Future of food security: The downside of the digitalization of agriculture for the most vulnerable countries

With an average temperature increase of more than 1.2°C, and extreme weather events compromising 30% of global harvests, applied genetics is becoming a tool for adaptation rather than progress, necessary to keep the productive capacity of agricultural systems constant.

Contemporary agronomy combines genetics, microorganism biology and economic sustainability, turning the agricultural field into a laboratory.

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Smart water networks, sensors and real-time monitoring software make it possible to optimise water distribution, detect leaks and improve maintenance. 

The digitisation of food supply chains completes the technological landscape: blockchain makes it possible to trace every step of the product, from the field to the table, guaranteeing transparency, authenticity and, above all, access to credit for small producers. 

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More than the fear of the replacement of human labour in the fields, the problem raised by digital technologies is that their diffusion is not uniform. The risk is that innovation becomes a new factor of inequality, reinforcing the dependence of the most fragile countries on those that control data, patents and digital infrastructure.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here