Trends and Issues: Food Security and Hunger

Technologies that use to provide sustainable food and combat hunger:

1. Biotechnology
Definition:
Is the use of biological processes, organisms, or
systems to manufacture products intended to improve
the quality of human life. The earliest biotechnologists
were farmers who developed improved species of
plants and animals by cross pollenization or cross
breeding.
Can be defined as the controlled and deliberate
manipulation of biological systems (whether living cells or
cell components) for the efficient manufacture or processing
of useful products.
The term biotechnology refers to any technology, process or practice that modifies or harnesses any living
organism or system to be useful to any human purpose. The word defines itself: bio means life and
technology is defined as the application, or harnessing of science for a specific purpose.
Subdisciplines / Sub-field of Biotechnology:
1. Red Biotechnolgy (Medical Biotechnology) - involves
medical processes such as getting organisms to produce
new drugs, or using stem cells to regenerate damaged
human tissues and perhaps re-grow entire organs.
2.

White (also called gray or Industrial Biotechnology)

biotechnology involves industrial

processes such as the production of
new chemicals or the development of
new fuels for vehicles.
Pilot plant for
the Production of 2G Biofuels in Munich/Germany

4.

3. Green biotechnology (Agricultural

Botechnology) applies to agriculture and
involves such processes as the
development of pest-resistant grains or the
accelerated evolution of disease-resistant
animals.

4. Blue biotechnology (Marine Biotechnology) , rarely

mentioned, encompasses processes in marine and
aquatic environments, such as controlling the
proliferation of noxious water-borne organisms.

1.

1. Genetic Engineering
Definition:
Sometimes called genetic modification, is the
process of altering the DNA? in an organisms
genome.
In plants, genetic engineering has been applied to
improve the resilience, nutritional value and growth rate of crops such as potatoes, tomatoes and rice.
In agriculture point to a multitude of potential benefits of engineered crops, including increased yield,
drought tolerance, reduced pesticide use, more efficient use of fertilizers, and ability to produce drugs or other
useful chemicals.

Genetically modified food / Genetically Engineered Foods

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been

modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different
organism.

 Food that is produced from organisms that have had their genes

engineered to introduce traits that have not been created through

natural selection. Genetically modified foods have been commercially
available since the 1990s, and is most often associated with fruits
and vegetables. Genetically modifying a food involves introducing a
gene into a fruit, vegetable, or animal from another organism. Broad
scientific consensus suggests that genetically modified foods present
no more danger than conventional food.

Information and Communication Technology in

Agriculture
Definition:
Information and communication technology in agriculture
(ICT in agriculture), also known as e-agriculture, is
developing and applying innovative ways to use ICTs in the
rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture. ICT in
agriculture offers a wide range of solutions to some
agricultural challenges.
E-agriculture continues to evolve in scope as new ICT applications continue to be harnessed in the agriculture
sector. More specifically, e-agriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and
application of innovative ways to use ICTs in the rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture.
e-Agriculture is an emerging field in the intersection of agricultural informatics, agricultural development
and entrepreneurship, referring to agricultural services, technology dissemination, and information delivered or
enhanced through the Internet and related technologies.
Through ICT, farmers and agricultural producers can more easily access relevant and timely information
from the acquisition of quality seeds, credit and insurance, water supply for irrigation, to livestock care and
market prices. ADBs efforts in this area help create and spread agricultural knowledge, disseminate up-to-date
technology, facilitate trainings, and connect rural enterprises to markets.
Role:
ICT are fundamental in providing farmers with useful information such as weather reports and crop prices, as
well as in educating them about new farming techniques. Radio broadcasting is a key medium for this,
especially as it is relatively inexpensive and has wide coverage in the developing world. FAO Rural Radio, for
example, is a service directed at developing countries and which features a special Food Security Channel
with programmes giving advice on how to improve productivity.

Because of the rapidly increasing use of mobile phones in developing countries, they have become another
major means of disseminating information. With the short message service (SMS), farmers and fishers can
receive information directly on their phones, and in their local language (see box). For example, e-Choupal in
India offers services that help farmers achieve better yields and secure better prices. TradeNet, based in
Accra, Ghana, has created a platform where farmers and traders across the world can share market
information via mobile networks and the Internet.
Such services help to avoid food being wasted, too. A study in Kerala, India, showed that by using mobile
phones while at sea, fishermen are able to respond quickly to market demand and prevent wastage caused by
over-fishing.
Remote sensing of agricultural and water resources by the use of high-resolution radiometers and moderateresolution imaging spectrometers aboard aircraft and satellites.
Using computers, networks, databases and software to collect, analyse and share information that is
relevant to food security. Geographic information systems, for example, can help to establish cross-sectoral
communication by providing powerful tools for analysing statistics, and by integrating the databases of various
sources in the same format.
Deploying communication infrastructure (such as the Internet and mobile telephony) to send information and
advice to individual farmers and consumers.
Monitoring of crops and weather patterns is also used by international organizations to issue early warnings
of famine or the shortages resulting from natural disasters. This can make it possible for governments to take
preventive action in areas at risk. If a crisis does occur, then emergency communications become essential.

3D printing for custom chemicals

3D printers have the potential to revolutionise agriculture,
allowing the production of chemicals (such as herbicides,
pesticides and veterinary medicines) on the farm as and when
they are required.
This technology essentially turns the 3D printer into a
miniature chemical manufacturing plant. Chemical reactants
(inks) are then dispensed (printed) into the vessel by the 3D
printer using instructions from an app, where they react to
produce new chemical compounds wherever you are in the
world, so long as you have the starting ingredients.
Green ammonia
Currently, ammonia production uses over 1-2%

of the worlds energy and is responsible for 1%

of global GHG emissions. Generating ammonia
through electrochemical reactions instead of the
Haber-Bosch process, using renewable energy, could allow fertiliser to be produced in a carbon-free way.
In the electrochemical reaction, hydrogen is produced by splitting water which is combined with nitrogen in the
air on an electro-catalyst to produce ammonia. The process requires relatively low energy and is powered by
renewable electricity from wind or solar. For farmers in developing countries who are often off grid and away
from the major distribution routes for fertilisers, this technology has the potential to provide them with an in situ
source of ammonia for fertiliser, which could dramatically increase their yields.

Aquaponics
This technology combines hydroponics (growing plants in
water without soil) with fish farming to create a closed loop
system.
The fish are kept in tanks and fed fish food often tilapia
is used because it is herbivorous and does not need to be
fed wild-caught fish. Their excrement goes into the water,
making it nutrient rich. This nutrient-rich waste water is
pumped to the roots of the plants through a biofilter, which
converts ammonia into the nitrates that the plants need.
The nutrients are then taken up by the plant, which purifies the water. The purified water is then pumped back
to the fish, and the cycle continues.
Given that the world will be 70% urbanised by 2050 and there is by good approximation no new land for
agriculture, this could provide a game-changing and efficient way of producing local fish and vegetables,
making the best use of available land.

Sentinel plants
Sentinel plants act as indicators of biotic or abiotic stress in cropping
systems, by providing an early signal such as changing leaf colour
in response to a stress event.
These plants can provide early warning of new and emerging pests
and diseases, nutrient deficiencies, or changes in soil conditions. For example, rosebushes planted in

vineyards show earlier symptoms of fungal diseases compared to grapes, allowing for mitigating action to be
taken.
Sources:
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/biotechnology
https://www.dcu.ie/biotechnology/about.shtml
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-biotechnology-definition-history-examples.html
http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-genetic-engineering
http://www.justlabelit.org/about-ge-foods-center/about-gmo-foods/
http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/food-agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineeringagriculture#.WEgJPPl97IU
http://www.who.int/topics/food_genetically_modified/en/
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/genetically-modified-food-gmf.asp
http://www.e-agriculture.org/forumtopics/introduction-39
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communications_technology_in_agriculture
https://www.adb.org/sectors/ict/ict-in-key-sectors/agriculture
http://www.itu.int/net/itunews/issues/2009/08/25.aspx
http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/blog/2016/02/game-changing-technologies-in-agriculture/