Following a mysterious, two-year surge of fresh fruits and vegetables on the black market, the NOGAN Task Force has unraveled a highly organised group of illegal growers. The suspects include several leading academics and scientists from renowned universities and institutions, such as KU Leuven, the University of Southampton, the Spanish National Research Council, and the University of the West of England. Investigations revealed they had been secretly perfecting the cultivation of high-demand contraband produce.
According to a source close to the investigation, the group operated from hidden facilities adjacent to public toilets, with wastewater being central to their method. The Microbial Hydroponics, or “Mi-Hy group”, had grown huge quantities of fresh produce while remaining undetected for years. Deeply grounded in advanced biotechnology, they had optimised a hydroponic system, enhancing its water management, cultivating its root microbiome and integrating arrays of microbial fuel cells. This circular system left virtually no environmental footprint, frustrating police surveillance.
“They used our public infrastructure for clandestine cultivation. Their hydroponic technology rendered our surveillance useless. They left no trace.”
Major A. Kottanyi, NOGAN Task Force
Mi-Hy´s lack of tangible footprint not only challenged the Task Force but may also complicate prosecution. The NOGAN Protocol abolished traditional agriculture in response to its devastating impact on climate and biodiversity. Mi-Hy´s defense counterargues that their practice has negligible environmental impact. Do their actions even constitute a violation?
“These accusations are absurd! My clients have done nothing illegal! We are prepared to transform a fictional crime into a multimillion-euro reality.”
Saul Gutman, Defense attorney
In an unprecedented move, the NOGAN department has made its case files public, including explanatory videos detailing how to build a wastewater-driven hydroponic system. The central piece of evidence, a short film titled “NOGANIC,” invites the public to explore the shadowy world of microbial fuel cells and cover hydroponics.
Explore full case of evidence at: https://www.mi-hy.eu/noganic/
The Reality Behind the Fiction:
Vienna-based Biofaction created the dystopian NOGANIC universe as a “what if” scenario set in the near future. While the setting is fictional, the science is real. The Mi-Hy project is a European research consortium coordinated by Rachel Armstrong (KU Leuven). It explores how microbial fuel cells can transform waste into energy and nutrients for plants in hydroponic systems. This circular approach challenges industrial agriculture’s linear model by demonstrating how microbes can convert urine into nitrogen for plants while simultaneously generating electricity to power their growth.
For more information and inquiries please contact:
Rachel Armstrong, Professor of Regenerative Architecture, rachel.armstrong@kuleuven.be & Markus Schmidt, CEO Biofaction KG, schmidt@biofaction.com