…and that’s how we END world hunger

Upcoming crisis 

Imagine a situation where the world population has exploded 4 fold and the scarcity of food and edibles has dropped down to 45% …scary isn`t it? I get petrified more than I get paranoid about our Plan B to save the planet. Yes the future is uncertain and we are fighting a VUCA crisis (Vulnerability-Uncertainty-Complexity-Ambiguity) and the pandemic seems to be just a teaser of what lies in store for the Final catastrophic Armageddon. It is difficult to sleepwalk through a pandemic crisis and we no longer can pretend to be fake sleeping on it. The issue isn`t the virus, the issue is the repair mechanism for the crisis it will bring as an aftermath.

By the time 2050 rolls around, 80% of the world’s population will dwell in an urban setting. Water will be the next subject for war and border encroachment, Chemicals will destroy arable land into deserted gloom. Water for irrigation will possibly come from rainwater, grey or backwater and the use of water will be more recycle focused.    

Current Challenges

Desertification and food scarcity can be contained (if not stopped) by natural or modern technological innovations; Mr Yacouba Sawadago, a farmer who took the initiative to combat desertification in his country by using simple, traditional methods like Zai (Land furrows), has phenomenally reversed the desertification of his farmland.  (In 2010, a documentary film entitled The Man Who Stopped the Desert, which is about Sawadogo’s life, premiered in Norwich in the UK)   

Traditional agro activities are highly dependent on uncontrolled aspects like rainfall, soil fertility, productive cropseed, manure and impact of UV rays. On the flipside Modern agro activities are comfortable with controlled aspects like HYV seeds, treated organic manure, callus cultures and AI in the rapidly evolving AgTech arena of Agro-Bio-Technology.    

Possible Solutions 

We cannot alter the available land mass on the planet neither can we modify the chemistry of soil. What we CAN/SHOULD/MUST do is create a pseudo environment for growing controlled crops without modifying their genetic structure (Non GMO Crop Cultures) this can be performed through various techniques like Horticulture, Hydroponics, Aeroponics, Green buildings and even Vertical hiTech farms.  

Consider environmental conditions tightly controlled for each crop, maximizing growth, while minimizing the use of water and nutrients. Waste from plants will be either composted for fertilizer or will be combined with animal waste and used as a fuel within the building. Energy will be generated from renewable resources like the sun and wind, while energy efficient building technologies will minimize energy needs. 

Geoponics-Hydroponics-Aeroponics for future AgroTech

When we compare aeroponics and hydroponics in terms of plant growth or crop yield, aeroponics has a definite edge over the latter as the roots are air-suspended being subject to proper aeration and oxygen absorption as opposed to being submerged underwater in hydroponics.

Firstly, aeroponics is carried out in an enclosed environment where the chances of plants coming in contact with foreign particles are minimal. Secondly, new nutrient solution is sprayed on the plants every time. Hence, in case of diseases to the plants, aeroponics again has an advantage, while hydroponics face a significant risk of bacterial growth as the humidity levels in the surroundings are quite high.

Both these methods are much more environment friendly on comparison with geoponics as they are cultivated devoid of chemicals fertilizers and pesticides. Considering the fact that aeroponics uses relatively less amount of water and requires only about 25 percent of the nutrient supply compared hydroponics has a relieving financial opacity. 

Green Buildings: The light at the end of the tunnel

So what exactly is a Green Building? Not just green cement used, but these gigantic and alive structures are all set to change the world of food and agriculture along with construction and life spaces. Until date we have relied on vegetable and fruit markets, supply vendors and even delivery apps for our food and essential logistics, but a new dawn awaits us as we are all set to pluck fruits and veggies from our neighboring room or even maybe our balcony here on.   

The face of building construction and real estate projects is about to change, in India a revolution has already sparked for the same. The IGBC – Indian Green Building Council, part of the CII Confederation of Indian Industry envisions facilitating a sustainable environment for India to be one of the global leaders in bio-buildings by 2025.

Imagine how many old age homes, hospitals, colleges, day care centers and corporate offices will home a floating farmland right outside their window. I wonder how efficiently we would be able to save crop damages and reduce the cycle time for food logistics and deliveries during worst case scenarios like a curfew or a lockdown! Won’t it be an amazing feel to grow what you wish and have a farm in your wardrobe space with a pre-seeded pod/ tile along with effective guidelines and ideas on app notifications to nurture your plants!           

India has already sparked a revolution across its geographical octagon starting from Suzlon One Earth in Pune to Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad to Infinity Benchmark at Kolkata and Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd. (BCIL) at Bangalore spanning down towards Olympia Tech Park Chennai.

While I start my research on the funding capital and set-up-protocols for the AgTech businesses, I can already see me update my CV with #farming and #fruit gardening in the hobbies section!

... and yours? are you still panicking about world hunger?!