A project called Nemo’s Garden was launched by the Ocean Reef Group as a means to experiment with food supply diversity, should climatic changes make parts of Italy too dry to farm.
The biospheres, which sit eight meters under the surface off the coast of Noli in Liguria, use solar energy for their minimal electrical needs and evaporated seawater condenses on the glass of the ceiling which waters the plants. A diver swims under and up into the air pocket of the pod to harvest what’s ready to eat.
The project website says that increased pressure like that found under the ocean is actually beneficial to the speed at which plants can germinate, though they admit very little research has been published on the topic—after all, not that many people are currently trying to grow strawberries underwater.
The conditions create a really intense flavor in the vegetables and also allow the plants’ environment to be completely controlled, with nothing impacting their life that the growers don’t want.
For now, Nemo’s Garden is essentially a research lab, but if the idea were expanded, it’s expected to be able to reinforce food security for the peninsula and the world.
Read the complete article at www.goodnewsnetwork.org.