b'THE RISK CORNER BY: DAVID ZARUKSALTWATER FARMING: REDEFINING AGRICULTURET he future of farming has become an(RAS) system introduced salt-tolerantcreate opportunities for multi-crop-important discussion topic over thespecies and ecologies onto degraded landping as well as the development of last decade. Agriculture has beento restore the ecosystems while producingestablished hydroponics and aqua-associated with climate change, soil andvaluable agricultural products. At the sameculture techniques.water degradation, yield declines, biodiver- time, they are stopping coastal erosion andThis is an enormous opportunity: sity loss and health issues, so regulations indeveloping carbon sinks. unlimited water, unused and degraded Europe and elsewhere have become restric- There are over 40 saltwater plants thatland often in regions in need of economic tive and near breaking point. More criti- can be grown via low-input aquaculturedevelopment. At a time of rising sea levels, cal, many developing countries are facingproviding edible salt-tolerant products.droughts, competition for fresh water and groundwater declines, droughts, degradedLooking at how these crops can be grown,salinisation of water tables, there is a real coastal regions, rising sea levels and foodproducing everything from super-foods likeneed to redefine agriculture. What is lacking security issues. samphire to livestock feed, from cosmeticsis a mindset changeof what farming is and I will not get into the numbers gameto biofuels, from oyster to mussel aquacul- what it can become.on the amount of land degraded by farm- tures, I began to realise that there is a world ing or how much land is needed to feed thefor plant breeders to discover and developTHINK DIFFERENTLYworld. It is safe to say that a large globalhere. With the proper development, theThe future of farming is not etched in the population lives in vulnerable situationssaltwater farming techniques can also bestones of tradition. As the world faces along coastlines that are being damaged byapplied to regions suffering from deserti- increasing crises, harder decisions will need erosion and rising sea levels. It is furtherfication. to be made and, like it or not, agriculture safe to say that agriculture yields will needwill be at the forefront of that rethink. I fear to increase, on less land while facing waterSUSTAINABLE HEAD STARTSshifting narratives and reactive regulations issues in many warming climates.Before seed breeders develop more efficientwill mean that industry will be playing a What hasnt been said is that agricul- saltwater plants, there are already signifi- lesser role in developing agricultural inno-ture needs to be redefined. cant sustainable advantages to this type ofvations while more endowed foundations We have a definition of agriculture thatagriculture: and aid agencies will lead the next farming has not changed much since Biblical times. Some of the halophyte species alreadyrevolutions in the South. Farmers clear the land, plant the seeds andbeing harvested are perennials. TheirPrivately funded research institutes in harvest crops for human or livestock con- roots continue to grow and storedeveloping countries will be creating local sumption. However, there is a movementcarbon in the soil while combattingsolutions to regional challenges. In other toward extending our conception of agri- erosion.words, saltwater farming will be one of culture to include saltwater farming, par-Conventional farm machinery canthe main research focuses for plant breed- ticularly in degraded and vulnerable coastaloperate with slight adaptions to har- ers. What researchers do today will set the regions. The potential to restore wetlands andvest the growth from such perennialsroadmap for tomorrow.improve resilience to climate and biodiversityup to four times a year, with no needSo, this is my call to the seed breeding threats while increasing agricultural outputfor tillage.community. There is a world of opportunityand developing impoverished coastal com-The saltwater acts as a natural pesti- to be developed in designing plants for salt-munities seems like a clear win on all sides. cide and with the nutrients from thewater farmers; a world of solutions to many The seed breeding community needs tosea coming in with the tides, there isof the environmental threats that will dog consider saltwater farming as an importantlittle need for fertilizer, and no irri- humanity for the next century. But in this element in the future of farming and seekgation issues.changing landscape, one constant remains: opportunities to develop plants and crops The restoration of marshlands, riverIt all starts with a seed.that will thrive in this agricultural revolution. deltas, mangroves, estuaries, coastal I was attracted to this counterintu- wetlands and desertified regions cre- David Zaruk is a professor based in Brussels itive approach after being introduced toates the opportunity for a return ofwriting on environmental-health risk policy an organisation called Seawater Solutions.biodiversity, wildlife populations andwithin the EU Bubble. He writes a blog under https://seawatersolutions.org/about-us/migratory habitats. the name: The Risk-Monger.Their Regenerative Seawater AgricultureThe variations in coastal land use NOVEMBER 2024|SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 31'