Farming from the Sea

Many see the beach as a fun place to go on a summer's day, and a great way to cool off. Carl Hodges, an atmospheric physicist, sees it as the future of agricultural development, and a future fuel source. He is already successfully growing the plant Salicornia in seawater canals near the Sea of Cortez.

Hodges believes the plant could very easily be used to create biofuel. The benefit here is that we would not be used a food crop such as corn to do this. Instead we would be using a crop that has no impact on the world food market. 

But Hodges' bright ideas don't stop there. He believes his plans can provide even more benefits. If the oceans continue to rise as climatologists predict, he believes that we can and should build channels to divert the water inland, creating a fertile farming area where there was once nothing.

Are these plans too good to be true? Hodges believes that his plans are very practical and possible. Perhaps his schemes will never be fully developed, but to face the challenges of climate change, we will certainly require fresh and original ideas like this one.