Famine Relief Ecology

Proposal For a New Field of Study

OVERVIEW

Current efforts to improve agricultural practices in the developing world can be complemented by efforts to address the needs of people whose lives have been disrupted by unforeseeable political and/or environmental crises. Famine relief in the form of compassionate or politically motivated aid from developed countries cannot be counted upon to always be there when it is needed. However, equipped with the appropriate equipment and knowledge, famine can be successfully overcome until such time as the political situation is resolved, or the environment again becomes favorable for normal agriculture.

Famine Relief Ecology is the integration of locally available energy resources with micro-organisms appropriate to the situation which can be grown exponentially and used in a small, focused, food chain to provide sustenance to a large number of people for as long as is necessary.

Envision the following: Because of a drought, 50,000 people are in refugee camps due to withered crops. Small groups of specially trained biologists, with special equipment are sent to the camps. There, they spend two weeks inventorying the local energy resources (among others, sunlight, cellulose sources, and available biomass for decomposition). Additionally, they monitor local environmental conditions. Then, they engineer a closed ecosystem tailored specifically to utilize the available resources within the existing environmental conditions to exponentially grow bacteria, algae, yeast and higher level microscopic organisms, all of which can more than double in volume on a daily basis. Growing equipment is assembled, filled with growth media, and inoculated with the selected organisms. Available sunlight along with the right nutrients cause algae to start growing rapidly. Other microscopic lifeforms start devouring scrap cellulose products, releasing sugars which feed an exponential growth of yeast and bacteria. These yeast, bacteria, and algae, which are specifically chosen to be human digestible, also are used to feed larger microscopic organisms which produce different nutrients needed by hungry humans. Once an appropriate quantity is obtained of the diverse micro-organisms, 1/3 to 1/2 of the microscopic lifeforms are "harvested" daily and centrifuged to separate the nutrients from the bulk of the water to create a nourishing drink. The other portion is left alive to double in volume for the next day's harvest. These 50,000 people are fed in this manner until the political or environmental situation resolves.

This scenario is within reach now, utilizing current science and moderate extensions of currently available technology. Humans are already growing yeast and algae as nourishing food supplements. We eat bacteria in the form of yogurt. With a multi-disciplinary effort to consolidate techniques and knowledge into one area of study, Famine Relief Ecology, it is feasible that we can end famine in the next 20 years for cases in which aid workers are allowed to reach, and care for, those affected.

WHY MICRO-ORGANISMS?

Typical human foodstuffs grow too slowly, and are too expensive and scarce to be made available under normal levels of human generosity to be a sufficient solution for famine relief. In recent history, humans have started to consume alternative nutrients such as Nutritional Yeast, and algae such as Spirulina, which you can buy at any health food store. Micro-organisms have the advantage of being able to reproduce and expand their volume exponentially (rapidly almost beyond belief) when appropriate environmental conditions and sufficient nutrients are available. These organisms can consume resources which are inedible to humans and convert them into human edible nutrients. Yeast and algae, combined with other micro-organisms such as rotifers to make proteins, and certain fungi to break down energy sources such as cellulose and lignin into sugars and substances consumable by yeast, algae and rotifers, can combine to create a solution for providing food rapidly and continually for a large number of people in emergency situations.

Famine Relief Ecology is concerned with designing systems to generate from available resources in a famine area, human-body-accessible energy and nutrients to sustain famine victims until the political and/or environmental situation improves.

ENVISIONED USAGE

Each famine situation would be individually analyzed for local conditions to evaluate available resources. Appropriate equipment would be dispatched to the area and loaned to famine-local organizations by the United Nations or other famine relief agencies. Utilization of these systems would be taught and overseen by relief agency personnel. When the famine condition resolved, the equipment would be gathered, cleaned, and stored until the next time it was needed.

CREATING A NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE

As mentioned above, techniques for growing all the necessary types of micro-organisms are well established, both in laboratories and commercially. We know what growing conditions and food sources different micro-organisms need to reproduce rapidly. But these understandings and techniques need to be adapted to famine situations. No one has yet undertaken to grow short food chains of microscopic organisms specifically for human consumption. We are growing algae and yeast to feed humans, but we are not growing algae and yeast to feed to rotifers and other larger micro-organisms to then feed this more diverse, richer group of organisms to humans. The combinations of micro-organisms which can be used as a short food chain with humans at the top need to be explored, experimented with, and catalogued for use in different types of famine situations.

An abbreviated list of the types of research which need to be undertaken to realize this vision includes:

1. Analysis of best types of micro-organisms to use, and the growth parameters and conditions for each. Potential lifeforms include, among others, types of algae, yeast, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, crustaceans, and worms.

A sample of this type of work would be:

Algae -- Used directly as a food for people, as well as a food for other organisms. It is a primary producer, living off of sunlight and fertilizer much as plants normally grown for food, but with the advantage of doubling to quadrupling itself daily. Species' strengths and weaknesses need to be catalogued for this particular application. For instance, sifting through algal researchers' work to find high sugar producing algae which can be used to feed yeasts, which thrive in high-sugar environments. From 1978 to 1996, the US Department of Energy studied algae with the intent of analyzing the feasibility of biodiesel fuel from algae. By the end of their study, they had selected 300 species from over 3000 studied. These algae species are housed in a collection at the University of Hawaii, and are available to researchers for further study.

Each of the other types of organisms similarly need to be studied with the specific intent of analyzing them for inclusion in short, fast-growth food chains. Food chains can be engineered to use a large variety of starting materials ranging from sunlight to inorganic fertilizers to manures, to agricultural wastes and even possibly decomposing organic matter.

A further refinement of this type of biological research includes analyzing the possibility of growing organisms symbiotically specifically for famine relief. For instance, yeast gives off large amounts of carbon dioxide when it grows, but needs sugar to keep growing quickly. Algae needs carbon dioxide to accelerate its growth, but can produce sugar. These two different species could possibly be grown together, thus causing the yeast and algae to complement each others' growth.

2. Engineering disciplines would need development as well to support this effort. Low cost, easily transportable growing equipment for mini-ecosystems must be designed. Water sterilization systems based upon ultraviolet light also must be engineered for this application. Highly reliable mechanical and not electrical systems must be designed to function in environments where an electrical grid and even generators are not available to provide support.

One growth chamber design currently in use utilizes 2 inch diameter transparent rigid plastic tubing for water-based algae cultures. A pump circulates the algae, suspended in water, through these tubes, where the algae absorbs energy from light, creating sugars which then drive the growth and reproduction of the algae. Systems which can be easily transported, cleaned and maintained must be designed to allow maximum flexibility in any operating environment. For instance, small 12 volt pumps which slowly circulate the water and algae can run off of batteries charged by solar cells. Centrifuges which dehydrate micro-organism cultures after they are fully grown can be designed to run off of human power, similar to stair-step exercise machines. All equipment can be similarly designed to use available human resources to produce food to feed hungry humans, and not require access to a power grid or generators. The goal is equipment which can be installed anywhere there is solid ground which can be used to generate edible micro-organisms reliably on a continuous, long-term basis.

Ultraviolet water sterilization is a key component of this concept. Currently in use around the world for low-cost water treatment, UV sterilization makes this a feasible idea. Most micro-organism cultivation requires aqueous environments, and the growing media will need to be repeatedly sterilized as one type of organism is used to feed the next, in a chain leading up to human consumption. UV water sterilization technology needs to be adapted for this type of usage.

CAVEAT

One caveat should be mentioned here. If there are no starting resources available except for sunlight, a very large surface area will need to be used to harvest light energy. This is necessary to convert enough sunlight into food using algae and photosynthesis as the sole starting point. Preliminary calculations show that it will take about 10 square meters of surface area exposed to sunlight to support each adult famine victim. Put into scale, each football field of surface will support 500 adult famine victims. Using the close estimation of one football field for one acre, for the above example of 50,000 famine victims, 100 acres total would be necessary to provide continuous sustenance if no resources are available except for sunlight. This however, is the worst case scenario when there are no agricultural wastes, or trees or other biomass which can be used to supplement the energy captured directly from the sun. Ideally, even if the developed world isn't willing to provide food, scrap wood or sawdust could be provided, which in turn through biological processes could be turned into food.

SUMMARY

Though this solution won't be ready for the next famine, the one after that, or even the one after that, with focused concentration spent integrating the various scientific and engineering disciplines into the new discipline of Famine Relief Ecology, it is realistically achievable as a goal to be able to provide famine relief support within twenty years. Rapidly growing micro-organisms hold the key to one solution for the persistent problem of famine. Working prototypes to provide a "proof of concept", demonstrating a daily constant food output consisting of multiple different micro-organisms could be built within a time frame of 2-3 years. An analysis of these prototypes, their actual output in terms of volume of foodstuffs, and the cost per person to generate these foodstuffs could then determine the desirability of continuing along this developmental path as a solution to the recurring problem of famine.

For more information, please contact Bill Van Horne at 941-778-3389 or to send an email, Click Here and follow the instructions in the email address