Food, feed and fuel: global seaweed industry could reduce land needed for farming by 110m hectares, study finds

The study suggests cuts to methane emissions from using Asparagopsis seaweed in human diets could save 2.6bn tonnes of CO2-equivalent a year by 2050. Photograph: smovic/Getty Images/iStockphoto

An area of ocean almost the size of Australia could support commercial seaweed farming around the world, providing food for humans, feed supplements for cattle, and alternative fuels, according to new research.

Seaweed farming is a nascent industry globally but the research says if it could grow to constitute 10% of human diets by 2050 it could reduce the amount of land needed for food by 110m hectares (272m acres) – an area twice the size of France.