Follow up comment under Q3 on section 3 sub-section 3.9 entitled “The digital revolution in food and agriculture”
This section sates that like any sector, food and agriculture sector will be affected by digital technologies (DTs/ICTs) and acknowledges that these technologies have important implications for food security and nutrition (FSN). It also tells about ongoing debates on whether those impacts are likely to be overall positive or negative. It further states that more research on impacts and potentials of DTs/ICTs are needed. Yes, it is important and timely to raise and discuss about the influence of DTs/ICTs on food and agriculture and its implications on FSN. This is because unlike other sectors such as space science medicine etc. food and agriculture sector has been tittle affected by DTs/ICTs so far. However, since few years back, DTs/ICTs started to influence food and agriculture sector and the influences of these technologies on this sector are likely to dramatically increase in the years to come. Therefore, it is wise to prepare to what will happen when the technologies will be fully and increasingly applied in food and agriculture sector and its implications on FSN. On the other hand, in my view, the issue about the ongoing whether those impacts are likely to be overall positive or negative should not be a big concern. This is because like any other technology, DTs can have either positive or negative impacts on food and agriculture and then on FSN depending the way we will be using it. For example if we take nuclear technology, positively, we can use it to generate electricity and negatively, we can use it to develop weapons of mass destruction. The same applies to DTs/ICTs. Therefore, let us (the world) choose DTs to have positive impacts on food and agriculture and then on FSN for our own sake, let us all be responsible for ourselves in using DTs to transform food and agriculture and ensure FSN. If we choose DTs to have positive impact, really it will have great potential to transform world agriculture and greatly help to achieve the required outcomes in FSN.
In this regard, this section of V0 drat report presented very good examples about positive applications of DTs in food and agriculture sector such as its recent application in precision agriculture and genome editing. It also discusses growing effects of DTs on food systems through block chain technology. I have also practically seen the incredible positive application of DTs in agriculture. The story is that last October, 2019 I was in Wageningen, The Netherlands for two weeks to participate in training course. In the course of the training, I and colleagues had a chance to visit a private dairy farm. We have witnessed that there were about 30 dairy cows in the barren where to one of the fore leg of each cow a sensor was fitted in ring form. At the middle of the barren above cows and below the roof an antenna was fixed to which each sensor fitted with each cow was sending all metabolic, physiological, health information etc. of individual cow to the antenna. The antenna then sends information in the form of signal to satellite owned or rented (I am not sure) by client Company form which software of the company process the information and avail it online to the customer. The customer then explore the web page of the company, login and get all information regarding each and every cow such as if a particular cow is in heat period, pregnant, sick, healthy etc. based on which he takes all necessary management measures. All examples presented above are high level applications of DTs in food and agriculture which are not suitable for developing countries due to several reasons. However, there is no harm if developed countries or anyone who choose and afford to apply high level DTs to transform food and agriculture. This is because still there are immense potentials with DTs to transform food and agriculture in developing countries to achieve FSN outcomes. This can be done by developing low level DTs such as internet based software applications targeted to increasing agricultural productivities, reduction of food wastage and lose; facilitation of agricultural commodity marketing etc. Such simple software applications do not require big data, big server capacities, high analytical and operations skill, GIS systems etc. This is because as opposed to most other technologies, DTs/ICTs are very flexible and thus they can be developed and applied at ranges of technical manpower and financial resource capacities. Therefore, I suggest that parallel to developing and using high level application of DTs in agriculture, due emphasis should be given to development and application of low technology level DGs suitable to developing countries especially in sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations to transform food and agriculture for FSN.
At this juncture, I would like to present an example how simple software applications can contribute to FSN outcomes. The point is that some six months ago I submitted a proposal entitled “Hotel & Restaurant Service Delivery Application (HRServeApp): Software application program for facilitating Hotel & Restaurant services provision” to a joint contest organized by climatecolab and Lufthansa Innovation Hub. As to me, one of the main benefits if the proposed software is developed and availed to users; it will greatly reduce food waste and lose in cities to appreciable extent (NOTE: THIS IS SOLELY IN MY THINKING AND THUS I MAY NOT BE CORRECT, PLEASE). Please, kindly see the details of the proposal at:
This is because using the proposed application, hotels and restaurants can roughly estimate and know the volumes of their daily, weekly, monthly and yearly customers so that they can plan how much raw food material they need to buy and how much food they can prepare daily. Thus, food wastage in raw and prepared forms will be decreased to appreciable extent. Customers will also be able to easily identify hotels and restaurants in destination cities with services of their choices in terms of food type, quality, prices etc. online. To add one more example, a simple online platform can be developed and availed through which producers and customers (markets) can interact directly so that they can jointly plan what type of agric products to produce, at what prices, when etc. so that long market chains can be curtailed and thus food wastage in the course of transportation will be avoided etc. These are only few examples concerning ways to exploit low level DTs/ICTs to transform food and agriculture in the settings of developing countries especially in SSA. Otherwise there are several more ways to exploit these technologies to develop and grow agriculture in these countries which are little or not applied so far.
Over all, there are immense untapped potentials in DTs for transforming world food and agriculture to ensure FSN globally. But to exploit the ample potential with DTs, we need to customize, develop and use these technologies tailored to specific socioeconomic, cultural, development situations of a particular nation and continent. By the way individuals, societies, nations etc. should prepare themselves in the world to know and apply TDs/ICTs technologies not only for food and agriculture but in all sectors; and in all aspects of life for that matter. As to me, everyone needs to keep abreast himself with the rapidly advancing overwhelming TDS/ICTs even for his/her survival.
Finally, this is my last comment in this particular discussion forum and I would like to thank and appreciate once again the organizers in particular and FAO in general for opening this online discussion forum so that interested scientist, experts and professionals including myself could be able to contribute to the topic of discussion. On my side, even if I don’t know how much useful ideas, suggestions and comments I have contributed, I tried my best to my capacity and knowledge from the bottom of my heart. Apart from this, I enjoyed participating in this discussion because I learnt a lot reading the V0 draft document and reading comments of contributors posted on the platform.
Follow up comment under Q3 on section 3 sub-section 3.9 entitled “The digital revolution in food and agriculture”
This section sates that like any sector, food and agriculture sector will be affected by digital technologies (DTs/ICTs) and acknowledges that these technologies have important implications for food security and nutrition (FSN). It also tells about ongoing debates on whether those impacts are likely to be overall positive or negative. It further states that more research on impacts and potentials of DTs/ICTs are needed. Yes, it is important and timely to raise and discuss about the influence of DTs/ICTs on food and agriculture and its implications on FSN. This is because unlike other sectors such as space science medicine etc. food and agriculture sector has been tittle affected by DTs/ICTs so far. However, since few years back, DTs/ICTs started to influence food and agriculture sector and the influences of these technologies on this sector are likely to dramatically increase in the years to come. Therefore, it is wise to prepare to what will happen when the technologies will be fully and increasingly applied in food and agriculture sector and its implications on FSN. On the other hand, in my view, the issue about the ongoing whether those impacts are likely to be overall positive or negative should not be a big concern. This is because like any other technology, DTs can have either positive or negative impacts on food and agriculture and then on FSN depending the way we will be using it. For example if we take nuclear technology, positively, we can use it to generate electricity and negatively, we can use it to develop weapons of mass destruction. The same applies to DTs/ICTs. Therefore, let us (the world) choose DTs to have positive impacts on food and agriculture and then on FSN for our own sake, let us all be responsible for ourselves in using DTs to transform food and agriculture and ensure FSN. If we choose DTs to have positive impact, really it will have great potential to transform world agriculture and greatly help to achieve the required outcomes in FSN.
In this regard, this section of V0 drat report presented very good examples about positive applications of DTs in food and agriculture sector such as its recent application in precision agriculture and genome editing. It also discusses growing effects of DTs on food systems through block chain technology. I have also practically seen the incredible positive application of DTs in agriculture. The story is that last October, 2019 I was in Wageningen, The Netherlands for two weeks to participate in training course. In the course of the training, I and colleagues had a chance to visit a private dairy farm. We have witnessed that there were about 30 dairy cows in the barren where to one of the fore leg of each cow a sensor was fitted in ring form. At the middle of the barren above cows and below the roof an antenna was fixed to which each sensor fitted with each cow was sending all metabolic, physiological, health information etc. of individual cow to the antenna. The antenna then sends information in the form of signal to satellite owned or rented (I am not sure) by client Company form which software of the company process the information and avail it online to the customer. The customer then explore the web page of the company, login and get all information regarding each and every cow such as if a particular cow is in heat period, pregnant, sick, healthy etc. based on which he takes all necessary management measures. All examples presented above are high level applications of DTs in food and agriculture which are not suitable for developing countries due to several reasons. However, there is no harm if developed countries or anyone who choose and afford to apply high level DTs to transform food and agriculture. This is because still there are immense potentials with DTs to transform food and agriculture in developing countries to achieve FSN outcomes. This can be done by developing low level DTs such as internet based software applications targeted to increasing agricultural productivities, reduction of food wastage and lose; facilitation of agricultural commodity marketing etc. Such simple software applications do not require big data, big server capacities, high analytical and operations skill, GIS systems etc. This is because as opposed to most other technologies, DTs/ICTs are very flexible and thus they can be developed and applied at ranges of technical manpower and financial resource capacities. Therefore, I suggest that parallel to developing and using high level application of DTs in agriculture, due emphasis should be given to development and application of low technology level DGs suitable to developing countries especially in sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations to transform food and agriculture for FSN.
At this juncture, I would like to present an example how simple software applications can contribute to FSN outcomes. The point is that some six months ago I submitted a proposal entitled “Hotel & Restaurant Service Delivery Application (HRServeApp): Software application program for facilitating Hotel & Restaurant services provision” to a joint contest organized by climatecolab and Lufthansa Innovation Hub. As to me, one of the main benefits if the proposed software is developed and availed to users; it will greatly reduce food waste and lose in cities to appreciable extent (NOTE: THIS IS SOLELY IN MY THINKING AND THUS I MAY NOT BE CORRECT, PLEASE). Please, kindly see the details of the proposal at:
https://www.climatecolab.org/contests/2019/changemaker-challenge/c/proposal/1334701
or at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hotel-restaurant-service-delivery-application-hrserveapp-wassie-haile/
This is because using the proposed application, hotels and restaurants can roughly estimate and know the volumes of their daily, weekly, monthly and yearly customers so that they can plan how much raw food material they need to buy and how much food they can prepare daily. Thus, food wastage in raw and prepared forms will be decreased to appreciable extent. Customers will also be able to easily identify hotels and restaurants in destination cities with services of their choices in terms of food type, quality, prices etc. online. To add one more example, a simple online platform can be developed and availed through which producers and customers (markets) can interact directly so that they can jointly plan what type of agric products to produce, at what prices, when etc. so that long market chains can be curtailed and thus food wastage in the course of transportation will be avoided etc. These are only few examples concerning ways to exploit low level DTs/ICTs to transform food and agriculture in the settings of developing countries especially in SSA. Otherwise there are several more ways to exploit these technologies to develop and grow agriculture in these countries which are little or not applied so far.
Over all, there are immense untapped potentials in DTs for transforming world food and agriculture to ensure FSN globally. But to exploit the ample potential with DTs, we need to customize, develop and use these technologies tailored to specific socioeconomic, cultural, development situations of a particular nation and continent. By the way individuals, societies, nations etc. should prepare themselves in the world to know and apply TDs/ICTs technologies not only for food and agriculture but in all sectors; and in all aspects of life for that matter. As to me, everyone needs to keep abreast himself with the rapidly advancing overwhelming TDS/ICTs even for his/her survival.
Finally, this is my last comment in this particular discussion forum and I would like to thank and appreciate once again the organizers in particular and FAO in general for opening this online discussion forum so that interested scientist, experts and professionals including myself could be able to contribute to the topic of discussion. On my side, even if I don’t know how much useful ideas, suggestions and comments I have contributed, I tried my best to my capacity and knowledge from the bottom of my heart. Apart from this, I enjoyed participating in this discussion because I learnt a lot reading the V0 draft document and reading comments of contributors posted on the platform.