Martian soil differs significantly from Earth’s—it lacks essential nutrients, contains perchlorates (a toxic chemical), and is highly alkaline. These factors make it inhospitable for most plant life.

So, how might human explorers support themselves on Mars? It turns out, an ancient agricultural strategy pioneered by Mayan civilization farmers may come to their rescue.

This approach, known as intercropping, is still in practice and entails growing two to three different types of crops together. This strategy is advantageous because it produces plants with complementary traits that can help each other survive.