---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Elvin <marimike6@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 7, 2015 at 2:40 PM
Subject: Seawater farming
To: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
Here's a resource you might want to pass along:
*Seawater farming addresses the severe lack of freshwater and undesirable
soil conditions for agricultural activities in coastal regions. Saltwater,
instead of freshwater, can be used to directly support a wide range of
sustainable agricultural activities and enrich the soils in the coastal
regions.*
There are some problems with it, the author notes. For instance currently
there are no grains or vegetables that can be grown in raw seawater. But
the project does well with salicornia, a.k.a. pickleweed or glasswort. It's
a marsh grass with a remarkable variety of uses.
[image: Inline image]
Funding provided by the Texas Department of Agriculture – Texas/Israel
Exchange Grant Program is being used to evaluate the nutrient removal
capacity of the halophyte *Salicornia*. Also known as glasswort,
pickleweed, and marsh samphire, *Salicornia* thrives under high salinity
conditions. *Salicornia* is an ideal candidate for use in constructed
wetlands, in conjunction with shrimp farming operations, as a nutrient
recovery tool. The seeds from *Salicornia* contain up to 30% vegetable oil
which can be used for production of biofuel as well as for human
consumption. The left over seed meal is high in protein (~ 30%), which can
be used to supplement aquaculture and agricultural feeds. Biomass from the
plant has the potential to produce a number of useful resources including;
sustainable building materials, paper pulp, and cellulosic ethanol.
Unlike other saltwater plants, *Salicornia* accumulates salt in its tissue.
This characteristic could be exploited to serve as a pioneer crop to
remediate soils affected by high salinity, saltwater intrusion, or
contamination from industrial wastewater. *Salicornia* can also be
cultivated in arid coastal regions around the world that are not currently
utilized for agricultural production.
etcetera
Salicornia | Texas A&M Research & Extension Center at Corpus Christi
<http://ccag.tamu.edu/mariculture-flour-bluff/salicornia/>
*AND... *the best part is this. If you just desalinate your seawater a
little bit, it becomes agricultural-grade water for a variety of
salt-tolerant crops. At an order of magnitude less expense than
desalinating water to potable quality. Here's a good solar-thermal system:
There's tons of material on the web about all these topics. Search for
'salt tolerant food plants', 'solar thermal water purification' and similar
terms.
Again, I'm open-source. Feel free to give knowledge away.