Whether you’re growing algae for food, biofuel or something else, there are a number of benefits to algae farming. First off, it’s a great way to reuse land that isn’t useful for other forms of agriculture. This could be land that has been contaminated with harmful chemicals or soil that features a high salt content. Algae ponds can also be placed where there isn’t enough soil to grow much else. There are lots of different systems out there that can fit into just about every situation—and every structure, indoors or outside.
Farming algae comes with the added benefit that it grows much more rapidly than most other forms of agriculture. Algae farmers produce more biomass monthly than other farms using an equivalent amount of space. For all of that product, there are multiple markets willing to purchase the algae, which means producers are creating a product that is always in demand and insulated from sharp fluctuations in that demand.
