The world is running out of farmable lands. As the planet’s population continues to increase, the need to find creative and sustainable ways to produce more food is more urgent than ever. GreenWave is pioneering a solution that could change everything.
By 2050, it’s estimated that we’ll need to produce 70% more food than we already are to sustain a projected population of around two billion people.
The only problem with that?
We’re already struggling to keep up as it is. Conventional agricultural methods have been stripping the soil of its nutrients and overtaxing the land for decades. Our food is getting harder to grow, less nutrient-dense, and on top of it all, we’re running out of room to grow it. A problem like this is so daunting it can bring out the doomsdayer in anyone. How do we even begin to increase our food production that much, when we can’t keep up with the nutritional needs of the planet to begin with?
We don’t do whining here. We don’t do hopelessness or Negative Nancies or fear-mongering. At Avocado Green Magazine, we’re optimists, because we see some of the brightest minds in the world coming together to solve ALL of the world’s problems every single day.
And someone is already working on this.
The Ocean Farms of the Future — Meet GreenWave
Ocean-based farming has been getting a lot of attention lately, and there’s a group of innovators who have turned it into a working business model that’s farmer-ready and could solve the impending food shortage problem.
GreenWave is a non-profit that supports a new generation of ocean farmers. They pioneered 3D Ocean Farming – a farming model that grows high yields of seaweed and shellfish using the whole water column with a small footprint.
This simple concept has gained a lot of traction, and now the company is looking for farmers who want to start growing the food of the future to get on board. The products from these farms can be used for food, fertilizer, and even animal feed
Studies done at UC Davis (and beyond!) show that adding just 1% of seaweed to animal fodder has the potential to reduce methane production by a whopping 58%.
Turn Anxiety Into Action — Here’s How You Can Help
Look, it’s only scary if there’s no way to fix it, but you guys, we CAN fix this problem. There are tons of solutions, and if everyone jumps on board, we can make sure there’s more than enough food to go around for people and animals in the next few decades.
So roll up your sleeves and put your game faces on because we have some food to make. Here’s how you can help:
#1 – Reduce Your Own Food Waste
Aside from growing food more sustainably, food waste is a HUGE (and embarrassing) part of the global food shortage problem. But the really embarrassing part?
Grocery stores are only partly to blame. According to a report from Business Insider, consumers waste twice as much food as grocery stores in the United States.
So eat your vegetables, cook what you buy before it goes bad, and see where you can reduce food waste in your own kitchen to reduce the strain on farmers.
#2 – Start a Restorative Ocean Farm
Who knew farming could be a marine-based business?
If you love the ocean and have entrepreneurial ambitions, a restorative ocean farm could be your next big career move. With just $20k in startup money, 20 acres, and a boat, you could have your own operation up and producing food in less than a year.
…Or Spread the Word to Your Entrepreneurial Friends
Business isn’t for the faint of heart, but everyone knows somebody who’s always looking for the next big thing. Put the word out about GreenWave to people in your network by sharing their website on social media. Then tag your entrepreneurial friends in the post and tell them to get on board with the food production of the future.
Even if they don’t have the capital to invest, chances are they have a network that does.
#3 – Collaborate to Improve the Project
Projects like GreenWave are almost always exercises in experimentation, improvement, and repeating that cycle again and again until it works. There’s ALWAYS room for improvement with something so new, and GreenWave welcomes complementary innovators and bright minds to work with them.
If you have a brand, product, or service you think could help to advance the project, reach out to them to get the conversation started.
#4 – Donate to GreenWave
With a project this new, donations and funding are a big part of how it gets off the ground. If you can’t invest in starting your own restorative ocean farm, you can help support them by donating to continue to fund the project’s development.
#5 – Host a GreenWave Party
We’ve all been to some kind of direct sales party at least once, but have you ever been to a party designed to spread awareness about something like THIS?
I think it’s a really cool idea. You invite some friends over, serve them some pasture-raised devilled eggs and local wine, and tell them all about this cool project.
Spread the word, pass the wine, and do it in a way that’s actually fun and gets like minds together for a great time.
Do you grow your own food or are you interested in marine farming? Share with us on Facebook and Instagram and tag us in the post — @AvocadoMattress and @GreenWaveOrg!
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