ASU, MyLand use algae system to boost crops and conserve water

ASU and MyLand, a Phoenix-based soil health company, collaborated to demonstrate how a new algae system could help Arizona farmers cultivate healthier crops with reduced water usage.

Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director at the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, ASU, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss more about this new algae system.

This is done by using live, native micro algae to improve the soil so farmers are able to be more efficient with their water usage. The system can also have a reduced environmental impact, potentially paving the way for the future of farming.

The system MyLand created works by extracting live, native micro algae from a farmers field, and then take a close look to figure out what the best strains are. They boost it in a proprietary way, and then pump it back through the irrigation system that the farmer already has in place. This is done in order to enhance soil quality.

Merrigan disscused that when she first came across the company and their findings her and others were skeptical because there was not enough third-party data to support MyLand’s claims. Merrigan explained that this was the “genesis” of ASU’s partnership with MyLand.

“Live micro algae…can do a lot of things including increasing water holding capacity,” Merrigan said, “…and in our thirsty state, that’s very important.”