Our water-saving agriculture technology is presented in “Jeune Afrique”

The water-saving agriculture technology with our multi-functional porous media, Porous Alpha, is presented in the article in Jeune Afrique, a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine.

As a part of the special article “LE JAPONISME NOURRIT LE CONTINENT (Japanism feeds the continent)”, our technology is introduced as the one for food security in Africa, making the agriculture resilient to climate change.

Our technology has been verified in various countries such as Japan, Kenya, Mauritania, Senegal, Morocco, and Somalia. (The result of experimentation in such countries can be seen here). We continue to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as food and water issues through Porous Alpha, foamed glass made from waste glass.

One of the most pressing challenges is climate change, which is already straining cities in Africa. Water scarcity and soil robbed of moisture would pose serious threats to Africans farming for a living.

“We know there will be more mouths to feed, but producing more food is not the only answer,” says Shigeomi Sato, in charge of international business at Tottori Resource Recycling. “It must go hand in hand with water conservation.”

With government funding, the company is seeking partners for its patented agent Porous Alpha, which makes even sandy soil arable. Calcium carbonate from shells is added to recycled glass and heated, creating a sponge-like compound that grows crops with less water and fertilizer. In this way, dates that take five years to fruit can do so with half the amount of water and fertilizer.

According to Dr. Niquet, private-public sector projects can be effective in ensuring that innovative ideas are deployed to vulnerable countries. Done quickly, she says they may offer an alternative to nations saddled with the high debt burden of infrastructure-led growth.

🌎 Article
Jeune Afrique No. 3056 (4-10 August 2019) page 85
Title: Japonism Nourishes the Continent