Our first product is Farmchef, a biological crop treatment that improves yields in hot, dry conditions and reduces risk of crop losses to drought and other climate shocks.
Farmchef is based on novel technology for osmotic stress protection. It enhances plants’ water retention, accelerates recovery from damage caused by drought and heat, and reduces plants’ internal stress response systems.
It is based on our peer-reviewed and published research which showed that stress is often the limiting factor on yields in arid and semi-arid tropical climates. In this study, performed with cowpeas in Ghana, Farmchef improved yields by 45% – 3X more than fertilizer. It has produced even more dramatic yield improvements with other crops under farm conditions.
Farmchef is a soluble powder. It is mixed with water and applied as a foliar spray or soil treatment.
Farmchef is designed to work with a wide variety of crops. Some of our target crops include:
We are working to test Farmchef with even more crops.
Unlike many stress tolerance products, Farmchef boosts yields even if it is applied when conditions are good. It can be used throughout the growing period, not just during dry spells and other times of stress.
For annual crops, Farmchef can be applied every 1-3 weeks from formation of first leaves through flowering.
For perennial or tree crops, Farmchef should be applied every 2-4 week throughout the year, especially during dry seasons.
Farmchef is made of organic compounds which are naturally occurring in plants. It is safe for use – all ingredients are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use as food supplements.
It does not contain any microbes, or common biostimulant ingredients like seaweed extracts or humic/fulvic acids.
Farmchef’s ingredients are synthesized rather than directly from plant or animal materials, but all its ingredients are naturally occurring in plants and play important roles in plants’ metabolic systems.
We are currently seeking certification as an organic input under common international standards like USDA and EPRI.