Issue 99: Why we need agtech innovation now
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we’re thinking about agricultural technology – Mary Ames, Director of Strategy
THE BIG TAKE
Why we need agtech innovation now
Global food stockpiles are waning amid the Covid-19 recovery and geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. The global food-supply chain hinges on just one country, by the looks of it. Like other outdated production systems currently breaking down as a result of years of pandemic and geopolitical recalibration, the way we produce and distribute food needs to change. As a result of the Ukrainian crisis, global food prices are forecast to spike, leading to food shortages across many emerging-market countries. If there was ever a time for an agricultural technology (agtech) revolution, it is now.
The Gulf is leading: Given its natural challenges with food and water production, the Middle East is the ideal testing ground for the agtech company of the future. There are many manifestations of agtech, but the core principle is using technological innovation to solve the problem of food creation. Everything from lab-grown meat to vertical farming falls into this exciting and ever-expanding field. The solution to global hunger might be found in a tiny start-up based in an emerging country. That is precisely what is happening in the Gulf.
Increasingly critical: A vibrant agtech sector is already stretching across the Gulf, with the UAE leading the way. The UAE has had success with urban farming techniques such as vertical agriculture that can produce food with very little water. As the UAE builds its knowledge economy, agricultural technology is a perfect sector to expand. Not only can it solve local challenges, but the innovation can be exported to other countries that need food assistance. We can find a solution to the current food crisis, but we are still facing severe food challenges that will require innovation in agricultural technology.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Farming isn't something that can be taught. Each plant tells its own story that has to be read repeatedly.”
– Kelsey Timmerman, writer
OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK
The metaverse: On the back of the World Government Summit, we have been writing a lot about government, technology, and the future lately. In this piece just published by Xische, we look at how governments are taking advantage of the metaverse. How will this exciting technology change governance in the future? The purely human-centric city of tomorrow will have a significant metaverse component. Dubai is building that before our eyes and creating a blueprint for other cities to follow.
Cybersecurity in the spotlight: The backbone of tomorrow’s knowledge economy is cybersecurity. With more information moved to the internet every day, the importance of sound cybersecurity defense on a national level is apparent, but it doesn’t stop there. In this piece published by Xische, we explore how cybersecurity is evolving to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Is time travel possible? The short answer is yes, but under the right conditions. The Conversation has an incredible piece about time travel and parallel timelines that is a must-read for anyone interested in this topic. As they point out, physicists have been trying to use general relativity to determine if time travel is possible. You can write down equations that describe time travel and are fully compatible and consistent with relativity. But physics is not mathematics, and equations are meaningless if they do not correspond to anything in reality.
Volcanic AI: Researchers are turning to AI to predict when volcanoes will erupt. According to Radio New Zealand, researchers had pinpointed precursors to volcanic eruptions in data collected before explosions, including the deadly 2019 Whakaari surge that killed 22 people. AI algorithms were used to scan thousands of seismic recordings taken before 18 eruptions on six active volcanoes worldwide. Pretty amazing stuff!
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