Duckweed, a fast-growing aquatic plant, is harvested as a protein-rich food in Thailand but vilified as a “noxious weed” in the West—where a $650 million herbicide industry profits from its destruction, Natural News reported. Yet duckweed produces more protein per acre than soy, cleans polluted water, and requires no soil or fertilizer, making it a threat to industrial agriculture’s profit model.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

BANGKOK/WASHINGTON — In Thailand, duckweed is celebrated as “eggs of the water”—a nutrient-dense food packed with protein and bioavailable B12. But in the West, it’s branded a “noxious weed” and poisoned with herbicides, part of a $650 million industry that suppresses its potential as a sustainable superfood, Natural News reported.

A Superfood Suppressed

Duckweed is the fastest-growing plant on Earth, doubling its biomass every 16 hours and producing more protein per acre than soybeans. It contains all nine essential amino acids and bioavailable B12—a rarity in plant-based foods—yet industrial agriculture dismisses it as a pest.

“Duckweed could revolutionize food systems, but Big Ag profits from killing it,” a sustainable agriculture expert said.

A Natural Water Purifier

Beyond nutrition, duckweed removes 90–99% of pollutants—nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals—from contaminated water, outperforming wastewater treatment plants. Yet chemical companies sell herbicides to eradicate it, perpetuating pollution and profit cycles.

“It’s a natural filtration system, but corporations prefer selling poisons,” a water quality researcher said.

Why Big Ag Fears Duckweed

Unlike patented crops (soy, corn) that require fertilizers and pesticides, duckweed thrives without soil, chemicals, or human intervention. Its decentralized growth threatens industrial agriculture’s monopoly on food production.

“Duckweed disrupts the profit-driven model of Big Ag,” a food sovereignty advocate said. “It’s free, sustainable, and can’t be patented.”

NASA’s Space Food, Thailand’s Breakfast

NASA is testing duckweed for space missions due to its efficiency, while Thai families harvest it daily for meals. Yet in the U.S., homeowners associations spend hundreds per acre to kill it—enforcing “clear pond” aesthetics over sustainability.

“In Thailand, it’s food. In America, it’s a ‘weed’ to poison,” a botanist noted.

The Future of Food?

Duckweed could feed the world sustainably:

  • 40–45% protein (vs. soy’s 35%).
  • Bioavailable B12 (rare in plants).
  • Omega-3s rivaling fish oil.
  • Grows in polluted water, cleaning it naturally.

“The only thing stopping duckweed is cultural bias,” a nutrition scientist said. “We poison abundance while starving for solutions.”

Watch this clip of Marjory Wildcraft discussing duckweed, which is often dismissed as “pond scum.”

This video is from The Grow Network channel on Brighteon.com.

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