Succulents as a Sustainable Food Source

Introduction:

Rising global temperatures around the world are predicted to cause an increase in extreme flood and drought activity in areas that are already prone to natural disasters of the sort, as well as the general heating of the rest of the world. However, climate change is not our only concern as the planet is expected to reach ten billion people before the fifth decade of the century, we must also find ways to house and feed the additions to our already massive family. The future of Agriculture is currently in a very precarious situation that has not been discussed nearly enough. Much of the agricultural soil in the world has already been heavily degraded due to the explosion of technology that resulted from the Green Revolution.

Due to the warmer climates of the decades to follow, many conventional food crops such as rice, wheat, and corn may struggle to survive further into the century that we go (Shahzad, 2021). One possible, but heavily under researched solution to feeding a drier world would be to use succulent plants for sustainability farming. Due to their high tolerance of heat and being drought resistant of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), succulents are already well equipped to survive harsh conditions in the current day. But they also may just be the crops that feed us in the near future.

Research Objectives:

Explore whether there are enough edible succulents in the world to sustain a diet of fruits and vegetables from them.
Research how sustainable a farm of only succulents would be, compared to our current farm system.
Determine with climate models if it would be possible to create large scale succulent farms.

Why This Matters:

We are at a risk of losing many crop varieties due to climate change, and there are not many solutions being put forth to what is next.
Succulents can be grown in some of the worst soil conditions in the world, allowing for the alleviation of some worries about droughts ruining the crops.
Current Agriculture system is destroying our lands and helping to aid climate change, and there is a wide range of plants to study with their being 10,000 species of succulents worldwide.

Literature Review:

Cacti Uses in Mexico

The flowers that bloom from cacti such as Biznaga (ferocactus), and Garambullo (Myritllocactus geomestrizans) have been in use for food products long before the Columbian era first began in Mexico. The flowers are used in meals such as stews or boiled in water with eggs to make additives to tortilla flour
The flowers are generally high in carbohydrates making for a good addition to a person’s diet
The prickly pear cacti (Opuntia ficus- indica) is found throughout Mexico as well and grows large fleshy cladodes in large numbers from one cactus. The cladodes may be cut from the cactus and then are despined so that they may be cooked or cut, and eaten raw as a vegetable known as nopales. In turn nopales could be used as an alternative to other vegetables in dishes that may not grow as well in the future.

(Stanislav 2020)

Figure 1: First picture is Biznaga cactus in bloom. Second picture is Garambullo cactus in bloom. Third picture is Optunia ficus-indica

There is a Need for More Cacti Research

There are still well over 1000 species of cacti full of unknown biochemistry. Until recently two such species were Opuntia Microdasys & Optunia Macrorhiza. Both look very similar to Opuntia ficus-indica except they range in different sizes, and the number of spines that each plant has on a cladode.
After testing the cladodes, pulp, and seeds it was found that they contained a variety of nutrients such as fats, protein, ash, and carbohydrates within all three pieces, and that the seeds containing the highest amount of dietary fiber was found in their seeds. The results showed that both species did have the capabilities to provide humans with sufficient nutrients, and that Op. Macrorhiza would be a better choice due to it being much larger.
Many of the species from the Opuntia genus create berry type fruits that have a thick peel, several glochids (Hair-like spines that may be found on the areoles of cacti from the opuntia family, they are small and fine unlike standard cactus spines), and a pulp mixed with many seeds found at the center.
The fruits collected from opuntia cacti may be used for many different things such as jams, jellies, juices, dyes, and even to make a type of alcohol called colonche as well

(Chahdoura, 2015)

Optunia Microdasys

Optunia Macrorhiza

Dragon Fruit can Set Ablaze the Fruit Industry

If sidewalks were lined with a species like Selenicereus undatus the city would be able to plant cacti closer together than trees, as they do not have the width of trees. Once reaching maturity the plants would also be able to begin their fruiting phase allowing for free product that has been provided by the city for the residents to consume.
Cacti have the ability to act as a carbon sink just like a wooden forest, meaning that if green infrastructure implored the use of cacti, these cities might also be able to recover carbon from the atmosphere, within some of the hottest places on the planet.

(US EPA, 2023), (Sosa, 2020), (Oh, 2023)

A dragon fruit comes from a dragon fruit plant/tree, also known as the species of cacti Selenicereus undatus. Already a popular fruit within today’s market, there is plenty of opportunity to become a mainstream fruit within grocery agriculture in the future.
A climate model was run to show possible scenarios for rising temperatures around the world. By adding many different variables a map was made to show the different locations that Dragon fruit cacti are able to grow currently, as well as predicted future areas of optimal growth for the cacti. Three different species of dragon fruit cacti were mapped out under these variables and all their possible future farming land continued to grow instead of diminishing.
Dragon fruit cacti also can be grown in hedgerows or alongside trees due to their small width, and being a columnar cacti. This could provide a possible answer to local food production within warmer climate cities, through the use of urban agriculture, and urban vertical agriculture.

Impacts on Packaging Industry

Cactus mucilage is common in many types of cacti, and scientists believe that it is an adaptive trait to help cacti retain water. Mucilage is a clear slimy looking liquid secreted by the cacti that is already currently used on kiwi slices and whole strawberries to help slow the ripening process of both
Another viable use of the species Opuntia Ficus- Indica, is the capabilities to act as a biofilm through the use of its mucus. An experiment was conducted to observe if the mucilage may also be used as a biofilm for minimal processing root vegetables. It was found that after 10 days the cactus mucilage biofilm group was able to hold up to food freshness standards, making it an alternative biofilm product for root vegetables as well as some fruits

(Aparecjda dos Santis Morais, 2019), (Mauseth, 2001)

Umbilicus Rupestris

Also known as navelwort is a small succulent plant that can be found growing in stonewalls, cliffs, rock faces, and shady/ moist places.
Navelwort originates from Western Europe to the Mediterranean region and has long been used as a vegetable topping for salads.
A study was conducted to see the nutritional components of navelwort and it was found that it had a large amount of carbohydrates and antioxidants, enough to for the succulent to be added to the human diet.

(Harumi Iyda, 2019)

Theoretical Framework:

Participatory Action Research:

Ideally a study of this caliber would also include not only different scholars, but the average person from different communities around the world.
The goal of an action research project is to have research participants actively engaged in the entire research process from the formulation of a research question to the practicing the research
This would also include all discussion periods during the project, seeking to create a mutual learning process for both researchers and participants, with an end goal of fostering some type of contribution to society.

Why PAR For this Proposal?

Climate change is not a problem that will affect just a portion of the world population, but all of us. To fully understand the change of growing regions for plants over the next century climate scientists would have to be involved.
A step that needs to be hurdled is finding more succulents that are edible, or provide proper nutrients for the human body.
This can be achieved through many different ways such as:
sending in plants to labs to have them analyze the alkaloids and nutritional content of the plant.
Talk to local communities, as their knowledge is more expansive and may even stem back thousands of years when revolving around botany.

The amount of progress that may be achieved through having an open-ended collaboration including anyone around the world, compared to a small group, or just one person doing all the work, would be almost incomprehensible.

I imagine some type of forum creation online would allow for everyone to share different findings, under different categories of interest or importance. Also allowing researchers to comb through and send out mass messages to anyone involved in such a project.

(Figure 2: circles represent different groups all simultaneously involved in the action research process. The oval being the place where all their collective information is shared and stored. The lines represent their relationship to the whole, and by the connection, to each other.)

Methods and Justification

Study Design:

The commencement of this project would have to revolve around the creation of the information hub
The website would closely resemble reddit's format of different community sections, however, each community would instead be dedicated to some sort of dialogue revolving around the project.
This would also achieve the goal of open information sharing between scholars and common people, which is needed for a successful action research project
Once the website is fully developed, this would then become the study design. This would create an open ended research forum as the study design, which to my knowledge a study of this style has not been done within the academic sphere.

The initial goal of this study would be for me as the lead researcher, to find five new species of succulent plants that may be used as a nutritional food source in place of current crops.
This method has the most appeal because it allows for people across the world to give input, which is essential because over the last 100 years a good portion of humanities knowledge on agriculture has been lost.
Whereas indigenous cultures across the globe still hold onto practices from generations ago, they also hold knowledge of nature, and having the ability to communicate with them is essential in my endeavor.
Anyone that is interested is then able to communicate with the researchers, and even commit to aiding in researching on their own.

Validity

Threats to Validity

People posting inaccurate or dishonest information on the forum

Solutions

Cross checking and sorting all information on the forum.
Any promising plants being sent in to be tested by a lab for results.

Data Collection:

Post and communication from the forum
Secondary research using newly published scientific studies.
Using archival research

References:

Bergmans, A., (2018). Putting action research into practice: Co-designing a participatory process for negotiating the siting of a radioactive waste repository. In Sage Research Methods Cases Part 2. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526446916

Chahdoura, H., Morales, P., Barreira, J. C. M., Barros, L., Fernández-Ruiz, V., Ferreira, I. C. F. R., & Achour, L. (2015). Dietary fiber, mineral elements profile and macronutrients composition in different edible parts of opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff and Opuntia macrorhiza (engelm.). LWT - Food Science and Technology, 64(1), 446–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2015.05.011

Castetter, Edward Franklin and Willis Harvey Bell. "The aboriginal utilization of the tall cacti in the American Southwest." University of New Mexico biological series, v. 5, no. 1, University of New Mexico bulletin, whole no. 307, Ethnobiological studies in the American Southwest, 4 5, 1 (1937). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_bulletin/28

Harumi Iyda, J., Fernandes , Â., Calhelha, R. C., Alves, M. J., Ferreira, F. D., Barros, L., Amaral, J. S., & Ferreira, I. (2019, May 23). Nutritional composition and bioactivity of umbilicus rupestris (salisb.) dandy: An underexploited edible wild plant. Food Chemistry. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814619309422

Mauseth, J. D. (2001). Plant Anatomy Laboratory. Mucilage cell, Cactus. http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/mauseth/weblab/webchap9secretory/9.1-2.htm#:~:text=Mucilage%20cells%20are%20common%20in,and%20prevents%20it%20from%20evaporating.

Morais, M. A., Fonseca, K. S., Viégas, E. K., de Almeida, S. L., Maia, R. K., Silva, V. N., & Simões, A. do. (2019). Mucilage of spineless cactus in the composition of an edible coating for minimally processed yam (dioscorea spp..). Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 13(3), 2000–2008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-019-00120-9

Mulik, S., & Ozuna, C. (2020, July 25). Mexican edible flowers: Cultural background, traditional culinary uses, and potential health benefits. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878450X20301128

Oh, S., & Lu, C. (2023). Vertical farming - smart urban agriculture for enhancing resilience and sustainability in food security. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 98(2 pp.133–140), 133–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2022.2141666

Shahzad, A., Ullah, S., Dar, A. A., Sardar, M. F., Mehmood, T., Tufail, M. A., Shakoor, A., & Haris, M. (2021). Nexus on climate change: agriculture and possible solution to cope future climate change stresses. Environmental Science & Pollution Research, 28(12), 14211–14232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12649-8

Snapp, S. S., Bezner Kerr, R., Bybee‐Finley, A., Chikowo, R., Dakishoni, L., Grabowski, P., Lupafya, E., Mhango, W., Morrone, V. L., Shumba, L., & Kanyama‐Phiri, G. (2023). Participatory action research generates knowledge for sustainable development goals. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 21(7), 341–349. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2591

Sosa, V., Guevara, R., Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, B. E., & Ruiz-Domínguez, C. (2020). Optimal areas and climate change effects on dragon fruit cultivation in Mesoamerica. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 158(6), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0021859620000775

US EPA. Future of Climate Change | Climate Change Science | US EPA. (2023). https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-change-science/future-climate-change#:~:text=Key%20U.S.%20projections,heat%20events%2C%20or%20heat%20waves.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00289-022-04092-7