How do you grow food on a small boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? It's a question Miriam Payne and Jess Rowe found themselves asking when preparing to row non-stop from South America to Australia. The answer was a "smart farm" that allowed them to grow their own salad on board their 30ft-long (9.1m) ocean-going rowing boat.
The women made headlines when they completed their epic 8,000-mile (13,000km) journey last month. Just eight days into their gruelling six-month adventure, Miriam and Jess had their first crop of greens ready to harvest. It was a big step forward from the dehydrated food packs they had previously used.
"There really is no substitute for fresh food which is difficult, if not impossible, to come by on our row," Miriam, from Market Weighton explains. "In order to take on the challenge we needed to hit about 5,000 calories per day. The salads were incredible for our physical and mental health."
The smart farm device was developed to grow food in extreme environments and works by inserting paper penetrated with seeds into what the women described as a "waterproof pizza box". It was built to sustain 30ft (9.1m) waves and incorporated a solar-powered fan to cool the crop during hot days. As well as salads, they were able to grow vegetables, including radish and cabbage.
Read more at BBC
