Nadun Hennayaka is Founder and CEO of Gaia Project Australia Pty Ltd. Gaia Project Australia develops and applies advanced technologies, such as machine learning, to produce sustainable food cultivation technologies. The company has produced one of the most efficient leafy-green cultivation solutions on the planet with increased yields by over 40% and drawing the attention of NASA.
Our Future Food Security: Time to Take Control
By Nadun Hennayaka
Technological advancements for the space industry have delivered wider innovative solutions to humanity for nearly 75 years. Now Controlled Environment Agriculture is handing Australia a socio-economic opportunity on a platter.
Space missions have long required innovative solutions that have proven valuable here on Earth too e.g., microwave and digital cameras. Now, thanks to a SpaceX-led renaissance of human-crewed space flight, dropping launch costs by 95 per cent, fresh-food solutions are required for deep space missions to fuel long-haul missions. Perhaps serendipitous, this coincides with an emerging urgent issue here on Earth: widespread reduced food security due to climate change. Australia is not immune to this impending danger, as recent and ongoing events around the country continue to highlight our vulnerability. So, the question is, should Australia be invested in this race to grow food in space?
Australia’s agricultural sector is in a unique position, as it provides food security for its residents while generating significant export income given surrounding nations’ dependence on a steady food supply. However, unpredictable weather reduces our food output yearly because our crops are primarily unprotected and at the whim of the natural elements. Additionally, finite inputs are surging in price, creating further financial pressures on farmers. This is no surprise for farmers, as they have been exploiting strategies to mitigate these issues for more than two centuries, but further innovation driving new technologies is needed to lessen these pressures and increase food security.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), which includes food production methods such as vertical farming, is a technology-based approach that protects crops from the elements, reduces inputs to a minimum, and maintains optimal growing conditions. For the last few decades, Australia has already been using space technology and satellite imagery to aid on-the-ground practices on farms, but now we have an opportunity to test this emerging disruptive technology in the demanding environment of space to produce robust on-world solutions for the nation’s agricultural industry.
CEA has been part of space missions since 1984, with small projects proving plants can be grown in space. Now we must build on those early missions and maximise their true potential at larger scales. By Australia getting involved in this AUD400 billion space industry, and allowing collaboration with world-leading space-engineers, we can optimise our agritech intellectual property and guarantee our food supply.
This is a unique moment for Australia to become leaders in a technology that will help humanity while solidifying us as a CEA hub rather than a laggard. Viewing this situation as a nationally important opportunity should motivate investment in space technologies in order to ensure future success in achieving sought outcomes. Australia hasn’t previously invested heavily in the USD58 billion CEA industry (compound annual growth rate of 12.5%), which experts estimate will be worth USD147 billion by 2030. Australia shouldn't miss this fleeting window to help our farmers prosper in the long run as, if we don't engage with CEA now, they will pay a premium for the technology later on.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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