What’s Going On In The Agriculture Sector?
Have you heard of the term agtech? Coined in Australia, this term refers to “transforming the global food system” by making the best possible use of the digital technology. The goal is to utilize the latest technology and data to reduce investment and increase agriculture production. Some farmers in the country are learning a new set of skills from this fusion of the latest digital technology and agriculture.
They have started using sensors to measure salt content of water, winds speed and other climate conditions that can be beneficial or harmful for crops. So, now they can take necessary preventive steps to protect their crops from pests, diseases and harsh weather. One can actually see farmers collecting real-time data using sensors and then using that real-time data to harvest oysters on the Clyde River.
Similarly, farmers in the US have started taking a different path and they have started adopting a new farming system that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Soil-free methods of food production such as hydroponics and Aquaponics are already very popular. Practices like crop rotation, planting cover crops, elimination of tillage, integrated pest management, integrating livestock and crops, adopting agroforestry and landscape management are improving production while keeping cost low and making farming more soil and environment-friendly.
Following are some of the current and future technologies farmers can invest in to make agriculture more profitable and eco-friendly:
• Air & Soil Sensors
• Equipment Telematics
• Crop Sensors
• Livestock Biometrics
• Genetically designed food
• In vitro meat
• Viable Rate Swath Control
• Agricultural Robots
• Rapid Iteration Selective Breeding
• Closed Ecological System
• Robotic Farm Swarms
• Precision Agriculture
• Synthetic Biology
• Vertical farming
These practices and methods for more productive agriculture and food production will be implemented within next two decades.
What Is the Future Food Demand?
The recent and future developments in agriculture sector seem to be a good sign for the world as we will enter into the second half of the century with 9 million individuals walking on the face of the earth. We will have to increase food production by 70% to save millions of people from sufferings due to food crisis. Hopefully, improved and smart agriculture practices empowered with the best technologies will rescue the world from food shortage, right?
Even Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations predicts that there will be a significant decline in the number of undernourished and malnourished people but a large number of people will have to bear brunt of hunger crisis. No doubt scientists are working to make agriculture practices and methods more productive and pest resistant, but it is difficult to bring 70% increase to fruition in next three decades. Why so?
We Will Be Running Out Of Agriculture Land
India ranks second in agriculture output after China. India is one of the largest producers of fresh fruits and vegetables, major spices, milk, jute, castor oil, millets etc. India is the second largest country by wheat production after China and second largest rice producing nation again after China. However, in India, 30K hectares of cultivable land is decreasing per year. Chinese farmland is also shrinking. Desertification and agriculture land degradation are worsening worldwide. So, apart from increasing production, we need to reverse desertification and agriculture land degradation. Still, this will hardly solve the problem. Why?
Much of the Focus Is On Improving Production Only
That’s the problem. No doubt we have to improve food productivity. However, there are some other important factors not getting enough attention. And, these factors play an important role in controlling current and future food crisis. Expanding cropland area, closing yield gap, improving international trade and the important one – if not eliminating, at least minimizing wastage of food, these are the other three important factors we need to work on.
Cutting Wastage of Food
We have three decades and need to increase global food production by 70%. If somehow we reduce wastage of food by 50%, the pressure of producing more on our farmers and scientists will be reduced as we will have to increase production of food by 45%.
Why Avoiding Wastage Of Food Is So Important?
There are direct and indirect benefits of saving food. No healthy and consumable food will go to bins. Millions of tons of food are dumped in the landfill. The food decaying there is the second biggest source of greenhouse gases. Food is produced to feed the society. It shouldn’t cause damage to the environment. So, when we avoid wastage of food, we also play a part in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The food decaying in landfill also carries high risk of diseases. The healthy we need for healthy body should not be a threat to our health. Apart from the supply demand mismatch, the problem of high food prices stems from wastage of food as well. So, the food that is reaching consumers mounts pressure on their wallets. By creating awareness about consequences of wastage of food, we will not only save food but also trim down greenhouse gases, risk of diseases and food prices.
Steps for Preventing Wastage of Food
It is not the responsibility of governments only but individuals, society and food industry also have to become more aware and utilize food products responsibly. It is actually not difficult to for a common man. Here are some simple and practical steps for avoiding wastage of food.
• Avoid buying in bulk
• Store food properly
• Preserve food properly
• Keep your fridge organized
• Utilize leftover
• Keep an eye on expiry dates
The tech industry is also coming forward to help the society by developing apps that can be used for tracking food in supply chains and efficient utilization of leftover, excess and near expiry food. One such example is Delicia. It has allied AI and Blockchain technology to create a Decentralized global food network for restaurants and retails food chains. Hotels and restaurants often prepare and purchase some extra food items and sometimes that extra quantity of food remains unsold. Now they have only one option. The food will go to the landfill. Delicia has made a new option available to hotels and restaurants. Now they can use Delicia to sell excess and near expiry food to needy.
Why Start Right Now?
1.3 billion tons of food produced in the world is lost or wasted. Food wasted in developed countries costs US $ 680 billion and US $ 310 billion in developing nations. The most of the food is wasted due to poor storage and movement of food in length supply chains. There are 815 million people suffering from acute and chronic hunger. When a child under 5 dies every 6 seconds due to undernourishment and malnutrition, we can’t waste food and we can’t waste time. We have to start right now.
For more info visit: https://delicia.io/
Telegram Group: https://t.me/deliciaDFT
Linkdin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/delicia-global-food-network/