NSF Convergence Accelerator Track J Phase 2: AquaSteady - Balancing Soil Moisture, A Seaweed-Based Hydrogel for Sustainable Agriculture

人类正面临着前所未有的全球挑战，从不断加剧的气候变化、普遍存在的粮食和营养不安全，到不断增加的全球人口。农业在应对这些挑战方面至关重要，对养活不断增长的人口至关重要。尽管如此，中国仍是全球最大的用水国，将高达80%的淡水资源用于粮食生产。此外，农业对土壤退化负有重大责任，导致土壤侵蚀、板结、盐碱化和土壤养分流失导致土壤质量下降。不适当的水管理做法在很大程度上助长了土壤退化，造成可耕地的丧失、沙漠化，并最终造成粮食生产损失。这些挑战可以通过使用天然水凝胶来增加土壤的保湿性，同时促进土壤健康，从而减少水需求来解决。在这个项目中，AquaSteady是一种基于海藻的水凝胶，将被优化用于各种农作物。初步结果表明，AquaSteady具有与合成水凝胶相似的持水能力和吸收率，并且在土壤中适当施用AquaSteady可以提高树苗的耐旱性，这一发现不仅对农业有影响，而且对重新造林也有影响。AquaSteady是由从褐藻（如海带）中提取的藻酸盐制成的，这种海藻可以可持续地养殖，同时从海洋中隔离碳，去除氮和磷等多余的营养物质。因此，AquaSteady在其供应链的两端提供了积极的环境和经济影响，促进了陆地和海洋的再生农业实践，并为加强和发展美国海藻产业提供了一个新的市场。该项目的目标是为各种作物和土壤类型开发和优化AquaSteady，以平衡保水性，改善土壤健康和作物产量。这将通过与各种各样的农民合作进行反复的实验室和实地测试来完成。将建立一个小型生产实验室来生产和优化AquaSteady以进行现场测试。AquaSteady的特定形状和形式，包括粉末、颗粒、串状和图案网，将与农民密切合作，开发出适合特定农业应用和作物的产品。AquaSteady的制造过程将经过优化，以减少水和能源的使用，符合循环经济的原则。该项目将建立学术界与陆地和海洋养殖业之间的合作伙伴关系，利用海洋农场的糖海带优化海藻酸盐提取过程，并在农业扩展和一系列规模、作物和土壤类型不同的私人土地农场进行AquaSteady的现场测试。此外，将制定一个小农场计划，通过测试AquaSteady，让农民参与项目，重点是妇女和代表性不足的群体的参与和领导。所有活动，无论大小，都将通过减轻极端天气对我们粮食系统的影响，提高对粮食和营养不安全的认识，为社会福祉做出贡献。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Humanity is experiencing unprecedented global challenges, ranging from escalating climate change and widespread food and nutrition insecurity to ever-increasing global populations. Agriculture is crucial in these challenges and essential for feeding our growing populations. Still, it is the biggest consumer of water globally, using up to 80% of freshwater resources for food production. Additionally, agriculture is accountable for significant soil degradation, leading to the decline in soil quality caused by soil erosion, compaction, salinization, and loss of soil nutrients. Inappropriate water management practices contribute considerably to soil degradation, resulting in the loss of arable land, desertification, and, ultimately, food production loss. These challenges can be addressed by using natural hydrogels to increase moisture retention in soils while promoting soil health and thereby reducing water demands. In this project, AquaSteady, a seaweed-based hydrogel, will be optimized for use in agriculture for various crops. Preliminary results indicate that AquaSteady has similar water-holding capacity and absorption rates to synthetic hydrogels and that proper application of AquaSteady to soils increases drought tolerance of tree saplings, a finding that not only has implications for agriculture but also reforestation. AquaSteady is made from alginate extracted from brown seaweeds, like kelp, that can be sustainably farmed while sequestering carbon and removing excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from our oceans. Thus, AquaSteady provides net positive environmental and economic impacts at both ends of its supply chain, promoting regenerative farming practices on land and sea and providing a new market to strengthen and grow the US seaweed industry.The goal of this project is to develop and optimize AquaSteady for various crops and soil types to balance water retention and improve soil health and crop yields. This will be accomplished through iterative lab and field testing in collaboration with a diverse array of farmers. A small production laboratory will be established to manufacture and optimize AquaSteady for field tests. Specific shapes and forms of AquaSteady, including powder, granules, strings, and patterned nets, will be developed to match specific agricultural applications and crops in close collaboration with farmers. The manufacturing process for AquaSteady will be optimized to reduce the use of water and energy, in line with the principles of a circular economy. The project will build partnerships between academia and both the terrestrial and marine farming industries, with the alginate extraction process being optimized using sugar kelp from marine farms and field tests of AquaSteady taking place at Agricultural Extensions and an array of private land farms differing in scale, crops, and soil types. Additionally, a Small Farm Program will be developed to involve farmers in the project by testing AquaSteady, with an emphasis on the participation and leadership of women and underrepresented groups. All activities, from large to small, will contribute to societal well-being by mitigating the impact of extreme weather on our food system and increasing awareness of food and nutrition insecurity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.