Domestic sorghum fields are starting up
binex is a social venture that aims to solve global warming caused by fossil fuels and food shortages caused by global warming and population explosion. Some people may say, ``My vision is a little too big, and I get heartburn.'' So today I would like to introduce you to a field that has a real feel to it!
Sorghum is a plant that binex considers to be a resource crop for energy and food, and its cultivation has already begun in five fields in Japan. In preparation for future business development, we are conducting test cultivation in each field for different purposes.
We would like to briefly introduce what we would like to evaluate through cultivation at each of the fields scattered throughout the country.
Farm field in Fukushima prefecture
We have farms in two locations within the prefecture, where we cultivate varieties that are optimal for each purpose: fuel and food. We are also conducting tests to establish a methodology to quantify how much carbon is fixed in sorghum roots, which grow more than 2 meters underground.
Farm fields in Nagano Prefecture
This farm cultivates varieties that produce large amounts of fruit, and with the cooperation of local producers, researches their potential as food ingredients, such as milling them into flour and fermenting the germinated fruit to make beer. In order to build a food value chain for local production and local consumption, we are creating partners that connect everything from production to processing and consumption.
Farm fields in Kumamoto Prefecture
We grow sorghum with a high sugar content to produce ethanol through a bioprocess that uses bacterial biological reactions without using chemical catalysts. We are conducting joint research with universities on bacteria suitable for stem juice.
Farm fields in Kagoshima Prefecture
In Japan, sorghum is generally sown in the spring and harvested in the fall, but we are cultivating varieties that can grow in a shorter period of time. By intentionally leaving the trees to wither over the winter without harvesting, we plan to reduce the production process for turning them into fuel and verify their energy density.
Farm fields in Okinawa Prefecture
We have installed sensors on a trial basis to monitor the field environment, including temperature, humidity, and wind speed. This is to enable sorghum cultivation management in the future. In addition, by taking advantage of the region's warm year-round characteristics and harvesting before the ears form, it is possible to cut the stems and leaves three times a year, which we are currently verifying.
While sharing binex's knowledge with our producer partners, we are discovering new things every day in each region through the growth of sorghum. We plan to utilize the knowledge accumulated in Japanese fields during large-scale cultivation overseas.
And it's still a fun harvest.
I would like to upload pictures of the harvest one of these days. Please enjoy it!
