Martian Greenhouses

Though designed for space, the greenhouses could make it possible to grow fresh fruit and vegetables year round in remote arctic communities, such as those found in Canada, Russia and Scandinavia.

The greenhouses don’t have soil, and actually use LED lights to mimic the sun’s rays. Gabriel Ash’s Head of Marketing and Sales, Robin Parker is impressed:

“When you realise how far these communities are from the rest of civilization, it makes total sense for them to try and become self sustaining. The technology is constantly evolving and improving, so why not utilise it?”

He continues:

“These are challenges that will affect us all in the long term. With climate change and global warming taking affect, we are already seeing changes to our climate. Who knows how the weather will change over the next 20 to 50 years? The greenhouse is likely to be at the forefront of an agricultural and technological revolution, not seen since the end of world war two.”

These are new frontiers for those interested in agriculture and sustainability, and it if it can be proven that we can grow food in the most inhospitable parts of our own planet, we are a step closer to be able to grow food in other parts of the solar system.  Although this is a few steps away, this sort of research will provide a solid foundation for any future projects.

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency have invested $270,000 to study the feasibility of the project    , as it a chance to support the agricultural sector in the North West Territories of Canada where the ground is perma-frozen for 80% of the year.

The greenhouses will hopefully grow vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms and the feasibility study is due to be completed in May. The next step is to build a prototype greenhouse.

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