As I sat beside a fire stand listening to tales from grand-ma about her farming exploit. I was shocked to learn that her 15-hectare land records a yield of 3 bags of lentils annually. Grand-son, how are you going to feed your generation? I started thus… Food sustainability is concerned with the generation of food at a productivity level that is enough to maintain the human population.
Site selection in the past was done using the sense organs but to increase food production, it is important to adopt the use of theodolite and mapping equipment to get accurate information about a farmland.
Indoor vertical farming, which is the practice of growing produce, staked one above another in a closed and controlled environment when adopted by youths, increases crop yield, overcome limited land area and reduce farming impact on the environment by cutting down distance travelled along the food supply chain.
Genomics is the study of an organism’s gene and its interaction with the environment. Enrolling youths to study courses like this can help alter genetic makeup of plants, increase animal production and predict future profitability.
Since youths are computer perceptive, using sensors, monitors and data technologies can help in the actualization of zero hunger. It can also help in precision farming, prevent biased based data and lead to timely decision making.
Farm automation is the technology that makes farms more efficient and automates the crop or livestock production cycle. Youths being fast learners, can employ the use of drones, autonomous tractors, waterers, harvesters and seeding robots to cover a wide area and boost food production.
Green house farming is another way to attain food sustainability. The use of LED lights and environmental control systems can help protect crop and animals from the adverse effect of climate change and ensure all year supply of food.
To reduce production cost, young agriculturist should employ the use of precision technology to obtain accurate information and farming techniques.
Block-chain when used by young farmers solves the problems of food fraud, supply chain inefficiency and safety recalls. This structure can help ensure food safety, increase networking in the agricultural world and balance market pricing.
FAO predicts that about 1.3 billion tons of food are globally wasted per year-Gustavasson, et al. To address this problem, pressurized storage tanks and refrigerators can be used for storing agricultural products while perishables can be processed into finished products to lengthen its shelf life.
Weather trackers and satellite imaging can help young farmers take precautions to mitigate losses and receive appropriate satellite images during danger from the comfort of their homes.
The application of RFID technology helps consumers to access information about how a food was produced. This creates a farmer-consumer trust relationship. Social media platforms and the internet can be leveraged upon by the youths to create an organized marketing plan, actualize the SDGs and drive food sustainability. Grand-ma was all joy to know the unborn generation will be able to feed well through the help of youths and technology.