Biological nitrogen is a new way of hope for sustainable agriculture. One of Canada’s most investable cleantech businesses is an idea of a start-up in British Columbia that uses fermentation and nitrogen-fixing bacteria to produce biological nitrogen.
Eight firms with a technical focus on agriculture are listed on the 2022 Foresight 50 list, including Farment BioSolutions Ltd. The list, which is created yearly by Canadian cleantech accelerator Foresight, is intended to draw attention from investors to breakthroughs produced in Canada, including climate-friendly fertilizers and industrial wastewater treatment.
why invest in biological nitrogen and how does it matter?
Recently according to geo-political situations let’s say the war between Ukraine and Russia had created a huge impact on global agriculture in terms of fertilizers export and Agri supply chain. It even causes huge recessions on a global scale. These recent events have shown that Canada needs self-dependent fertilizer solutions to meet the requirement of the local farmers and maintain stability caused by the global supply chain and help the country meet the voluntary target of reducing fertilizer emissions.
How does farment make biological nitrogen?
Farment makes use of naturally existing bacteria with nitrogen-fixing properties as well as fermentation to make the fertilizer more efficient.
According to Ryan Klatt, who leads partnerships and strategy at Farment. “We take organic wastes in different forms and by fermentation turn them into a biofertilizer. We work with dairy farms and feedlots in B.C. and Alberta currently, but there are many different organic waste problems in need of a solution, like municipal wastes for example,”
So what does it takes to make the fertilizer let’s find out….
Not only they are focusing on the livestock farms but they are also looking at different ways to help the fish and insect farms deal with their organic waste streams like sludge in the bottom of private or corporate fish tanks, frass, and manure (organic waste ) produced by the insects.
Farment has conducted preliminary testing with fish water waste from a tilapia farm in British Columbia, putting it via its patented fermentation process and then analyzing its quality,
According to Klatt.“By running the waste through there, our tests showed we increased the fertilizer quality,” Klatt said, in addition to that they are looking for partners to develop this new technology of application.
“Currently, fish waste is composted, so getting rid of it represents a cost to aquaculture businesses,” Klatt said. “Our long-term goal is not just to provide a better fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen, but we want to close the loop where we grow fish and create a better fertilizer for land-based crops that provide feed for those fish. This would create a local supply chain.”
Last September, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Bioenterprise Canada announced the Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge, which brought Farment to Ontario and connected them with the Centre for Innovative Aquaculture Production (CIAP) at Fleming College’s Frost Campus in Lindsay.
If they are approved for financing under the program, they hope to collaborate on a study to confirm the early tilapia results with rainbow trout operations in Ontario. According to Ryan Hill, a research scientist at CIAP, if the experiment is successful, the long-term objective is to develop circular economy prospects for the aquaculture business that will also assist farmers.
Will it be a change in the fertilizer industry?
As there is a saying that necessity is the mother of all inventions and this new technology is a crucial part of creating a sustainable agriculture environment and climate-friendly fertilizers with better results and yields. Which will also minimize the degradation of soil and increase microbial activity. It will also increase the supply chain for the local farmers and will ultimately increase productivity.
Let us know what’s your view about it and comment below if you think this will be a ray of hope for modern agriculture.
#sustainableagriculture #climatechange #organicfarming #startupcanada #Indianfarming #agriculture #biologicalnitrogen
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