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The core of these technologies is the use of innovations in lighting systems to enable plants to grow fast and improve nutritional properties. Vertical agriculture is more valuable in urban areas where land is scarce and expensive. The variety of cash crops that can be grown in this system is increasing; at the same time, the costs associated with facility development are declining – making them more common in many cities around the world. For example, in June 2018, Crop One Holdings partnered with Emirates Catering to create the world’s largest vertical farm (130,000 square feet), which will open in Dubai by the end of 2019.

Overall, this technology development is to reduce waste of resources. Compared with traditional agriculture, it brings huge environmental benefits, including:

•Compatible with traditional field planting, reducing water use by 95% – 99%, without agricultural runoff (it is understood that wastewater is drinkable);

•The required planting area is greatly reduced (the farm is vertically stacked in industrial buildings);

• Use of zero pesticides, herbicides or fungicides (enclosed environment without soil), less use of fertilizers (plants use very small doses, no excess or waste of fertilizer).

People who oppose vertical agriculture often refer to energy use, especially the carbon footprint – because about 70% of vertical agriculture is accompanied by a large amount of power. But in our view, LED technology continues to improve, so it is expected to continue to reduce costs in the next few years. In addition, these costs must be considered along with the benefits of people’s “localized” diets as much as possible: less food transport miles (the distance traveled by fresh produce) means that the urban population gets fresher food, which encourages us to consume seasonal foods. And reduce the excessive use of harmful packaging.

Scientists enter the meat research

In the next 10 years, technological development will allow us to make foods that replace meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, which have a lower carbon footprint and do not require slaughtering animals, thus becoming a A viable business option. For example, an article in the journal Environmental Science and Technology (2011) states that meat developed in the laboratory can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 78-96% of agriculture while reducing land use by 99%.

Laboratory or “cultivating” meat can be a bridge between true meat and plant products. Mosa Meat, based in the Netherlands, uses cell self-propagation technology to produce an “animal” product while avoiding the need to breed, raise and slaughter large numbers of animals. Scientists use animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, and marine life to place them in bioreactors in growth media to produce “cultured meat.”

Although the current science and technology can’t make the artificial meat reach the taste of “premium steak”, the processed meats such as hamburger, chicken and meatballs are well received and are expected to be sold in supermarkets within five years. Other companies such as Singapore’s Shiok Meats are focusing on producing cell-based cultured seafood, and scientists replicate shrimp stem cells in the lab to make edible tissue. The ultimate goal of scientists is to train these cells until they grow large pieces of muscle tissue, but this idea has not yet been realized, and several companies have emphasized the technical challenges of replicating the texture and shape of real meat.

In addition, price is also one of the challenges facing the moment. In the United States, the price of beef is about $5 per pound, while the price of artificial beef grown in the lab is about $100 per pound (while the price of Beyond Burger is $12 per pound). But as private investment and demand increase, this gap will undoubtedly shrink; in March 2017, Memphis Meats told The Wall Street Journal that they have reduced the price of a pound of cell culture chicken to $9,000 per pound, A year later, the company’s CEO announced that the price had fallen below $1,000/lb (Washington Post, 2019).

Another fight against these “new meats” aims to prevent companies from using the term “meat” for anything other than traditional meat. The struggle has turned to the political level, and some jurisdictions have proposed or passed relevant legislation. However, the big companies in the meat industry themselves are investing heavily in meat innovation as a form of outsourcing research and development; the Swiss meat processing giant Bell Food Group is an example.

Organic agricultural products become mainstream

In recent years, the local food movement has become a compelling component of the quality food industry that has emerged around the world. It stems from the desire to assess the integrity of the people who grow their own food and sees this process as an integral part of ensuring healthier, safer and more environmentally sustainable food.

InThe rise of the smallholder market in urban areas is itself an independent movement, but organic food is seen as part of this broader trend. However, organic agriculture tends to be polarized. One camp believes that the widespread adoption of organic foods will hungry half of the world’s people, while the other camp believes that organic foods are essential for a healthy diet. So the key question is whether organic agricultural products represent a necessity or just a desirable choice for consumers.

As we learn more about the toxins and carcinogens that permeate into our daily lives, many consumers seem to be gaining more trust in organic and biological products.

High-value consumers’ concerns about food safety and nutritional quality, as well as concerns about product branding and marketing innovations, are reducing the demand elasticity of these products.

In addition, one of the main reasons for opposing organic food is the low production of organic food. In the context of the organic sector, this issue seems to be less relevant, as the organic sector is increasingly benefiting from the same digital and precise technologies as non-organic farmers. As we mentioned earlier, another concern is that consumers who choose only organic products will miss many of the benefits of seed scientists’ next-generation innovation.

Microalgae can change the world

Microalgae are a kind of autotrophic plants that are widely distributed on land and in the sea, rich in nutrients and high in photosynthesis utilization. The polysaccharides, proteins and pigments produced by cell metabolism make them in food, medicine and genetic engineering. The field of liquid fuels has good development prospects.

Algae individuals are very large in size. Among them, the microalgae group that can only be distinguished under the microscope is called microalgae, so the microalgae is not a taxonomic name.

According to the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data, 50% of the seafood consumed each year comes from artificial farming. And the aquaculture industry is expected to continue to prosper – production will increase by 34% by 2026. Under the influence of various factors, the feed supply industry has generated tremendous pressure (the feed supply is mainly composed of feed fish, soybeans and other grains). About 90% of the 20 million tons of feed that is harvested each year from the wild is ground into powder or oil for the cultivation of fish for human consumption (Tim Cashion, Frédéric Le Manach, Dirk Zeller, Daniel Pauly, 2017).

This situation is prompting researchers to try to create an alternative that will provide the nutrients present in the feed fish, which is economically viable and will not consumeMake resources such as food that humans directly depend on. Algae may be a viable alternative source of fatty acids. Industrial studies have shown that algae grow 10 times faster than terrestrial plants, while less than one-tenth of the land is needed to produce equal amounts of biomass.

In order to replace 22 million tons of wild aquaculture fish per year, it is necessary to produce microalgae in large quantities. Production costs should also be lowered as farmers choose adequate and cheaper food. According to an article by Leslie Nemo in Science American (2019), other intrinsic obstacles to increasing yield are determining the correct ratio of fatty acids (such as omega-3) and simulating the natural balance found in fish oil.

Researchers must find the perfect algae or yeast strain and feed them the appropriate starter so that the relevant microbes can produce everything proportionally, or they must combine fatty acids from various sources. Coordinating production is more difficult. In addition, alternative greenhouse gas emissions from feed refineries are also a problem.

We believe that overcoming these barriers will be critical to meeting human needs and will not increase the pressure on marine ecosystems from overfishing and climate change.