vision
CONCEPT
It is possible to produce in a different, new way and with full respect for the environment. Wakonda responds to the needs of our Planet with practical and valuable solutions capable of contrasting the effects of climate change.
Wakonda was born from the full awareness that enormous challenges by the end of the twenty-first century are induced by:
• climate changes and increasing in the average temperature of the planet;
• population increasing (estimated 10 billion people);
• drastic decreasing in arable land.
It is necessary to establish a more balanced development model, which combines respect for the environment with dual agriculture-industry development policies, capable of maximizing food production and reversing the trend of decreasing productive land. Wakonda has worked on optimizing OFI’s extensive cultivation, to extend it to numerous areas of the planet.
The application of in-depth knowledge in the agricultural/genetic field to a little-studied plant, and the engineering of the production process, allow us to make extremely productive many lands that in the Mediterranean basin are becoming marginal and no longer productive for traditional crops.
The same system can also be successfully implemented in semi-arid areas of Africa, creating the conditions for unimaginable growth in livestock farming.
From the plant it is possible to obtain numerous products: flours for human consumption, drinks, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, animal fodder.
With part of the agricultural production and the waste of these productions it is possible to generate energy (biogas/biomethane or/or electricity) and recover heat to be used in the heating or cooling cycle.
FOOD
Opuntia ficus (OFI) is a plant that has always been included in the diet. The benefits of consuming OFI are many: with its content of fibre, minerals and vitamins it is a useful tool for a balanced diet. The benefits of the plant are evident especially against wellness diseases such as hypertension, overweight, hypercholesterolemia and inflammatory states.
ENERGY
Opuntia ficus indica (OFI) is a plant with an agro-energy vocation. It can be used to recover low fertility land as it can be used wherever there are temperatures between -5°C and + 50°C and rainfall up to 1000 mm of rain per year and even more if the soil is draining and coupled with appropriate agronomic practices. OFI is a plant with an incredible yield in terms of biomass for energy use. One hectare of OFI can produce over 3 times the amount of bio methane than one hectare of biogas corn.