Comment by Brajeshwar | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Brajeshwar | Hacker News Reader

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Imagine creating the ideal climate (indoor) to farm Kashmiri Saffron[1] that cannot be grown in most climates except for a very few select regions. Kashmiri Saffron goes for about $1,500 a pound.

The other is to add much needed nutrients that deficient people need. Here is an anecdote from our adventure. We were able to artifically add enough Vitamin B12 to Spinach that non-vegetarians can benefit from. Vitamin B12 is not available in vegetarian diet.

The other audacious goal we tried. What if that same Spinash is loaded with enough nutrients for pregnant women that the malnourished women in rural India can get their fair share of nutrients during their terms for a healthy mother and a healthy baby!

These specialized way of farming can only be managed by a well managed indoor farm. For instance, in a country like India with enough sunlight, besides leveraging solar energy, we can also make the plants have enough sunlight while still inside the farms. So, combine a mix of hydro + the likes of Dutch Bucket Method can make way for lot cheaper way of indoor farming.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron

Edit: Sorry for feeding the wrong nutrient. Vitamin B12 and not K12.

> Imagine creating the ideal climate (indoor) to farm Kashmiri Saffron[1] that cannot be grown in most climates except for a very few select regions. Kashmiri Saffron goes for about $1,500 a pound.

I can grow saffron in my garden in London. The problem isn't growing it, but harvesting the filaments...

I believe that is where India's population of 1.4 Billion comes in. There are too many unemployed people willing to work and benefit from some form of income. A decent pay (not an exploitative one) for most housewives would kill to get that job of harvesting Saffron in their spare time. That might supplement their household income and even send their kids to school.

Are you just going to ignore that the parent invalidated the whole first paragraph in your previous comment?

“that cannot be grown in most climates except for a very few select regions”

I've no idea beyond this. I can dig up and try to act smart but that would be lying to myself. But hey, best of luck to London. :-)

India is one of those climates. A lot of saffron is grown there.

What is the advantage over dietary supplements? Seems like a complicated and expensive way to package and ship vitamins.

Spinach is an extremely common and cheap food in India. Again, we are not sure if better alternatives. That was a pitch and idea that we wanted to try. We felt the cost to benefit ratio is massive.

Is it still cheap when you grow it a special way and add vitamins? Why would it be cheaper than normal spinach + separate vitamin pills?

Right. If would be one thing if you were genetically modifying spinach to produce the vitamin. But if you're starting with the finished product and doing stuff with it, why not just sell it as is? Additional steps are just adding to cost.

Sort of surprised no one has tried this for the coca plant to produce cocaine closer to demand. Maybe they have but we don't know about it?

Cocaine would have a similar issue as saffron. although to a much lesser extent. While it can be grown rather easily, one would need quite a few plants to make enough for a single recreational user.

The plant is a fantastic thing to have on its own, cocaine be damned. When we visited Peru it was a godsend on long hikes, like a good cup of coffee without any preparation.

Why can’t that farming happen outdoors?

I see that you did there. ;-)

Anyways, it is not a competition. Indoor farming is a supplement where the output is supposedly multiplied with every floor-rise of plantation. The same surface area but go up -- single homes vs high-rise flats/apartments.

Don't you mean Vitamin K2?

Sorry. Edited to mean Vitamin B12.

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