Fyto, a startup founded by Jason Prapas, former translational research director for the MIT Energy Initiative’s Tata Center for Technology and Design, has developed an automated farming system that reuses a dairy farm’s nitrogen waste to produce a high-protein aquatic plant. That plant can then be used for cattle feed or as a fertilizer supplement. Fyto’s system uses Lemna, a genus of aquatic plant, also known as duckweed, that grows on top of ponds and swamps. The automated cropping system grows the plant in shallow pools on unproductive farmland. The robotic system relies on minimal land, water, and labor, and results in a more sustainable and profitable food system for the farmer.
Read more about Fyto’s technology and how it can help farmers via MIT News.