9:05 AM - 9:20 AM
[HCG29-01] The organic farming techniques and extraterrestrial agriculture
Keywords:organic farming, extraterrestrial agriculture
Organic farming avoids the use of chemical fertilizers or herbicides and it makes the most of the natural environment at the site. Organic farming requires soil; however there are farming systems that do not require soil. Hydroponics was introduced in Japan as an alternative production system after the war, and this led to the development of plant factory technology in which crops are produced aseptically without the use of herbicides; in addition, plant growth is not affected by the weather. The plant factory system can be adapted to harsh environments on earth; therefore, it has the potential for crop production in a human extraterrestrial habitation as a future space agriculture. However, to our knowledge, production based on a regolith such as on Mars has not been considered in depth apart from our experiments.This presentation will discuss the similarities between Japanese organic farming technology and a farming methodology assumed to apply to an extraterrestrial environment. We will also discuss the challenges, and the possible exchange of technology between them.