Imagine a plant that can grow almost anywhere, double its size in two days, and fix nitrogen from the air. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, meet Carolina azolla, a water fern native to the eastern U.S. that has been hailed as a potential solution to global food insecurity.
Carolina Azolla: A Superfood for the Future(Photo : MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
Carolina azolla is not your ordinary plant. It has a symbiotic relationship with a cyanobacterium that lives inside its leaves, allowing it to capture nitrogen from the air and use it as fertilizer.
This makes it a valuable green manure that can enrich the soil and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers.
But that's not all. It is also a highly nutritious and digestible feed for poultry and livestock, as well as a potential food source for humans.
According to a recent study published in Food Science & Nutrition, Carolina azolla has more protein, iron, and zinc than other strains of azolla, and is more digestible than soybean meal, a common animal feed.
The researchers also found that it can be processed into flour, which can be used to make bread, pasta, and other products.
They suggest that this plant could be a life-saving food during catastrophes or disasters, when conventional food sources are scarce or unavailable.
Carolina azolla is not only a boon for the U.S., but also for other regions of the world where food insecurity is a pressing issue. The plant is already cultivated in some parts of Asia and Africa, where it is used as livestock feed and green manure.
However, the researchers believe that there is still a lot of untapped potential for this plant, especially in areas where climate change, population growth, and environmental degradation are threatening food security.
They propose that Carolina azolla could be integrated into existing agricultural systems, or used to create new ones, that are more sustainable, resilient, and productive.
For instance, it could be grown on rice paddies, where it can provide nitrogen to the rice plants, suppress weeds, and reduce water evaporation.
It could also be grown on fish ponds, where it can provide oxygen and food to the fish, and filter out pollutants. It could even be grown on rooftops, where it can provide insulation and cooling, as well as food and income.
The researchers emphasize that the cultivation and use of Carolina azolla should be done in a way that respects local ecosystems and biodiversity, and that involves the participation and empowerment of local communities.
They also call for more research and development to optimize the plant's attributes and applications, and to address any potential challenges or risks.
They hope that their findings will inspire more people to explore and harness the benefits of this amazing plant, and to contribute to the global effort to end hunger and malnutrition. As they put it, "Carolina azolla is a gift from nature that we should not ignore."
