This paper argues that AI could transform the way we produce, distribute and manage food in a more resilient and food-secure manner. It outlines the current uses of AI in agriculture and discusses the potential uses in sectors such as crop breeding, water resource management and food waste. 

This report by A Bigger Conversation as part of its Agroecological Intelligence project explores agroecological farmers’ and growers’ perception of agri-technology. The report finds that farmers and growers are not anti-technology, but they are suspicious of top-down, developer-driven technology. These often fail to consider farmer’s and growers’ interests and do not address wider reforms needed for a more sustainable, fair and resilient food system. The report does find, however, that farmers and growers are enthusiastic about agri-innovations when they have been designed and developed with them, their values and their needs in mind. The report also includes a guide to help practitioners assess agricultural technologies whether they are compatible with the principles and practices of agroecology. It also offers recommendations for how agritech could be better developed, regulated, financed and promoted.

This book by Access Agriculture, a non-profit organisation supporting agroecology and organic farming supported by the European Commission and the FAO, details youth engagement in agriculture as a critical area in Africa and India. The book provides an introduction of the importance of young entrepreneurs in agriculture and follows with a substantial number of case studies and stories from young entrepreneurs from many African nations and Indian states. 

Devex, an independent news organisation covering global development, has reported on recent activity of the UN International Fund. The council meeting had a strong focus on investment in new technologies and the need to support the business innovation by smallholder farmers in rural communities and in lower-income countries.

This book reviews the most recent engineering and blockchain technology literature on the status of the sustainable food industry, the next generation of future technology and future technology for sustainable foods, and the policy, social, economic and environmental aspects in the food industry. It is aimed as a reference for students, researchers and professionals interested in future food technologies.

Feedback, a UK and Netherlands based organisation campaigning for sustainable and ethical food, has published a report linking the Norwegian salmon farming industry to poor nutrition and livelihood outcomes in West Africa. Norway has become the world’s largest salmon farming country with a handful of companies dominating the market, including MOWI which had nearly €5 billion in turnover in 2022. 

This special Frontiers report from the UN environment program provides a discussion on the potential environmental, health, social and animal welfare implications of novel alternatives to animal products, including plant-based products, cultivated meat, and fermentation-derived products.