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Innovation: food is the next frontier

The world is far from perfect and many challenges cry out to be solved. One problem that should be the number one priority is the management of food waste.

According to the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, one third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted. That equates to a whopping 1.3 billion tons per year. On the other hand, according to the Food Aid Foundation, 795 million people are hungry and malnourished. That equates to 12.9% of the world’s population.

When we talk about innovation and changing the status quo, can these obvious numbers be ignored?

The distance between the product and the consumers is a main reason behind a considerable amount of food waste. Farming is a rural activity and requires open farms to grow crops. But consumers are clustered in cities.

Sometimes crop yields must travel thousands of miles before reaching store shelves. Food is a perishable item and a significant portion becomes unfit for consumption before reaching its destination. Refrigerated vehicles were an excellent innovation to deal with this problem. But on-the-go refrigeration is an expensive and unaffordable proposition for developing and third world countries. Ironically, they are the ones who need it most.

To solve this problem, new companies are bringing agricultural activities closer to consumers.

Innovative Solution 1: Hydroponics

We always assume that agriculture needs land and open farms. But 21st century startups are challenging this assumption. They are using hydroponic crops that do not need soil.

These indoor hydroponic farms are established closer to city centers. Nutrients are fed to the developing crop through dripping nutrient-rich water. Hence the name, hydroponics. In the complete absence of sunlight, the light is provided by LED bulbs.

This technique requires only a fraction of water, around 5% compared to traditional cultivation methods. Start-ups such as ‘Aerofarm’ and ‘Plenty’ are also using technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data science to improve productivity and crop yields. These crops are also healthier and enriched with more nutrition.

Innovative solution 2: food tracking

Many times the food takes longer to reach its destination than expected. It may be due to vehicle failure, bad weather, or even local strike and other reasons.

Hydroponics is in its infancy. Their share in today’s global diet is minuscule. A large amount of crops and food perish in transit. To solve this problem, innovators are applying Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags or RFID technology.

This technology is used to track clothing inventory in the fashion industry. Airlines use these RFID tags to track luggage. It is now adapted to track food in inventory and transit.

With RFID tags we know where the food is. We can decide if it will arrive at the destination in the form of a consumable or not. If transit takes longer than planned, the food journey may be shortened. The food can be sold at local grocery markets at a reduced cost, or we can share it with people in need.

Innovation Solution 3: Robin Hood Army.

Not all food problems can be solved with technology alone. We also need the heart. And that’s where Robin Hood Army, based in Delhi, India, shines.

They connect excess food in restaurants and hungry people in nearby towns. It is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization. Mostly students. Robin Hood Army is present in more than 100 cities in India.

Conclusion:

We can finally say that food waste is under the radar now and entrepreneurs are working hard, pushing the limits to solve this serious problem.

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