Man has been driving through the desert for a while, down the only road to this remote part of Israel, when finally, a side road turns, and you suddenly find yourself in front of a kind of Japanese temple. A wooden tower with curved gables and golden ornaments. Behind them, tin barracks, left and right long oval saltwater pools.
The buildings are marked with Japanese characters. A crust of salt covers the area. This dystopian oasis in Israel’s Arava Desert could have sprung from a scene from the sci-fi movie Blade Runner. It also dates from the 1980s – and yet shows what the future could look like.
The company Nature Beta Technologies operates the oldest algae farm in Israel here, near the resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea. It is owned by a Japanese parent company that has dietary supplements manufactured in Israel. Special: Capsules from the Dunaliella bradawl algae species, which is particularly rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Among other things, it is said to have anti-cancer properties.
Algae are considered a so-called superfood: they contain large amounts of protein, minerals, and vitamins, which makes them unusually nutritious. They grow fast and can be grown sustainably as they don’t need drinking water, pesticides, or arable land. And they can be produced where nothing else grows: in the desert. Algae are, therefore, of particular importance for the nutrition of the future.
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