Cacti by its own right should be among the miracles of nature. — (FAO) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Cacti interest around the world has grown with special focus on nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica), endemic from Mexico.
Take aways of CAM (Cacti)
— Cactus is a natural carbon sink, it has a great CO2 sequestering capacity.
— From 14 acres, cacti can absorb 8,100 tons of CO2/year.
— Cacti (opuntia-ficus-indica) is a perennial crop than can be harvested twice a year.
— Cacti (opuntia-ficus-indica) is endemic from Central North Mexico and it's used to make plant-based leather by Desserto.
— Cactus naturally regenerates soil.
— It only takes 200 liters to grow one kilogram of cactus biomass which water is absorbed by the plant itself from humidity present in the atmosphere, compared to 1000 liters (on average) to grow the same kilogram from other crops.
— Cactus is a tough and resilient specie, adapted to extreme conditions able to survive in areas where nothing else will grow.
— Cacti can grow in severely degraded soils, which are inadequate for other crops.
Find out more in the article below.