Bioengineers have developed a new food production method that allows plants to grow in the dark. The process – electro-agriculture – is reportedly more efficient than photosynthesis and has the potential to enhance sustainability and restore ecosystems.
Biological engineer Robert Jinkerson of the University of California, Riverside, along with electrochemist Feng Jiao of the University of Washington in St. Louis, estimate that the process could reduce the amount of land required for agriculture by as much as 94%.
The method could also be used to grow food in space.
"If we don't need to grow plants with sunlight anymore, then we can decouple agriculture from the environment and grow food in indoor, controlled environments," Jinkerson told ScienceDaily.
Read more at The Food Institute