A network of Brazilian researchers, led by Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), is studying space foods. Space Farming Brazil is innovating in the production of plants and seeds that can develop outside of Earth’s environment.
The initiative coordinated by researcher Alessandra Fávero, who spoke with CNN Brazilintends to learn how to adapt new crops, new automation systems and robotics in national agriculture.
“Brazil is internationally recognized for agricultural research. In the case of Embrapa and several partner institutes, it has been very gratifying for us to contribute to the Artemis program, which was signed by Brazil. It is an opportunity and we have the technical competence to be able to contribute”, says Alessandra Fávero, coordinator of the Space Farming Brazil Network.
Almost 60 scientists, looking for solutions so that, in the future, Food can be produced at lunar stations, in conditions of high radiation, low gravity and the absence of soil.
Just as NASA has developed more than two thousand technologies that are in our daily lives, all these technologies that will be developed within the project will be able to contribute to the benefit of Brazilian producers, in the present and in the future
A CNN Brazil This and other reports in the series “Brazil on the Moon” about Brazil’s role in space exploration in anticipation of the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled this Wednesday (1st), which should mark the return of astronauts to the Moon’s orbit and pave the way for new stages of the lunar program.
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Easy adaptation
According to researchers, plants find it easier to adapt to inhospitable environments. The different characteristics may point to new possibilities for genetic improvements. There are studies that prove rapid changes in the plant’s gene.
“Contrary to what we imagine, the plant has many more tools to establish itself in these conditions than the human body. As the plant does not move, it has defense mechanisms, changes in gene expression that allow faster responses than our body, which allows them to quickly adapt to these extreme conditions”, says Larissa Vendrame, researcher in the area of genetic improvement at Embrapa, in an interview with CNN Brazil.
The study of new, more adapted and more efficient cultivars can provide a path in the future for improvement on Earth as well. The expectation is that the studies will bring benefits that can also be applied on Earth, such as improving the use of water, soil and energy, in addition to mitigating climate change situations.
“Growing in space has a series of challenges. The first is the restriction of water and inputs, mainly nutrients, in addition to the issue of soil, light and temperature and also microgravity. These are quite stressful issues for the plant, which brings us enormous challenges. We have to understand how the plant behaves under stress conditions”, confirms Larissa.
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Brazil in the Artemis program
Brazil joined the Artemis program in November 2023, when a joint venture between Embrapa and AEB (Brazilian Space Agency) signed participation with NASA, responsible for the international coordination that aims to establish and reinforce scientific exploration agreements and the exchange of knowledge about the Moon.
Embrapa works to develop technologies and products that can be used in space, pointing once again to the company’s global importance in the international research scenario.
