Photo via Unsplash.

Seaweeds, a wondrous underwater gift from the Earth, have a long history in ancient medicine, folklore, farming, and food growing. We are discovering just how vital these life-generating coastal plants are. They support a huge range of marine life and have been identified as a key solution to the climate crisis.

Seaweed forests have the power to sequester carbon on land and sea, reduce methane production in livestock, rebuild marine ecosystems, enrich the soil, provide economic benefits, and address the global plastics problem. As it turns out, this primitive plant/algae has so many human health and climate positive benefits … but only if we cultivate it traditionally / regeneratively.

RELATED POST: How we can Heal the Planet with Regenerative Agriculture

Food Security

The Ocean’s Superfood

Known as sea vegetables, they are extremely versatile and can be used in many dishes, including sushi rolls, soups, supplements, even popcorn!

•  Seaweeds are a great source of vitamins like A, C, E, K, and B, and minerals including iodine, selenium, calcium, and iron. It can contain anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agents. 

•  Seaweeds also contain amino acids which are the building blocks for protein.

•  Seaweeds are also said to control a person’s appetite. They might be low in fat but they are packed with soluble fiber, which helps control blood sugar levels and keeps the bowels moving. The fiber can help a person feel full on very few calories.

Not only are seaweeds an incredible source of nutrition, but many are used as emulsifiers in commercial goods like toothpaste, jellies, makeup, and skincare products.

Photo via Blue Evolution – Seaweed Popcorn

Climate Change Mitigation

just by growing, seaweed helps reverse global warming.

Seaweed eats more carbon than other plants as it grows. By drawing CO₂ out of the ocean waters (thereby allowing the oceans to absorb more CO₂ from the atmosphere) they help fight climate change. It grows at a rate 30-60 times faster than land-based plants. Trees slowly store carbon in their trunks as they grow, while seaweed grows quickly, storing carbon in its stipe (stem) and fronds (leaves)! 

9% of the
World’s Oceans

Researchers have estimated that if 9% of the world’s ocean surfaces were covered in “seaweed forests,” we would be removing 53 billion tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere.

Photo by Anika Mikkelson via Unsplash.

Job Creation

According to a World Bank study, farming seaweeds in just .1% of the world’s oceans (approx. 100 million acres) could create 50 million jobs in direct on-farm employment alone. Annually, a mature, 10-acre regenerative ocean farm can produce 50,000 pounds of kelp and 250,000 bivalves, with the capacity to net more than $100,000.

Polyculture

over monoculture

Regenerative ocean farming works to mimic the diversity of ocean reefs by growing a mix of species that work cohesively. Each life form plays an important part. For example, because seaweed de-acidifies seawater, it becomes easier for anything with a shell to grow, and a single adult oyster can filter as much as 50 gallons of water a day. By growing shellfish and seaweed together, regenerative ocean farms turn into climate solution powerhouses. At the same time, these farms are safe havens for marine life that improve water quality and provide habitats that foster biodiversity and support the health of many aquatic species.

Photo via Unsplash.

Photo by Ooho.

Seaweed + Livestock

equals less methane emissions

When cows eat, they burp food back up, chew it as cud, and swallow it again to make it easier to digest. During that process, which cows repeat dozens of times throughout the day, an enzyme made by microorganisms in their gut produces methane as a byproduct. The belching and flatulence of livestock release large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States alone, domestic livestock – including cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo – contribute 36% of the methane humans cause.

Researchers across the globe have been pursuing the idea that adding substances to feed might help reduce these methane-laden burps. It happened to be an ordinary farmer who hit upon the idea of supplementing cows’ feed with seaweed. The idea wasn’t intended to help the climate, but simply for his animal’s health. It doesn’t seem like much, but it could practically neutralize methane emissions from the digestive processes of some livestock, including the planet’s 1.5 billion cows. In lab tests and field trials, adding a small proportion of Asparagopsis taxiformis, a type of red algae, to a cow’s daily feed – about 0.2 of a percent of the total feed intake in a recent study – can reduce the amount of methane by 98%!!

Ancient Greek &
18th Century Icelandic

Turns out there was a reason why the ancient Greeks and 18th century Icelanders grazed their cows on beaches.  Eating more of this underwater plant means less methane production, which indicates a more efficient and healthier cow belly. Historical evidence found they realized the productivity benefits it provided. When cows eat more efficiently, they need less land to eat from, become pregnant faster and produce more milk.

Photo via Pixabay.

Seaweed Fabric

a quasi-medicinal material

SeaCell fabric.

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