What is space farming and why Brazil is sending plants outside Earth

Last April, chickpea seeds and sweet potato plants produced in Brazil departed on a suborbital flight by the private company Blue Origin, which represented an important step for Brazilian space agriculture.

But what exactly is space farming? And why are Brazilian researchers sending vegetables outside the Earth's atmosphere?

The story begins in 2020, when NASA and the U.S. State Department, with the participation of commercial spaceflight companies and international partners, established the Artemis Accord, which aims to return humans to the Moon, explore deep space and possibly set foot on Mars for the first time.

Unlike the Apollo Program, carried out by NASA between 1961 and 1972, the idea of ​​the new missions is not just to reach Earth's natural satellite temporarily, but to establish permanent bases with human presence , starting a sustainable economy on the Moon and, in the long term, on the red planet, in a scenario that refers to the film “The Martian” (2015).

Initially, the agreement involved eight countries, but currently has 55 signatory nations, including Brazil , which joined the program in 2021. The following year, the objectives of Artemis were published, some of them related to the cultivation of plants in space, since the cost of sending food produced on Earth would make it impossible to maintain the astronauts' diet.

Countries signatory to the Artemis Accord

• Germany
• Angola
• Saudi Arabia
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Cyprus
• Colombia
• South Korea
• Denmark
• United Arab Emirates
• Ecuador
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Estonia
• United States
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• India
• Iceland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Mexico
• Nigeria
• Norway
• New Zealand
• Panama
• Netherlands
• Peru
• Poland
• United Kingdom
• Dominican Republic
• Czech Republic
• Romania
• Rwanda
• Singapore
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Ukraine
• Uruguay

“As Brazil is internationally recognized for its agricultural research, we saw an opportunity for Embrapa to contribute, also thinking about the return to Brazilian society of all the technologies that will be developed during the course of the work”, explains Alessandra Fávero, researcher at Embrapa Sudeste and coordinator of the Spacing Farm Brasil network.

The idea was taken to the management of Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, which supported the advancement of articulations on the topic with researchers from other units of the institution, such as Agroenergy, Instrumentation, Vegetables, Tropical Agroindustry and Soy, in addition to the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and several universities and research institutions.

Today, the Space Farming Brazil Network has 56 researchers from 22 institutions, including four international ones, with different expertise .

Institutions that are part of the Space Farming Brazil Network

• Brazilian Space Agency (AEB)
• Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (Cena-USP)
• Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)
• Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (Esalq-USP)
• Agronomic Institute (IAC)
• Institute of Advanced Studies (IEAv)
• Institute of Geosciences of the University of São Paulo (IGc-USP)
• National Institute for Space Research (INPE)
• Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo (IQ-USP)
• Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA)
• Florida Tech University (FIT)
• Technological Innovation Park of São José dos Campos (PITSJC)
• University of Florida (UFL)
• Newcastle University (NCL)
• Federal University of ABC (UFABC)
• Federal University of Lavras (Ufla)
• Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel)
• Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)
• Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)
• Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM)
• Federal University of Vicosa (UFV)
• Winston Salem State University (WSSU)

On April 14, the chain set an unprecedented milestone by sending chickpeas and sweet potatoes into space on Blue Origin's NS-31 mission – the same one that took singer Katy Perry beyond Earth's atmosphere. The commercial aerospace company is owned by American billionaire Jeff Bezos, also the founder and CEO of Amazon.

For about five minutes, the food was exposed to a microgravity environment, which could provide parameters for the development of space crops.

The samples are currently in the United States, where the seeds and plants are being documented to be sent back to Brazil. Once they return, they will undergo genetic analysis to understand the effects caused by exposure to suborbital flight.

Species were chosen for nutritional value and adaptability

The choice of chickpea and sweet potato species for the first Brazilian experiments was not random. In addition to the fact that the legume is rich in protein and the tuber is rich in low-glycemic carbohydrates, both are versatile in food preparation, generate little waste, and have fast growth and are easy to handle.

Chickpeas can be used to prepare dishes ranging from hummus to burgers and are rich in tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, which is beneficial in stressful situations. The variety used in the studies is BRS Aleppo, a cultivar developed by Embrapa itself.

In the case of sweet potatoes, the Beauregard cultivars were used, which have ten times more beta-carotene than the most common varieties in the country, and Covington, developed to have accelerated growth, adaptability, high nutritional value and simple management.

The legume is rich in antioxidants, an advantage for human health and for the plant itself, as it makes it more tolerant to ionizing radiation present in space. In addition, its leaves, rich in fiber and protein, can also be consumed, reducing waste production.

The first phase of research is the simulation on Earth

The first phase of Brazilian research is simulation on Earth, which involves preparing the material, both plant species and cultivation conditions in a protected environment, lighting systems and accelerated plant growth.

Once this stage is complete, the idea is to move on to testing in Earth orbit conditions to adapt the crop until the time when a mission returns to the Moon and, later on, reaches Mars, establishes permanent bases and can begin planting on celestial bodies.

“We’ll keep making adjustments until then, which should only happen in the next generation,” says Alessandra. “We always say that the Artemis Program is still in its infancy. We know it’s a very long-term project, but we need to start at some point, as with the development of any major technology.”

Challenges of space farming include ionizing radiation and the absence of soil, gravity and atmosphere

The coordinator of the Space Farming Brazil network explains that in the medium term there are other candidate species to be included in the studies, but the focus at this time is on model plants. Other countries collaborating with the space farming project work with varieties that include English potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes and other foods.

Further ahead, research should also involve vegetables not necessarily intended for food, but for the production of fibers, bioplastics, biomass, pharmaceuticals and other derivatives essential for maintaining human life outside Earth.

“We always say that the most extreme conditions for growing crops are outside of Earth,” explains Alessandra. The challenges include microgravity, cosmic ionizing radiation, and the absence of soil and atmosphere.

Tests conducted by the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq) at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Piracicaba, using special equipment and CubeSats (miniature satellites), show that plants experience significant stress under different gravity conditions, compromising production. By simulating these environments on Earth, it is possible to predict ways to make agriculture viable in future space stations.

Cosmic ionizing radiation requires that crops be protected, in the same way as astronauts, by enclosures made of materials capable of absorbing the waves.

“The Moon’s soil, called regolith, is completely different from ours, rich in aluminum and iron and extremely poor in elements that are important for plant nutrition,” explains Alessandra. “So, initially, we can use techniques such as aeroponics and hydroponics, which do not depend on soil, until we can adapt the cultivation using the surface conditions of different celestial bodies.”

Research in Brazil uses compounds that simulate soil from the Moon and Mars

There is ongoing research in Brazil that works with plant development in compounds that simulate lunar and Martian soil, says the researcher.

Another necessary condition for establishing bases on the Moon and Mars is the creation of artificial atmospheres, with a composition similar to that of Earth, as already exists on the International Space Station.

“In addition to plant growth in a closed environment, the crop must be completely self-sustainable. So the crop must produce new seeds, the water must be treated, the waste must return to the system as fertilizer, and the exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen must occur without losses, for example.”

Space farming also aims to benefit production on Earth

In addition to enabling the creation of agriculture outside of Earth, research should favor agriculture on Earth, especially considering the uncertainties regarding the future of the climate.

So-called spinoffs , or technologies used in our daily lives that were developed from space exploration, are nothing new. Cell phone cameras, satellite navigation systems (GPS), portable vacuum cleaners, scratch-resistant lenses, air filters, wireless headphones, artificial prostheses and even materials used in running shoes and pillows are all derived from studies conducted by NASA for space missions.

In agriculture, vertical farms, which reuse water, minimize energy consumption and eliminate the use of soil, are also the result of research by the North American space agency.

Space agriculture research conducted in Brazil, in this context, should also result in the creation of new varieties of chickpeas, sweet potatoes and other species.

“These will be cultivars that are more efficient in terms of water use, more productive, more adaptable and have other superior characteristics that will end up being launched on the market and that can be used by Brazilian producers,” says Alessandra.

Preventative breeding can select plants tolerant to harsher conditions

The expectation, says the researcher, is that, in addition to new varieties, technologies will be developed that can benefit agriculture on Earth amid the challenges of climate change.

A self-sustainable system can use the techniques created by space agriculture to guarantee food security for populations in regions undergoing desertification, for example.

Another line of research involves so-called preventive breeding. “We can now select plants that are more tolerant to the temperatures projected for 10 or 20 years from now, and when that happens, we will have material ready to make available.”