unger is an abstract notion for most of us lucky enough to enjoy regular access to nutritious food choices every day. Yet, hunger is a daily reality for nearly 500 million around the globe, of whom nearly 250,000 are on the verge of starvation. In addition to hunger, we need to double global production of protein by 2030 to satisfy demand from an expanding middle class in Asia and Africa.
For a world endowed with exquisite human and natural resources and wealth, the current situation is unconscionable. Speaking at the recent UN Food Systems Summit, the UN Secretary General reminded us that there is enough food in the world to feed all of us. Why then, does hunger persist? Numerous inefficiencies along the entire supply chain—from farm gate, to distribution, to storage—hinder fair and equitable access to food. These inefficiencies also hinder relief efforts by humanitarian agencies such as the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). Yet these inefficiencies aren’t the only problem. Solve the inefficiency dilemma and we still must grapple with the environmental and ecological damage wrought by today’s conventional agricultural practices.
Innovating for Better Agricultural Systems
Agriculture, as practiced today, is both inefficient and unsustainable. For sustainable future food systems, we must accelerate innovation efforts, especially in agtech and foodtech to replace outdated practices. Through agricultural innovation we can significantly reduce use of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and water—thereby decreasing pollution, protecting soil health, and conserving water.
Existing agtech, if deployed at scale, can partially mitigate both hunger and climate crises. But meeting future demand growth will be more challenging. We must find ways to continue increasing production to meet the needs of a growing—and increasingly well-off—world population without damaging the environment. Simultaneously, we must address inefficiencies in food production, distribution, storage, delivery, and consumption that continue to plague our food systems. Solving these challenges requires modernization of agriculture. Currently, agriculture is one of the least digitized industries, meaning accelerated, smart investment in agtech innovation can yield powerful results.
Previous innovations in agriculture—the mechanization of agriculture and then later productivity gains from the third agricultural revolution (green revolution) in the mid-20th century—were fundamental to supporting global prosperity in the last century. The fourth revolution is underway in agriculture—digital agriculture can radically transform it in powerful ways, but it remains in its infancy. Adapting the capabilities of our newly digitized world to the agriculture sector will not only help usher in further and more equitable prosperity, but it will help mitigate climate change.
Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gasses (GHG), contributing nearly one third of all emissions rendering innovation in agtech as a necessary tool for mitigating climate change. The digital revolution has unlocked numerous potential tools and strategies for transforming agriculture systems: precision agriculture, robotics, AI to assist management of both farms and supply chain nodes, and technologies like gene editing through CRISPR. Taken together, applying these innovations specifically to agriculture makes it possible to increase farm output while decreasing how much land, water, and other inputs are required to achieve high production levels.
Innovation in agtech is critical for any organization directly or indirectly involved with global food supplies or hunger alleviation; be it big or small, corporate or NGO, local or global. Having spent a recent volunteer sabbatical at the WFP Innovation Accelerator, I have come to appreciate that innovation matters even more for NGOs. They have much to gain as they:
- Realize gains by eliminating inefficiencies.
- Benefit from a vast array of proven innovation models, reaping benefits of the second mover advantage.
- Amplify and elevate impact.
- Collaborate with non-NGO peers and use innovation as a tool to forge and facilitate new public private partnerships.
With their social impact mandate, many NGOs are engaged in addressing global food security and hunger alleviation. There is already an ecosystem of government-adjacent national and international organizations that work with these NGOs to make an impact; UN-WFP, FAO, World Bank, and USAID are examples. In addition, leading foundations such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation have contributed significantly to mitigating hunger through support of agtech startups and research and development.
But more can be accomplished. One key way for NGOs to catalyze, leverage, and implement innovation is through establishing innovation accelerators. The WFP Innovation Accelerator in Munich headed by Bernhard Kowatsch is one prime example of a success story, having supported more than 100 innovation projects in 88 countries and helping improve more than 37 million lives. This is a powerful example of what supporting innovation can do.
It’s not just government-adjacent organizations and major foundations which can make an impact, either. Angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity funds, corporations, and philanthropists all have ample opportunity to make an impact through private capital. After all, the fourth revolution in agtech is still in its early days, which means there remains an abundance of low-hanging fruit allowing for meaningful return on investment. These private investors and philanthropists can and must work hand-in-hand with NGOs to achieve the goal of eliminating hunger through agtech and foodtech innovations, all the while addressing the climate crisis. They can leverage the vast and deep infrastructure and footprint of NGOs such as WFP to make rewarding ag and food tech investments especially in developing regions of Africa and Asia
The opportunities for “doing good” abound in the agriculture sector. There are also abundant opportunities to “do well” for those investors and organizations willing to move—soon—on pushing innovation in the agriculture sector.
a global affairs media network
Innovating More Sustainable, Efficient Agricultural Systems
August 9, 2023
Hunger remains a daily reality for nearly 500 million around the world, even though we currently have the production and technology to end hunger today. Looking forward, we need agtech innovation to reinvent agricultural systems to make them more sustainable and efficient, writes Dr. Jaleh Daie.
H
unger is an abstract notion for most of us lucky enough to enjoy regular access to nutritious food choices every day. Yet, hunger is a daily reality for nearly 500 million around the globe, of whom nearly 250,000 are on the verge of starvation. In addition to hunger, we need to double global production of protein by 2030 to satisfy demand from an expanding middle class in Asia and Africa.
For a world endowed with exquisite human and natural resources and wealth, the current situation is unconscionable. Speaking at the recent UN Food Systems Summit, the UN Secretary General reminded us that there is enough food in the world to feed all of us. Why then, does hunger persist? Numerous inefficiencies along the entire supply chain—from farm gate, to distribution, to storage—hinder fair and equitable access to food. These inefficiencies also hinder relief efforts by humanitarian agencies such as the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). Yet these inefficiencies aren’t the only problem. Solve the inefficiency dilemma and we still must grapple with the environmental and ecological damage wrought by today’s conventional agricultural practices.
Innovating for Better Agricultural Systems
Agriculture, as practiced today, is both inefficient and unsustainable. For sustainable future food systems, we must accelerate innovation efforts, especially in agtech and foodtech to replace outdated practices. Through agricultural innovation we can significantly reduce use of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and water—thereby decreasing pollution, protecting soil health, and conserving water.
Existing agtech, if deployed at scale, can partially mitigate both hunger and climate crises. But meeting future demand growth will be more challenging. We must find ways to continue increasing production to meet the needs of a growing—and increasingly well-off—world population without damaging the environment. Simultaneously, we must address inefficiencies in food production, distribution, storage, delivery, and consumption that continue to plague our food systems. Solving these challenges requires modernization of agriculture. Currently, agriculture is one of the least digitized industries, meaning accelerated, smart investment in agtech innovation can yield powerful results.
Previous innovations in agriculture—the mechanization of agriculture and then later productivity gains from the third agricultural revolution (green revolution) in the mid-20th century—were fundamental to supporting global prosperity in the last century. The fourth revolution is underway in agriculture—digital agriculture can radically transform it in powerful ways, but it remains in its infancy. Adapting the capabilities of our newly digitized world to the agriculture sector will not only help usher in further and more equitable prosperity, but it will help mitigate climate change.
Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gasses (GHG), contributing nearly one third of all emissions rendering innovation in agtech as a necessary tool for mitigating climate change. The digital revolution has unlocked numerous potential tools and strategies for transforming agriculture systems: precision agriculture, robotics, AI to assist management of both farms and supply chain nodes, and technologies like gene editing through CRISPR. Taken together, applying these innovations specifically to agriculture makes it possible to increase farm output while decreasing how much land, water, and other inputs are required to achieve high production levels.
Innovation in agtech is critical for any organization directly or indirectly involved with global food supplies or hunger alleviation; be it big or small, corporate or NGO, local or global. Having spent a recent volunteer sabbatical at the WFP Innovation Accelerator, I have come to appreciate that innovation matters even more for NGOs. They have much to gain as they:
- Realize gains by eliminating inefficiencies.
- Benefit from a vast array of proven innovation models, reaping benefits of the second mover advantage.
- Amplify and elevate impact.
- Collaborate with non-NGO peers and use innovation as a tool to forge and facilitate new public private partnerships.
With their social impact mandate, many NGOs are engaged in addressing global food security and hunger alleviation. There is already an ecosystem of government-adjacent national and international organizations that work with these NGOs to make an impact; UN-WFP, FAO, World Bank, and USAID are examples. In addition, leading foundations such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation have contributed significantly to mitigating hunger through support of agtech startups and research and development.
But more can be accomplished. One key way for NGOs to catalyze, leverage, and implement innovation is through establishing innovation accelerators. The WFP Innovation Accelerator in Munich headed by Bernhard Kowatsch is one prime example of a success story, having supported more than 100 innovation projects in 88 countries and helping improve more than 37 million lives. This is a powerful example of what supporting innovation can do.
It’s not just government-adjacent organizations and major foundations which can make an impact, either. Angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity funds, corporations, and philanthropists all have ample opportunity to make an impact through private capital. After all, the fourth revolution in agtech is still in its early days, which means there remains an abundance of low-hanging fruit allowing for meaningful return on investment. These private investors and philanthropists can and must work hand-in-hand with NGOs to achieve the goal of eliminating hunger through agtech and foodtech innovations, all the while addressing the climate crisis. They can leverage the vast and deep infrastructure and footprint of NGOs such as WFP to make rewarding ag and food tech investments especially in developing regions of Africa and Asia
The opportunities for “doing good” abound in the agriculture sector. There are also abundant opportunities to “do well” for those investors and organizations willing to move—soon—on pushing innovation in the agriculture sector.
