5/5 - (2 votes)
Sustainability is certainly one of the most popular and important words of contemporary times. With ever-increasing population and resource demands, knowing how to use limited resources in the most prudent manner has become much more prominent, sensible and inevitable than ever.
Clothing to fashion to entertainment to transportation, every sector has a negative impact on the environment but amongst all — agriculture — on which human civilization depends the most, is the leading cause of biodiversity loss, pollution and carbon emission. But that’s not all. It’s not just the perpetrator of degrading the natural world, but also a victim.
With the ongoing uncertainties due to the changing climate — be it untimely rains in South Asia, cycles of droughts and floods in Europe and Middle East, pest attacks in Africa or extreme temperatures in Americas — food production has suffered serious blows in every part of the world.
In times like these, sustainable food production not only promises a better future but also functions as a mitigation strategy against degrading environment.
Changing climate and unpredictable weather patterns may hamper sustainable production of crops, fruits, vegetables and oilseeds etc. It’s harder than ever to produce food by using as little chemical as possible and restricting to natural methods that do not disturb nature.
And here, comes science and technology as a knight in shining armor.
We are living in terrible yet wonderful times. Never ever in history, a farmer had so much knowledge available while practicing her art. Science can inform a farmer about the best time to sow a seed, aligned with the best soil and moisture conditions. A quick test can inform her about the nourishment the crop may need and she can treat the crop as need arises. An alert on her phone, and she can estimate the best time to harvest her crop, find the best nearby markets and sell at the most profitable prices.
When science marries sustainability, they lead to increased agricultural produce, improves global supply chain, decreases food losses and waste, and ensures that all who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition have access to nutritious food.
Experts in the development sector believe that it is possible to eradicate hunger within the next generation, and reduce malnutrition across the globe, if more farmers adopt and adapt to the sustainable food systems.
Sustainable food production can be a source of more income, meanwhile employing more people. In the world, where employment is decreasing, sustainable farming can create 30% more employment, as per United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports.
The encouraging aspect of promoting sustainable food is that a good proportion of the population is actively taking interest to understand and find innovative ways to alleviate the sector. And it’s not limited to the environmental costs of food production but goes beyond and touches the social and economical aspects of the society.
Science and technology has a lot to offer not only to make food production systems sustainable, but also to maintain accountability. Customers can now easily track and monitor and follow the path their food took to finally end up on their plates. And Farms.io is contributing its role to make the present and the future better.
Farms.io is an adhesive which connects the producer side of agriculture with other trades, or as they say, a Business to Business model enterprise. Using its technology Farms.io helps multiple stakeholders in the sector — from farmers, to financial service providers, consumers, investors and others.
Using cutting edge technology like machine learning, artificial learning and remote sensing amongst others, Farms.io aims at making sustainable food, easy to produce and easier to access. Using its products farmers can now easily predict weather, align their practices accordingly, use fertilizers and other farm inputs judiciously, locate financial services, discover new markets and invest in new programs like carbon crediting.
Moreover, using Farms.io’s sustainable scores, organizations can make better decisions and implement components of sustainability in their value chain. Using its proprietary algorithms, and inhouse research on remote sensing technologies, sustainable scores are developed considering the environment along with the climate change aspects.
Farms.io understands, adopting sustainable ways of food production is the current times, is like carving a smooth road on a hilly terrain. It’s difficult, challenging and yet so inspiring. Farms.io and its team is determined to contribute in this process of transition into a sustainable future while supporting every stakeholder of the agriculture community, using the best technology out there.