In a number of ways, technology has the power to make a big difference in reducing world hunger. New technology has the potential to change every link in the food chain. Finding new ways to make bulk chicken feed, for example, can increase output and make it possible to make sure it is safer from microbes.
This is just one example. Below, you’ll find more information about how technology is being used right now to increase food production and security around the world.
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Innovations channelled towards hunger eradication
AgTech: A Chronology
Food security and the fight to end world hunger have benefited greatly from technological advancements since the start of the so-called “Green Revolution” in the late 1960s. New agricultural production methods were being studied during the time period known as the “Green Revolution” in an effort to boost crop yields. Innovations made during this time period continue to play a part in the fight against world hunger even today.
Among the many promising applications of this technology, precision agriculture stands out. In precision farming, information about the state of crops and soil is gathered via sensors. The information is then used to make farming decisions. Precision agriculture is helping farmers cut down on waste, improve the quality of their soil, and grow more crops.
Genetically modified crops open up new avenues for scientific research and technological advancement. Genetic engineering can help make more food, and it can also make food healthier, last longer, and be less likely to attract bugs.
Chickens are also being worked on so that they may lay more eggs at a younger age, while pigs are being bred to grow larger and quicker than they do in the wild.
Hydroponic Cultivation
To test the viability of hydroponic farming, the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator began a pilot operation in 2016 called H2Grow. Hydroponic cultivation is ideally suited to even the harshest conditions, such as those found in the Sahara Desert, and utilizes 90% less water than conventional farming methods while taking up 75% more territory.
As part of the experiment, farmers in the Sahrawi refugee camp would use nontraditional tools, like scrap metal, to grow barley. By feeding the barley to cattle, they can boost both the quality and quantity of the meat and milk they produce.
Because of the program’s immense success, it has been rolled out in countries all over the globe. At the moment, it is active in nine different nations.
The World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator was set up to help the United Nations reach its Sustainable Development Goal of ending world hunger by 2030.
The Farm to Market Alliance is a private sector network that uses an app to link up local farmers with buyers as part of the WFP Innovation Accelerator initiative. E-shop is another option for getting food to those in Somalia who don’t have access to it.
Machine Learning and Other Forms of AI
The use of AI can aid farmers in increasing their output with less waste. AI can be used to make better plans for planting and harvesting times and to find the best places to grow crops.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to aid farmers in reducing their reliance on chemicals like pesticides, and it can also aid in the distribution of food. For example, AI can help make algorithms that optimize food delivery routes and schedules. This makes sure that supplies get to the people who need them most while wasting as little food as possible.
One of the most important ways that technology can help with the food supply chain is by providing information that can be used to guide opSo that farmers can use the information well, it needs to be available when they need it.ly manner.
Systematic Methods for Digital Financial Transactions
Financing tools made possible by technological progress could also help increase food production, which would reduce the number of people who don’t have enough to eat. When it comes to obtaining capital, farmers all over the world run into roadblocks. Because of this, they can’t increase their output or try new ways of farming, so their crop yields go down, and they don’t have enough food.
Africa StartUps to Benefit from EatSafe Innovation Challenge
Technology-based loan platforms are becoming more widespread
Farmers are getting the money they need, and they are also being linked up with profitable markets.
For a technology to be used in all of the production and consumption networks, it needs to work well in the local environment. Producing high-quality products that are available on a worldwide scale is one of the primary goals of food production technology, which also helps eliminate food insecurity and improves overall socioeconomic well-being.