As humanity leaps into its Fourth Industrial Revolution where technology enhances the way many people live their lives, it is a shame that we as a human race have left more than 2 billion people below the poverty line, living on less than US$1.90 a day, as reported by the World Bank. Apart from these victims who are poverty-stricken, immigration crises exacerbate this issue by further displacing 6 million people globally, causing them to lose their homes, their loved ones and the most vital for survival -- their food. Statistics have projected that the world's population will skyrocket to about 10 billion by the year 2050. Yet, 30 years before 2050, we are already feeling a train on our food supply. While technology has done many bad deeds to the world, decimating huge populations through advanced weapon systems, it has also brought immense benefits to feed both the affluent and the poor today. Therefore, I am of the opinion that technology has impacted world hunger very positively as it has opened new doors of opportunity to mitigate this burgeoning food crisis.
Detractors of my argument may argue that technology has worsened the problem of world hunger today as it has polluted our environment, causing many to lose their crop, and have destroyed agriculture. Those who hold this view often cite the Indian Ganges river as an example, where factories that manufacture garments dump their used chemicals that were previously used to paint clothing, upstream. This river which flows through the heart of India then passes through villages downstream where water is collected and used to irrigate farmers' crops. Expectedly, these chemicals present in the river's water tarnish these crops grown by farmers, leaving them without enough to sell and to earn an income. Since technology have been used to fabricate harmful inorganic chemicals, detractors of my argument can argue that pollution due to technology, therefore, exacerbates world hunger as many of those who work in agriculture lose their oftentimes, the only source of income.
However, I do not agree completely with this view as companies are increasingly more socially responsible for the welfare of the people and the country that they plant their factories in. In fact, the advent of technology has allowed for more efficient harvesting and growing of crops like through the use of advanced machinery like tractors and irrigation systems. In order to keep up with the booming world population, this enhancement is ever more necessary to boost world food supply. Japan, for instance, has brought more than 11,000 drones that can monitor and water crops in the recent decade and this has increased food production in Japan tremendously. Till date, Japan is one of the largest exporters of rice in the world, and feeds a majority of the Asian population. Therefore, technologies like drones reduce the likelihood of food shortage especially in emerging economies. and mitigate the issue of word hunger.
Furthermore, technology has allowed us to spread the cause of solving world hunger to more people globally. With technology comes electronic devices and these have empowered living in the urban areas to be exposed to new media and online advertisements. For example, the United Nations (UN) launched an initiative in 1961 called the "World Food Programme" that encourages the more affluent like you and me to donate 50 cents to feed a starving child for one day. This programme was then advertised on platforms like YouTube and Instagram and have already raised more than US$500,000 till this day. The power of technology if harnessed in the right way can do great things like the aforementioned to mitigate world hunger through raising awareness and funds using the platform technology provides.
Additionally, the advancement of technology enabled research in food in hopes of increasing the world food production. In Swede, scientists have been able to grow meat artificially by the genes of a cow only. It tastes similar to real beef and has moire nutritional value, but more importantly, it took less than a week to grow a piece of meat the size of a human hand. While this is extremely slow and seems nearly impossible to feed the human population substantially, this technology is still in its infancy and more scientists are jumping on the bandwagon to join the industry. It might be disturbing to imagine a world where meat is predominantly lab-growned but if this Utopian vision does indeed turn into reality in the future, many of those who cannot afford to buy food may be able to receive them, free of charge. But looking at it more pragmatically, this genetically lab-growing technology may promise a greater supply of food, making it more affordable for those who may not be able to afford it.
Lastly, technology enhances the distribution of food around the world. One of the greatest impediment to solving world hunger is the fact that there are many places that are difficult to access and are therefore cut off from the global food supply chain. Drones, therefore allow for food and resources to be delivered without incurring a high transport cost. In Congo, an African company receives food from the United Nations and delivers them using UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to villages within mountain valleys that are less accessible. Not only that, in Bangaladesh, the UN flies its food supplies to feed the 600,000 displaced Rohingya Muslims from the Rakhine state of Myanmar. These enhancements in transportation of food has lowered costs tremendously and has therefore precipitated more proactive aid from businesses and international organisations, effectively reducing the number of people starving globally and hence, mitigating world hunger.
In conclusion, world hunger can be solved by many ways like increasing funding to developing countries but technology has proved its worth in expediting this process. At the same time, companies being more responsible in their production process like caring more for the welfare of workers and disposing off used resources more appropriately, the problem of food hunger can be greatly reduced. As the old adage goes, "It is not the gun that kills people, it is people that kills people." Whether or not technology works to humanity's benefit to solve world hunger, it all depends on how we use it.
