboding future of mass hunger and malnutrition from a battered global food system dependent on wheat from Russia and Ukraine. Together, these two countries produce nearly 30 per cent of the world’s traded wheat where 26 countries around the world get more than half their supplies.

Further, these two countries, along with Russia’s sanctioned ally Belarus, also supply vast amounts of fertiliser, and continued disruption could set off an agricultural time bomb leading to a global food catastrophe. Food and fertiliser prices were at record highs even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and now a confluence of factors driven by the skyrocketing price of natural gas is setting a perfect storm for food scarcity.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently has redoubled its commitment to development assistance by announcing more than $750 million in new funding to address the global food security emergency, malnutrition, and agricultural development. Much of this funding will be provided to African nations, where price shocks and rampant inflation resulting from Mr Putin’s war are having devastating affects on food security. USAID is seeking private sector solutions to scale access to, and availability of, agricultural inputs, technologies, and food, in response to the shocks from the ongoing war.

Could there be a silver lining in this gloomy cloud leading to more sustainable global food security in the future by farming the sea? Consider that ocean seaplant (seaweed) crops provide beneficial ecosystem services, do not require precious freshwater or land usage, and are a renewable resource not requiring fertiliser. Seaplants also absorb carbon dioxide and mitigate ocean acidification - the evil twins of climate change.

FIGHTING FAMINE IN AFRICA

KZO Sea Farms Africa (KSFA) was formed to develop a Seaplant and Shellfish Mariculture Industry in ocean waters offshore African coastal nations for mitigating food shortages and malnutrition while also creating much-needed jobs. KSFA also intends to establish export markets for African sustainable seafood products and develop decarbonisation strategies for combating climate change.

A pilot project in the Republic of Gabon is underway to de-risk the development of a commercial seaplant and shellfish industry and serve as the showcase for scaling to the other 37 African coastal nations. It will also provide the model for Africa becoming a major producer of seaplants and shellfish for feeding local populations and generating foreign exchange from exports. Countries currently under discussion include Senegal, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Liberia, Tunisia, as well as with current seaplant concession holders in Mozambique and Zanzibar.

While the farming of seaplants and shellfish is not a new concept, KSFA’s innovative Submersible Farming Platform, employing Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), introduces transformative technology to the mariculture industry. IMTA polyculture encourages greater environmental stewardship for increasing the economic and environmental benefits provided by sustainable marine crops. It is based on the concept of recycling nutrients and efficient nutrient utilisation. Instead of growing only one species (monoculture), it mimics a natural ecosystem by combining the farming of multiple, complementary species from different levels of the food chain.

SEAPLANT AND MUSSEL NUTRITION

Seaplants have 92 of the 102 essential minerals required for strengthening human immune systems for healthy living. They are anti-inflammatory, improve thyroid functions, and have 28 times more iron than liver. Seaplants contain beta-carotene and antioxidants to fight and repair free radical damage and are a good source of vitamin E. Mussels are one of the planet’s most perfect food.

They are extremely high in protein, calcium and iron, an excellent source of selenium and Vitamin B12, and a super source of zinc and folic acid, while low in fat and calories. Mussels also pack a high amount of omega-3s, the naturally occurring fatty acid that lowers blood pressure. According to the USDA, a 3.5-ounce portion of mussel meat contains 95 calories, 14.4 grams of protein and 2.2 grams of fat. By contrast, a T-bone steak contains 395 calories, 14.7 grams of protein, and 37.1 grams of fat.

SEAPLANT FERTILISER

Seaplant biomass can be converted into hydrochar with Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) technology to serve as a soil amendment and substitution for fertiliser with liquid urea which is produced during the HTC process and contains 46 per cent nitrogen. Seaplant hydrochar also lowers the environmental cost of fossil-based nitrogen and supplement dwindling phosphate reserves. HTC, or wet pyrolysis, is a relatively new process that treats biomass with hot compressed water instead of drying, which offers several advantages for processing wet feedstock such as seaplants.

The product, called hydrochar, is a valuable resource for soil conditioning and carbon storage and can achieve up to 95 per cent carbon efficiency in a matter of hours using mild temperatures and pressure for recovery of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) the key elements in fertiliser. Seaplant fertiliser produced by HTC has the potential to help foster a sustainable Green Revolution for fighting famine and malnutrition.

OFFSHORE MARICULTURE

The above African venture could be emulated throughout the Caribbean for filling the food and fertiliser gap and meeting the region’s decarbonisation goals. There are thousands of companies seeking investments to meet their decarbonisation pledges that could be incentivised to invest in developing a sustainable Caribbean Offshore Mariculture Industry based upon the potential extraordinary ‘Carbon Farming’ capability of sustainable seaplants and shellfish. The Voluntary Credit Market (VCM) reached US$2 billion in 2021 and Blue Carbon Credits are in high demand. Furthermore, there is potential for a Blue Carbon Bond, as is being pioneered by the Bahamas, for funding solutions for the food and fertiliser crisis.

 Phil Cruver is president of KZO Sea Farms based in San Pedro, California. Send feedback to pcruver@kzoseafarms.com.