What do you think about farming practices utilizing sea water?

Question

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-seafarm10-2008jul10,0,3389394.story

The crop is salicornia. It is nourished by seawater flowing from a man-made canal. And if you believe the American who is farming it, this incongruous swath of green has the potential to feed the world, fuel our vehicles and slow global warming.

Answer 1

Being that we already have the technology to grow crops in the middle of deserts, I think ruining land by running ocean water through it is a horrible idea!  And I love the way horrible ideas always cost a gazillion dollars!

http://cache.search.yahoo-ht2.akadns.net...

http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/48902...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...

Answer 2

briliant. with increasing area of farmland becoming saline through overuse and in particular through salination of groundwater, and also the prospect of more flooding events where the land is salty for a few years after, we will need some good salt loving crops.

related; people growing a seaweed crop in africa on the beach;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/435860...

extra advantage here is previously unused area can be farmed.

Answer 3

It is a very good idea for subtropical latitudes.  Different solutions in the same spirit are needed for higher latitudes.  The world needs more people like Dr. Hodges.

Answer 4

the guy is obviously smart, so i'm not sure it's my place to criticize.

what i do wonder is, what happens to the salt that he brings inland.

i'd like it better if he worked nearer to the coast.

there are areas of central calif where nothing (useful) grows because the ground is too salty.

i think i also read about using salt water to replentish the water table.

i'm thinking it's a really bad idea to introduce salt into the drinking water.

i'm also leery when someone promotes something "magic" that will cure all the ills.  i generally think, "what are they hiding?  smells like snake oil to me."

like i said, i'd need to look more at this, and also what other things he's done -- what's his "credibility IQ"?

Answer 5

Kinnda torn. Seems like a good idea to increase food crops, but you are also salting huge tracks of land that after growing this salicornia won't grow much else.