What does radioactive salad tasting like ? How about rice sprinkled with nuclear fallout ? Well , if you ’re genuinely curious , regard take your next vacation in Fukushima , where some intrepid sodbuster have begun the daunting task of farm the area ’s tainted soil .
expression just began on a rather futurist projection in the Fukushima prefecture . The so - called Renewable Energy Villageis both a farm and a solar parkwith 120 photovoltaic jury that bring forth 30 kilowatt of power , which are sold to a local utility company . The “ solar share-out ” layout means that the crop grow beneath the solar panels . There are plans to sum up windmills and possibly an astronomical observatory on the land as well .
But the big question stay on : Is it really safe to raise crops in Fukushima ’s radioactive soil ? The answer is complicated . loosely speaking , it ’s not a good musical theme to grow food in dirt that ’s been contaminated by nuclear side effect . However , if the radiation levels in the soil are low enough , and if farmers nibble the right crop — some ingest radiation syndrome more than others — consuming the works can be harmless .
Farmingstarted up in Fukushima last springfor the first prison term after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami . Rice was one of the first crops grown , in small quantity at first . Some Farmer first plow the soil with minerals like potassium that reduce the amount of Cs and other radioactive materials . Once harvest , the rice also underwent extensive radiation checks before being sold on the subject market .
Nowadays , locals are warm up to the idea of farming on the land again , since consumer are getting comfortable with the idea of run through their crops . Last fall , the major fast nutrient chain Yoshinoyaannounced that it would start to growrice , onion , and kale in the Fukushima prefecture . The caller said in a assertion that it believes “ this will run to support for reconstruction . ” And the neighborhood needs it : Agriculture has traditionally been the lifeblood of the local economy , and the region was gain hard as agriculture was work to an abrupt halt after the disaster .
The creative approach take aim by the Renewable Energy Village seems like a practiced next step . Even though the crops they ’re growing ( rapeseed in this case ) are safe , just think of it this way . If farming does n’t work out , they can just focus on the solar vim business — one of Japan ’s burgeon markets.[New Scientist ]
After Two age of Nuclear Crises , Japan Opens Its Biggest Solar Park
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