Picture a farm where the soil isn’t just a backdrop but a living, breathing entity. You’re not merely planting and harvesting—you’re engaging in one of life's complex ways of regeneration, you are working with nature.
The problem with conventional agriculture practices is their long-term impact on land use. Large-scale human activity depletes the land's vital properties, particularly its ability to retain water for cultivation. We believe this is a critical issue we need to address—ideally, starting now.
Regenerative agriculture is about rebuilding soil health, boosting biodiversity, and cycling nutrients in a way that makes sense for nature. It’s also a culinary rebellion against the industrial farming machine—turning back the clock to a time when farming also made sense as a craft, not only as an out-of-control factory line; and asking for the best quality food while doing so.
Reconnecting with the land. OK! But what exactly are we reconnecting it to? Here’s how it started. Atarraya’s main invention is a system called Shrimpbox. Around here, we have covered everything you should know about the Shrimpbox. What it essentially is, is a high-tech farming system that integrates shrimp farming within a container as a closed-loop system where shrimp are raised in a controlled environment (Biofloc system), taken to microbial equilibrium with the Biofloc. This balance eliminates the need for water exchange; the only by-product generated is excess biofloc (sludge) removed from the cultivation water using clarification tanks integrated into the Shrimpbox.
That byproduct is what we use as fertilizer. It seems like a modern twist on an age-old practice, designed to be as efficient and eco-friendly as possible. Connecting the sea with the land seems to be the answer we’ve been looking for.
Taken to the land, there are 30 centimeters where common fertilizers are usually applied. These 12 inches should be the richest, but over time, they increasingly become damaged and start needing more water. Inside these 30 centimeters lies a vast microbial ecosystem, a complex network made possible by the soil's capacity to redistribute water. This community's organization relies on one critical factor: water retention. With water, you have life. Biofloc’s role in maintaining balance makes sense both inside and outside the water.
This straightforward approach has consistently delivered promising results, with outcomes that leave little doubt—something remarkable is unfolding. Consider this: the production of a single ton of shrimp within a biofloc system yields 300 kilograms of this nutrient-rich sludge. When we harness this floc through biodigester technology, we unlock the potential to produce 50 cubic meters of biogas—enough to sustain the heating system of a single Shrimpbox for 10 days, or power a farm of 10 Shrimpboxes for an entire day. Alternatively, this biogas could fuel daily cooking for five families (perhaps to cook some shrimp) for 20 days. Once processed as a fertilizer, it produces 900 liters of biofertilizer, sufficient to organically nourish around 5 hectares of land—a regenerating land. This elegant cycle of resource utilization stands as a testament to the essence of regenerative agriculture—an approach that respects and revitalizes the land, rather than exploiting it.
The FoodShot prize will be the incentive for our plans to take biofloc as a biofertilizer to its full potential, making it accessible for farmers and expanding the range of possibilities its use allows.
Our mission is to restore this vital connection with the land. We cannot thrive in a reality where soil is increasingly less viable due to our interventions. We are dedicated to re-establishing this relationship. We will keep you updated.
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