The globe is besieged by interconnected crises: climate change, pandemics, and, increasingly, a global food supply problem. To put it bluntly, as the world’s population grows, more food is required to feed it. As one could think, this is causing increasing stress. Fortunately, engineers of all shades are hard at work conjuring up inventive solutions to the problem. Here are a few of the most amazing examples. Engineers Contribution to the Global Food Crisis.
Vertical Farms:
As there is a limited amount of land in the world, we must maximize the yield from what we have. Raising upwards – vertical farms – is one method to do this. Because crops are cultivated in tiered structures, more food may be produced in the same area of land with a vertical farm. Vertical farming is obviously not the same as traditional farming. It is primarily dependent on technology instead of natural forces such as the Sun and wind, which implies that if a vertical farm loses electricity, it will produce significantly less. Only certain crops, such as lettuce, can be cultivated vertically since they require far more light and water than a vertical farm can give.
Biological Inoculants:
Another approach engineers have attempted to assist in addressing the global food crisis is to tackle the crops itself, in addition to emerging with novel techniques to cultivate them. Biological inoculants are one such instance. Bacteria, algae, or fungi are used as inoculants and are applied to crops or soil. They are utilized to improve both the crops and the land in which they are grown. A fungus given to a soybean plant, for instance, enhances the plant’s root system, enabling it to absorb more nutrients. As a result, less fertilizer and water is wasted, saving farmers revenue that they can use towards other things.
Research and Development in Space:
Mankind is aiming to visit and develop settlements on several celestial bodies such as the Moon and Mars in response to the depleting resources on Earth. Inevitably, if a settlement is established, food will be required to maintain the community. Food shipments to these far-flung locations are unsustainable, so researchers are looking for ways to produce food on these settlements and make them self-sufficient.
Engineers are utilizing their skills in a variety of ways to address the global food crisis. Engineers play a critical role in addressing the global food crisis, whether developing new technology to make food simpler to grow, building infrastructure to reduce waste, or doing research to identify more efficient ways to raise food. We will need to rely more on engineers to be even more imaginative as the world population expands and the situation intensifies.
