How French technology solves the problem of water scarcity

Water shortage issues are increasingly worrying European countries. One solution could be a new technology that changes the way food is grown in the face of climate change, reports Euronews. Who wins and who loses from the agricultural reform? It is a product developed by the French startup Elicit Plant. Recently, it received international recognition for helping crops cope with water shortages—a scourge for farmers worldwide. The company's breakthrough is rooted in so-called phytosterols. Phytosterol is a natural molecule found in all plants. It helps regulate how easily substances pass through plant cells, allowing the plant to adapt to the various stress situations it encounters, explains Aymeric Moulin, agronomist and general manager at Elicit Plant. We work with a wide range of crops, mainly corn, soy, sunflower, and cereals. Our field experiments show that treated corn plants use on average 20% less water than untreated ones, says Magdalena Kutnik, head of the biology and ...