Hodges has already built such a farm in Africa. Political upheaval there shut much of it down in 2003. That's why he's determined to construct a showcase project in North America to demonstrate what's possible.
All he needs now is $35 million. That's where salicornia comes in.
A so-called halophyte, or salt-loving plant, the briny succulent thrives in hellish heat and pitiful soil on little more than a regular dousing of ocean water. Several countries are experimenting with salicornia and other saltwater-tolerant species as sources of food. Known in some restaurants as sea asparagus, salicornia can be eaten fresh or steamed, squeezed into cooking oil or ground into high-protein meal.
Hodges, who now heads the nonprofit Seawater Foundation, plugged salicornia for years as the plant to help end world hunger. Do-gooders applauded. The private sector yawned.
Then oil prices exploded. Hodges saw his shot to lift his fleshy, leafless shrub from obscurity."
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This is a time for vision. Investors aren't laughing at him now.
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- groups:
- Green, Earth and Science, Food
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- tags:
- Green, Earth and Science, Environment, Food, 14 more + add
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- JanforGore
- added this
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That is amazing! Where do I donate!?!?
I'm all for it. What a brilliant man.
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I think this has great potential.
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- JanforGore
- 1 year ago
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Great Story! Thanks!
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Love the innovation and vision for opportunity.
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I never knew. Like the idea of diverting water inland.
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- AkiraChevelle
- 1 year ago
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Wow! The concept of turning the Sahara or Saudi Arabia into centers of agriculture and global salvation is wonderful!
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Our society depends on men like him right now.
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- cerealforeal
- 1 year ago
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...finally some good news.
thank you! -
Interesting. Thanks, JanforGore! I wonder how this salicornia tastes? It's also cool that it can be turned into ethanol without distorting global food markets. :-)
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No doubt, this could be huge. More evidence that earth is bountiful in unimagined ways and that the most dangerously serious obstacle to a more enlightened future is in a lack of imagination.
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Great article Jan and thanks for the link Stopnoise. I love stories about human ingenuity confronted the problems of the world. It’s also great to see NASA back this idea with factual data. For me that’s just another reason why the green movement needs to support the Space program and its earth based science division.
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This is so fascinating, this video explains more of this man's great work. Martin Sheen is narrator.
Thank you Jan, I get a little down reading all the problems in our world. Yet when introduced to innovative work (such as this), my spirits are raised high.
Bless the true ingenious creative minds of our fellow human beings. We have been given free will, we can chose to be part of the solution or we can be part of the problem. Aren't finding solutions fun? smiling!
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wow, great post!
it sounds like he has really thought about it, amazing-
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- googolplexer
- 1 year ago
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What a far thinking individual. What can we do to help?
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- bluestranger
- 1 year ago
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Wow this is brilliant. That stuff is sure tasty, especially pickled.
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- HellaDelicious
- 1 year ago
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So many great ideas out there waiting to be realized.
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More about salicornia
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- JanforGore
- 1 year ago
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Site for Global Seawater. There is a contact link on the site for anyone interested in doing so.
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- JanforGore
- 1 year ago
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I was reading this last night but I was getting ready for bed. This is a great story about this guy. Amazing.
It reminds me of how this swamp was dried up in Israel by bringing in Eucalyptus trees from Australia. The Eucalyptus trees drink lots of water and planting them helped to dry up the swamp, I guess some people would call them wetlands, however I don't know if there was a difference or not.
Anyways, this story reminds me of the other one in that it amazes me how people can find innovative solutions that harness the harsh conditions and turn them into an advantage.
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yes, the epitome of the phrase, 'when life hands you lemons make lemonade.'
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- JanforGore
- 1 year ago
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Of course, my one concern would be that multi nationals seeing this as a cash cow would look to buy it out to exploit it. I surely hope that would not happen.
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- JanforGore
- 1 year ago
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Interesting idea, I'd like to see more!
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Next thing you know they'll turn it into biofuel.
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- damnneargenius
- 1 year ago
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What a concept. Make it happen.
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- MrBigShot21
- 1 year ago
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Sea-water ag would be HUGE because we now have all this new space available to grow food for our ever-growing population. Now that I say that, this seems like a bad thing. We dont want the baby-crazy populous thinking we have even more food for their little DNA Midgets.
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- huffamoose2k
- 1 year ago
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