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Great post. I learned a lot!

Trying to understand more about the supramolecular assembly, I came across a study conducted by Verano365 in Kale. For this system they observed about a 25% reduction in cost of fertilizer (unfortunately not overall).

https://verano365.com/evofactor

Do you think it’s possible to feed the growing human population with small local farms, as you suggest in the opening paragraph? I thought the land use and productivity of small farms would prohibit feeding all humans. Maybe that’s an outdated point of view... And the further development could make local vertical farms competitive.

We receive a CSA box as well and love it mostly because the taste is so much better than supermarket produce

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Hey Tobi, thanks for commenting. I think all the available options such as small farms, vertical farming, green houses, and industrial farming will play critical roles. One thing that a small farm can do with their CSA is just get people used to the idea of paying for higher quality and getting used to seasonality. I think of a CSA as high quality highest price.

I think a lot of us already buy produce from indoor farms (we just don't realize it) via tomatoes, kale, greens, etc in the grocery store. There is a big difference in taste from ripe tomatoes from a farmers market when they are in season versus a tomato from a hydroponic farm. Not everyone can afford to get produce via a CSA, but I think having these options around can help turn fallow land into productive farmland.

I would also love to see some abandoned buildings in cities get transformed into vertical farms. While there are not many abandoned buildings here in Boston I've seen plenty in smaller cities outside of Boston. As I wrote in the article I think one big issue is the inherent cost and getting those costs down. Evofactor seems like it could it, but it would probably help to have another tool to reduce costs. Perhaps an almost airtight building with triple glazed windows that could reduce heating costs in the winter?

If you are interested in farming I read this really great newsletter called Regeneration. https://weekly.regeneration.works/

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