Agriculture has played a significant role in food insecurity, and sustainable agriculture has been at the center of surging and ballooning increases in population worldwide. It has been a severe issue. Governments worldwide have been worried about how they produce enough food to feed the growing population and, at the same time, an agricultural sector that needs to improve constantly. When the population increases, there is bound to struggle for food, and the agricultural industry needs to be improved to meet the food challenges. As of now, humanity is facing lots of food insecurity due to climate change, diseases, conflicts among tribes or nations. With technology and agricultural innovations, farmers can spend less time on the farm while using small portions of land to produce enormous amounts of food. This article will address how technology can be used to guarantee food security in the world.
Food availability
From research, the FAO has predicted that there will be a food gap of around 70 percent in terms of crop calories by 2050, comparing it to 2006. This gap can be closed by reducing food waste, increasing food production through genetic changes, reforestation, limiting water use, and increasing productivity. According to experts’ estimates, more than 33 percent of the world’s farmable land has been lost to erosion over the last 40 years. Technology can help solve this problem by creating plant species resistant to diseases, harsh weather conditions, and more nutrients.
Soil management
If the soil is not fertile, all the efforts put into genetic engineering to resist plant species will be lost. That is why fertile soil plays a vital role in food security. Nowadays, much research goes into fighting diseases and pests, and people forget about sustainable land management. The truth is that infertile soil produces crops that are easily affected by diseases and pests.
People often turn to synthetic fertilizers to increase soil fertility, but their use often leads to heavy greenhouse gas emissions, not suitable for the environment. It also increases salts in the soil, and salty soils decrease crop production. Farmers should manage soil because it is considered a non-renewable resource.
Adapting food production in climate change
Climate change is no longer a myth. We see its effects and predict the worst times if things are not done differently. Experts need to ensure that farmers have the skill and knowledge to implement sustainable and precision farming to minimize the adverse effects of farming on the environment. This helps ensure an ecological balance in the environment while feeding billions of people worldwide. It also helps to increase yield despite the increased frequency of droughts, floods, and wildfires.
Digitization of the supply chain
The Covid-19 pandemic has been an eye-opener to the deficiencies of our food supply chain. However, with machine learning and AI to process and analyze huge amounts of data from IoT sensors, we now have a good understanding of all the intricacies that plague the food supply chain. The use of these technologies helps to map out better routes for the transportation and distribution of food.
Early warning systems
Weather forecast systems can be considered one of the greatest inventions to support agriculture. It has significantly reduced crop loss due to bad weather and helps farmers plan for better days.
Final thoughts
Technology has improved the efficiency of many processes in our society, and agriculture is adopting it at a fast pace. It will be able to ensure food security for the ever-growing population and fight against starvation in less privileged regions.