Research And Examine How Technology Can Help In Eradication ✓ Solved

Research and examine how technology can help in the eradicat

Research and examine how technology can help in the eradication of world hunger. Describe the problem and measurable impact, identify and explain at least three technological solutions with rationales, discuss initial constraints, and propose potential implementation variants.

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Introduction: framing the problem and measurable impact

Worldwide chronic undernourishment affects roughly 820 million people, with the largest absolute numbers in Asia and severe hotspots in sub-Saharan Africa (FAO, 2020). Hunger is not only insufficient calories but also micronutrient deficiencies that impair growth, health, and economic productivity (Godfray et al., 2010). The economic burden is measurable: undernutrition reduces GDP growth in developing countries by an estimated several percentage points annually and imposes long-term human capital losses (World Bank, 2018). Any technological response must therefore target both food quantity and nutritional quality while being measurable by reductions in prevalence of undernourishment, stunting rates in children, and improvements in smallholder yields and household income.

Three technological solutions and rationales

1. Precision agriculture and IoT-enabled farm systems

Precision agriculture—using IoT sensors, satellite/GPS guidance, drones, and data analytics—raises yields while reducing input use (Wolfert et al., 2017). For smallholders, sensor-driven irrigation and fertilizer optimization can raise yields per hectare and reduce wasteful expenditures, directly improving food availability and income (Klerkx et al., 2019). Rationale: empirical studies show that site-specific management increases resource-use efficiency and yields, making food production more resilient under climate stress (Wolfert et al., 2017).

2. Gene-editing and improved crop varieties

New breeding techniques, including CRISPR-based gene editing, accelerate development of varieties tolerant to drought, pests, and poor soils and can enhance nutrient density (Qaim, 2020). Rationale: increasing the resilience and nutritional content of staple crops reduces vulnerability to shocks and can address micronutrient deficiencies directly (biofortified crops) while maintaining yields in marginal environments (Godfray et al., 2010).

3. Alternative food production: 3D food printing and novel proteins

3D food printing and scaled production of alternative proteins (microalgae, insect-derived proteins, cultivated meat precursors) can diversify food sources and target nutritional profiles (Tripathi et al., 2019). Rationale: these technologies can convert underused biomass and high-protein inputs into palatable, nutrient-dense foods with lower land footprints, offering a route to nutrition in urban and resource-limited contexts (FAO, 2019).

Supporting technologies: blockchain and analytics for supply chains

Blockchain combined with advanced analytics improves transparency and reduces post-harvest loss by tracking provenance, optimizing logistics, and enabling trust-based contracting (Kamilaris et al., 2019). Rationale: roughly one-third of food destined for human consumption is lost or wasted—better supply-chain visibility and predictive analytics reduce those losses and improve market access for smallholders (FAO, 2020).

Initial constraints and implementation challenges

• Infrastructure and connectivity: many high-need areas lack reliable internet, energy, or logistics networks necessary for IoT, cold chains, or distributed manufacturing (Wolfert et al., 2017).
• Cost and financing: upfront capital for sensors, genetic research, or 3D food manufacturing is high; smallholders require financing, subsidies, or aggregated business models to access benefits (World Bank, 2018).
• Regulation and public acceptance: gene-edited crops and novel proteins face regulatory hurdles and consumer skepticism in many markets (Qaim, 2020).
• Data governance and equity: data-driven systems can exacerbate power imbalances if smallholders cannot control or benefit from their data (Klerkx et al., 2019).
• Supply-chain complexity: integrating blockchain requires standardization and participation across actors, which can be difficult where institutions are weak (Kamilaris et al., 2019).

Potential implementation variants

Design variants allow tailoring to context:

• Smallholder cooperative model: aggregate demand for sensors, shared analytics platforms, and collective storage to lower costs and increase bargaining power. This variant emphasizes cooperative ownership of data and assets.
• Public-private partnership (PPP) scale-up: governments subsidize early deployment of precision irrigation and cold chains while private firms supply technology and training—suitable for national food-security strategies.
• Urban nutrition hubs: deploy 3D food printing and alternative-protein processing near urban centers fed by peri-urban algae or insect production, coupled with social programs to reach vulnerable groups.

Monitoring, metrics, and evaluation

Technological interventions must include measurable KPIs: reduction in prevalence of undernourishment and stunting, increases in smallholder yields and incomes, reduction in post-harvest loss percentages, and adoption/usage rates of deployed technologies (FAO, 2020; World Bank, 2018). Independent impact evaluations and randomized trials where feasible will establish causality and guide scaling.

Recommendations and conclusion

Eradicating world hunger requires integrating multiple technologies targeted to context. Short-term priorities include investment in connectivity and cold chains, scaled financing mechanisms for smallholders, and deployment of proven precision tools to reduce loss and raise yields (Wolfert et al., 2017). Medium-term priorities should support safe adoption of gene-edited and biofortified crops, accompanied by transparent regulation and public engagement to build trust (Qaim, 2020). Complementary strategies—blockchain-enabled supply chains and alternative-protein production—can reduce waste and diversify diets (Kamilaris et al., 2019; Tripathi et al., 2019). Critically, equitable governance and financing models (cooperatives, PPPs, subsidies) are required to ensure technologies benefit those most at risk (Klerkx et al., 2019).

In sum, technology is not a silver bullet but a set of powerful tools that, when combined with inclusive policy, financing, and measurement, can make large, measurable reductions in global hunger and malnutrition within the next decades (Godfray et al., 2010; FAO, 2020).

References

• FAO. (2020). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/3/ca9692en/CA9692EN.pdf
• World Bank. (2018). Sparking Innovation in Food Systems. World Bank Group. https://www.worldbank.org/
• Godfray, H. C. J., Beddington, J. R., Crute, I. R., et al. (2010). Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science, 327(5967), 812–818.
• Qaim, M. (2020). Role of new plant breeding technologies for food security and sustainable agriculture. Nature Plants, 6, 1–4.
• Tripathi, S., Rani, R., & Raghav, P. K. (2019). 3D food printing: An overview and recent developments. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 86, 70–84.
• Wolfert, S., Ge, L., Verdouw, C., & Bogaardt, M.-J. (2017). Big Data in Smart Farming – A review. Agricultural Systems, 153, 69–80.
• Klerkx, L., Jakku, E., & Labarthe, P. (2019). Digitalization and the future of farming: Challenges and opportunities for agricultural extension and advisory services. Agricultural Systems, 168, 1–6.
• Kamilaris, A., Kartakoullis, A., & Prenafeta-Boldú, F. X. (2019). A review on the practice of blockchain for agriculture. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 162, 777–788.
• FAO & ITU. (2019). E-agriculture in Action: Blockchain for Agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization and International Telecommunication Union. https://www.fao.org/3/ca2903en/ca2903en.pdf
• World Food Programme. (2021). Global Report on Food Crises 2021. WFP. https://www.wfp.org/publications/global-report-food-crises-2021