Sea Buckthorn Farming: Challenges, Innovations, and the Promise of Precision Agriculture
The Future of Food and Agriculture
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the future of Food and Farming relies on adopting sustainable practices to deal with global challenges such as climate change, population growth, food security, and resource scarcity. These global challenges are especially significant in sea buckthorn farming, where traditional agricultural practices often fail to ensure long-term sustainability.
What is Sea Buckthorn? - Sea Buckthorn Plant Information and Uses
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a resilient, fast-growing, deciduous shrub valued for its diverse uses. Typically 2-4 meters tall, it features rough bark, silvery-green leaves, and bright orange or yellow berries that are rich in nutrients and medicinal compounds. Native to regions with varied climates, sea buckthorn thrives in well-drained, sandy soils with sufficient organic matter and a near-neutral pH. It is dioecious, requiring both male and female plants for pollination, which is wind-driven. Its nitrogen-fixing roots make it an excellent choice for land reclamation, erosion control, and soil improvement.
This plant takes 4-5 years to begin fruiting, peaking at 7-8 years, with a productive lifespan of around 30 years. The berries are a powerhouse of vitamins (C, B1, B2, E, and more), antioxidants, and essential fatty acids, offering health benefits such as improved immunity and skin health. Additionally, sea buckthorn leaves can be used as a tea rich in proteins and minerals. Widely cultivated for nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications, its products include oils, juices, jams, and even medicinal extracts, making it a valuable crop for sustainable agriculture and health industries.
The challenge in the Cultivation of Sea Buckthorn
- Soil and Water Needs: Sea buckthorn thrives in well-drained, sandy loam soils with neutral pH levels and adequate organic matter. However, very sandy or clay-heavy soils can hinder growth unless amended. The plant also has high phosphorus needs for root nodule health and requires careful moisture management, as it is sensitive to both drought and overwatering.
- Labor-Intensive Harvesting: The berries' clustered growth and the plant's thorny structure make harvesting labor-intensive. Mechanical solutions are costly and not always effective, while manual methods are time-consuming, requiring up to 600 hours per acre for harvesting.
- Cold Climate and Frost Management: Sea buckthorn's growth and fruiting are influenced by temperature. While it is frost-hardy, optimal production requires precise timing for harvest, often dependent on freezing conditions to facilitate fruit detachment from branches.
- Economic Barriers: Equipment like the frozen cut branch harvester, which simplifies harvesting, is expensive, creating a significant entry barrier for small-scale producers.
- Pest and Disease Management: Although sea buckthorn has relatively few pests, issues such as verticillium wilt and green aphid infestations require attention. Limited pesticide options further complicate management.
However, the biggest challenge sea buckthorn producers face is the decline in agricultural yields. This is mostly attributed to the loss of organic matter and soil moisture. Farmers often use chemical fertilizers without properly assessing soil needs, leading to environmental degradation, health risks, and reduced economic returns. As a result, the products produced frequently lose their nutritional value, and costs for farmers continue to rise, raising concerns about the future of the crop.
The Opportunity: Precision Agriculture as a Solution in the Cultivation of Sea Buckthorn
The SAKAMI project aims to leverage findings from previous research studies to restore the productive potential of sea buckthorn, a fruit renowned for its high nutritional value. By implementing an optimal precision agriculture business model, the project seeks to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural yields while utilizing fewer inputs. Additionally, the harvested sea buckthorn will be used to develop and produce innovative, high-nutrition products.
Through the integration of advanced monitoring technologies such as soil sensors and SMS messaging technologies to mobile phones, the SAKAMI project enables immediate notifications to farmers regarding the need for irrigation or fertilization to precisely assess soil needs, optimize water use, and track plant growth conditions. The data is given to the farmers so they can make decisions that lead to better yields while minimizing input.
The proposed plan is a multi-level innovation, as it involves:
- the development of an innovative farming process (cultivation of sea buckthorn using Precision Agriculture) that differentiates from the traditional process, which fails to achieve high economic performance and leads to a strain on land resources;
- the design of a new business model through which new ways of creating economic, social, and environmental values will emerge;
- the production of an innovative product (sea buckthorn cereal bar).
The project illustrates that precision agriculture is not just a tool but a transformative approach toward solving modern agricultural challenges. By combining advanced technology with the cultivation of a resilient and nutrient-rich crop like sea buckthorn, this project provides a blueprint for sustainable farming practices. Beyond increasing yields and reducing inputs, SAKAMI focuses on smarter, more responsible resource management. In strengthening the economic prospects for farmers, this initiative also contributes toward global efforts for healthier diets and sustainable food systems.
“The SAKAMI project is funded under the Rural Development Program for Greece—Measure 16 of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food”.
The article has been written by Marianna Lagonikou and Paraskevi Liakopoulou, EU R&D Project Coordinators at Rezos Brands, on behalf of the project.
References:
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2017). The future of food and agriculture – Trends and challenges. FAO. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/3/i6583e/i6583e.pdf
Gonchigsumlaa, G., Cramon-Taubadel, S., Soninkishig, N., & Buerkert, A. (2020). Competitiveness of sea buckthorn farming in Mongolia: A policy analysis matrix. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics, 121(1), 77–88.
https://cariboo-agricultural-research.ca/documents/CARA_lib_Li_McLoughlin_1997_Sea_Buckthorn_Production_Guide.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341284377_Competitiveness_of_sea_buckthorn_farming_in_Mongolia_A_policy_analysis_matrix