This story first appeared in UC Santa Barbara’s The Current.
People need water to drink, but we also need it to grow our food. This simple reality poses a complex dilemma for an increasing number of communities as climate change saps the moisture from some of Earth’s most fertile regions. The situation has mobilized people around the world, from farmers and inventors to scientists and government officials. When it comes to water, everyone is trying to figure out how to use less and lose less.
UC Santa Barbara student Visala Tallavarjula is among those who’ve set their minds to this task. And now the fourth-year environmental studies major has made it to the final round of the 2022 Collegiate Inventors Competition with her innovative solution: Sequestron. The irrigation technique promises to increase food production while slashing water use, all with readily available materials.