The world is a lot from perfect and a lot of challenges are clamoring for being solved. A problem that you should the number one priority is food-waste management.
According towards the UN Food and Agricultural Organization report, one-third of food produced for human consumption is wasted. That comes down to a huge 1.3 billion tonnes per annum. On the other side according to the Food Aid Foundation, 795 million people go hungry and undernourished. That comes to 12.9% around the globe population.
When we focus on innovation and changing the status quo, can these glaring numbers be ignored?
The distance between produce as well as the consumers can be a prime basis for a considerable amount of food wastage. Agriculture can be a rural activity and needs open farms for cultivating the crops. But individuals are clustered in cities.
Sometimes crop yield must travel thousands of kilometers before going to the retail shelves. Food can be a perishable item and also a significant portion becomes unfit for consumption before reaching the destination. Refrigerated vehicles was a great innovation to face this problem. But refrigeration in movement is usually a costly proposition but not affordable for developing and third-world countries. Ironically, they want it by far the most.
To solve this concern, startups are shifting farm activities closer on the consumers.
Innovative Solution 1: Hydroponics
We always assumed that farming needs land and open farms. But 21st-century startups are challenging this assumption. They are using hydroponics farming which doesn’t need soil.
These indoor hydroponic farms are in place closer to your city centers. The nutrients are fed to your developing crop through trickling water rich with nourishment. That’s why the name, hydroponics. In the total deficiency of sunlight, the sunlight is provided by LED bulbs.
This technique requires a fraction of water, about 5% compared on the traditional farming methods. Startups brands like ‘Aerofarm’ and ‘Plenty’ may also be using technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data science to improve productivity and also the crop yield. These crops may also be healthier and enriched with an increase of nutrition.
Innovative Solution 2: Food Tracking
Many times food takes added time to achieve the destination than planned. it is usually due to vehicle failure, bad weather, and even local strikes as well as other reasons.
Hydroponics is its conception. Its portion of the world food today is minuscule. A large amount of crops and foods perish within the transit. To solve this challenge, the innovators are employing Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, or RFID technology.
This technology is needed for tracking apparel inventory inside fashion industry. Airlines utilize these RFID tags to trace luggage. Now it is adapted to monitor the food in inventory and transit.
With RFID tags we understand where the meals is. We can determine if it will attain the destination in consumable form or you cannot. If the transit requires a longer time then planned, food journey can be curtailed. The food is usually sold inside local grocery markets for a reduced cost, or you can share it together with the needy people.
Innovation Solution 3: Robin Hood Army.
Not all food problems is usually solved by technology alone. We need one’s heart too. And that’s where Robin Hood Army, headquartered in Delhi India shines.
They connect excess food in restaurants and also the hungry people in close localities. It can be a nonprofit organization, run by volunteers. Mostly students. Robin Hood Army occurs in over 100 cities in India.
Conclusion:
We know, finally, food-waste is individually distinct now and entrepreneurs will work hard, pushing the boundaries to fix this acute problem.