The formula “farming + genetic engineering” is regarded by many as a panacea for all food woes. However, even the most impressive results need to be critically evaluated, and the health safety of GMO products is not the most important aspect here. Politics and economics are much more interesting. Will farmers become dependent on the big multinationals selling genetic formulas? If all the seeds of the world were owned by three or four companies, how would that affect the world? Would GMOs turn into the new oil? There are no answers to these questions today, but experts in agricultural law, bioethics, and politics will have to work on answers in the near future. You don’t have to work in the field to help agriculture: you can just study the laws instead.
Also, a new type of farmer who is just emerging in the economic life of the planet, but who promises to have a major impact on it, may not work in the field. We are talking about two trends that are gaining popularity, urban farms and micro-productions. Today, most agricultural products can be grown in a metropolitan area. Hydroponics and vertical design have allowed inventor Jack Eun to create Sky Greens tower farms, each of which takes up only six square meters of space while using significantly less energy and water than conventional production. More than 100 towers have already been installed in Singapore.
PlantLab’s urban farms outperform conventional farming by a factor of 40. A variety of crops are grown here without sunlight, relying on LED lights and an automated system for controlling environmental factors. Panasonic, Fujitsu, and Sharp are also developing new laboratory farming methods. Sharp is growing strawberries using LED lights in Dubai. Panasonic is automating an urban farm with 10 types of vegetables in Singapore. Fujitsu turned an abandoned factory building into a low-potassium lettuce farm for people suffering from kidney inflammation.
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