Farming in sandy soil can be possible despite its lack of nutrients and poor water retention. Agricultural hydrogel or super-absorbent polymer can be applied to help grow crops in such soil.

Since the basic material for agri hydrogel is the same as that used in diapers and sanitary napkins, Russian scientists are studying the repurposing of hydrogels from discarded diapers for farming.

Researchers from Moscow State University have tested the soil performance of hydrogels from discarded diapers and found that they nearly match that of a commercial agricultural hydrogel. Their experiment also involved growing mustard seeds in sand with added gel.

Their findings are contained in a study titled “The Potential for Reusing Superabsorbent Polymer from Diapers for Water Retention in Agriculture,” which was published in the journal Gels, Economic Times reported.

With millions of tons of discarded diapers available, there is no need to manufacture hydrogels, according to the study. Instead, it can be sourced from waste.

Meanwhile, a retired American teacher who taught English in China 26 years ago recently had a reunion with a Chinese woman farmer from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Ronald Sakolsky, now 67, met Yin Yuzhen, 60, and her husband in Ordos, IMAR, on 23 August, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

Before returning home to the United States in 2020, Sakolsky donated $5,000 to Yuzhen to support her effort to reforest a desert. During their reunion, Yin invited Sakolsky to her home and showed him a forest named by the government after him.

The forest was once the Mu Us Desert, where Yin planted some 50,000 trees with the help of Sakolsky’s donated money.

He embraced the trees and planted a friendship tree alongside Yin in the forest that she and her son have been nurturing and tending since 2020.

Sakolsky told local media how very proud he was of Yin.

“She could have used it ($5,000) to improve her own life, but instead, she dedicated it to the trees. Very few people would do that,” he said, according to SCMP.