Budiman Minasny
Sydney Institute Agriculture, The University of Sydney. Australia
Abstract
Globalisation, which has brought economic development in many countries, is threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the military conflict in Ukraine. Food shortages in Sri Lanka led to an economic and political crisis. The ongoing global crisis demonstrates the vulnerability of our global, interconnected and interdependent food system.
Disruption of energy supply and supply chains of agricultural inputs and outputs threatens food security in developing countries, including Indonesia. For example, during a pandemic, the international water network was cut off, creating a shortage of fertilisers. The war in Ukraine caused a shortage of wheat, the raw material for many food products.
This crisis should make us transform our economy and food system so that they become resilient, efficient and sustainable. In this paper, I will discuss disruptive technology that can be applied to overcome this global problem to create resilient future agriculture: Distributed System, Circular Economy, and Digital Technology.
Distributed system
In computer technology, to solve a big problem, the problem is first broken down into smaller components and the computation can be distributed across various computing devices. With this division of labor, large problems can be solved more efficiently than relying on a single supercomputer. With the same principle, we need to revitalise local agriculture as an alternative to industrial agriculture. To obtain healthy and nutritious food that is resilient to international crises and disruptions, we need to transition to local food production that grows on healthy soil.
The current food system relies on industrial farming systems which are capable of producing in high quantities. However, they tend to produce uniform commodities with monoculture systems that weaken the diversity of food types. Research has shown that eating a variety of food products can improve animal and human health. Thus, we must transition towards ecologically managed local and diverse food production systems that benefit the environment, social and human health.
The agroecological system includes:
(1) local agriculture, refers to agricultural products grown or produced, processed and sold locally or nationally,
(2) a diversified farming system that promotes diverse local superior products.
Circular Economy
A circular economy is a model of production and consumption based on the principles of reusing, improving, renewing and recycling existing materials and products. Improving local sustainable agriculture should minimise energy consumption, waste and greenhouse gas emissions. As opposed to linear economy, circular agriculture means enhanced recycling and reducing waste and emissions. This can be in the form of returning organic matter to the soil. Agricultural practices include: crop rotation, not a monoculture, growing legume crops to supplement nitrogen, etc. And wherever possible, plant nutrients are covered from locally produced organic fertilisers and minimise dependence on imported chemical fertilisers. One strategy is to utilise organic waste through a composting and decomposition process. The integration of agriculture and animal husbandry will create a circular synergy. Where animal waste can be composted into organic material that produces various types of plants including feed for animals.
Digital Technology
Digital technologies need to be applied from paddock to plate. Digital agriculture can exploit the benefits of big data, machine learning in precision agriculture. Digital technology is also applicable in designing new food, radically reconfiguring food supply chains, and exploring how consumers interact with foods. Digital technologies enhance the food consumption experience via digital foodprints that provide information about the food's provenance, ingredients, or creation.
In the past decade, the marketing of local products was the biggest obstacle for developing countries. In a further step, digital agriculture can help increase the transparency of food production systems, by increasing traceability in terms of sourcing and use of resources. Blockchain and NFT can produce certificates that guarantee agricultural products are free of pesticides and processed organically.
However, to encourage disruptive technology, an economic mechanism is needed that is supported by policies: the need for policies that promote food security, community marketing schemes, and digital agricultural technology.