Among climate change, a growing population, and people consuming more of less sustainable food is hard to imagine our future world. By 2050, according to some estimates, the number of people will reach 9.7 billion. That’s why we have to start implementing sustainable food production. As an example of country that managed to apply those changes is the Netherlands, which has become the world’s second produce exporter. Especially their University in Wageningen, specializing in providing new solutions to food supply problem. They managed to produce more food without using more land. Plants grow in tiered shelves inside highly monitored labs. The technology behind these greenhouses allows for an extreme level of control over water, light, temperature and CO2. And, by using artificial intelligence which can learn the behaviors of plants, climate computers can adjust conditions far better than a human. Constant testing by these facilities could be the future of our planet’s sustainable food system and help fight climate change.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/05/how-a-small-dutch-town-is-shaping-the-future-of-your-food-wageningen-netherlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfB2sx9uCkI
I wonder if those veggies taste like veggies anymore. Usually, fruit and vegetable growing in such lab-like conditions (e.g. in greenhouses in winter) are almost tasteless, or at least do not taste like their 'naturally grown" versions. Take tomatoes or strawberries in winter.
ReplyDeleteAlso, are your data about produce exports correct. Do the Netherlands really export more produce than other European countries, like Spain, Italy, Greece, France, or even Poland?