Mitigating the Nutrient Collapse
Design for
Food Systems, Permaculture, The Environment
Year
2020-2021
Elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) is reducing the nutrient content of staple food crops. eCO2 increases the photosynthetic production of sugars but dilutes nutrients throughout a larger crop. Known as the nutrient collapse, this threatens food security by transforming otherwise nutritious crops into literal junk food. This project is speculative design exploration into a nature-based response to the crisis. It employs rapidly CO2 sequestering Chlorella algae to create a reduced CO2 (rCO2) microclimate in a resilient permaculture system. Symbiosis between multiple assets in the system maintain the microclimate by mitigating air flow and moderating temperature. This allows crops to develop a desirable nutritional profile.
Insight
How did this project impact you as a designer moving forward?
It solidified my interest in binding complex processes with simple and few materials to achieve sustainable outputs, especially in regards to sustainable food systems.
