While vertical (垂直的) farming of plants in limited space has been around for some time, new research looking into the "vertical farming of seafood" is being developed by Broderick House.
As part of his PhD project at the University of Cambridge, Broderick is looking at farming bivalves (双壳贝) within city boundaries. "In terms of sustainable (可持续的) food options, and from a food security standpoint, being able to expand bivalve farming from the coast into cities means you have a safe environment to produce a highly nutritious and micronutrient rich source of food," says Broderick.
The biggest challenge, of course, is water consumption. The artificial aquaculture (水产业) environment cannot fully compare to farming in the ocean, but by using advanced flowing aquaculture systems, water use can be reduced, as only 10% of the water in the tank must be changed every day. "If you're comparing it to traditional agricultural livestock — cows, pigs, chickens, which are farmed in fields, it uses much less water, and provides competing levels of protein," Broderick explains.
While sustainability can, upon first look, be accomplished by building facilities to farm bivalves inland, there is also a possibility to repurpose existing buildings which would help to decrease carbon emissions from transportation as well. Broderick points out the biggest carbon footprint in aquaculture is the feed for the livestock, and he is working together with the Algal Innovation Centre at University of Cambridge, to develop more sustainable feed options.
To help translate his research into the business world, Broderick has been supported by the EnterpriseTECH and EnterpriseTECH STAR programmes at the CJBS Entrepreneurship Centre. "CJBS has been a fantastic resource and community. The business ecosystem here has provided important tools in a constructive and informed way to help ensure my PhD research has a positive role in shaping the future of global food security," Broderick says.
