Food and agriculture

Ecosystem management is a part of Mars economy

Agriculture, and more generally the maintenance of ecosystems in Martian districts and settlements is one of the primary activity of Foundation. Its importance also determines in a large part the size of the production of material and energy systems, and if it appears disproportionate by the standards of the Earth’ economy, it is due to the fact that on Earth, the ecosystem is self-sufficient and preexisting to civilization. Its work is ‘’free’’ and is not counted in the economy; the closest equivalent to the situation on Mars are, on Earth, the increasing costs of repairing environmental damage.

An agricultural mix in evolution

The lower sunshine of Mars, combined with more marked seasonal variations, as well as the long night caused regularly by dust storms, has led to a relatively ineffective historical approach: on the one hand underground grow rooms and breeding chambers with artificial lighting and on the other hand bioreactors, massively producing low price proteins, often used in animal feed (insect mushrooms and fish). The production mix has a relatively low yield. However, it has made it possible to safely produce a large amount of organic matter (including the synthetic methane from the energy sector). The progressive accumulation of this organic matter is indeed the fundamental issue of the development of life on Mars, and a very significant amount of resources and technical developments have been devoted to it (notably in the energy field). The grow rooms are optimized to maximize the use of space. The cultivated species are diverse and mixed: cereals, soybeans, fruit trees, especially for the latter in urban gardens. Livestock mainly concerns fungi and insects, which are fed with bioreactor products, and the insects are then used for fish farming and breeding (fish, poultry, rabbits). Finally, some of the illuminated surfaces of the city are covered with green algae inserts, particularly in Arkadia.

Agricultural areas

Arkadia Surya

Grow rooms area 50 km² 32 km²

Greenhouses area 0 km² 90 km²

Bioreactors area 13 km² 8 km²

Surya greenhouses

A recent development in Surya, the construction of very large surface greenhouses is an approach more suited to the Martian environment. These greenhouses are highly transparent, using locally developed technologies, and have little or no need for artificial lighting as illumination is enhanced by orbital mirrors. This development, which is less energy intensive but more intensive in terms of land area, has been made possible by the increase in industrial productivity as well as the reduction of the cost for the access to space. Flexible curtains of vacuum insulation reduce night time heat losses.

Orbital mirrors

Orbital mirrors are a new development. Thousands of low flying mirrors in highly eccentric orbits focus light onto the Surya greenhouse areas, increasing the light levels to those of the Earth. These light balloons, usually 150 m in diameter but just a few hundred kg in mass, are made of reflective mylar sheets and provided with a minimum station keeping system. Their convex surface redirect solar illumination over a ground area five times larger than the mirror surface, and the rays from multiple mirrors create optimum growing conditions at very low cost. Martians SSTOs have found here a new market for their capabilities.

“Made in Mars” gastronomy

While the consumption of meat from small animals is frequent on Mars, red meat, for example bovine, remains an extremely rare and expensive dish. However, a whole chain of cultured meat production has developed on Mars, which is enjoying growing success today. Some Martian chefs cooking ‘artificial’ meat have ended up being recognized by Michelin stars and have had a meteoric career on Earth, where the price of animal meat has also experienced a strong surge in cost. Indeed, patent negotiation for this type of product is today a major export issue for Mars.

Marspedia references: Food - Greenhouses - Life support

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