Agriculture and the Future of Food through Digital and Other Novel Technologies

Abstract

Advanced sensing, automation, the internet of things, data analytics, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, distributed ledger and other emerging technologies offer a seemingly endless array of possibilities to boost agricultural productivity and rural incomes while addressing threats to food security, biosecurity and sustainability. None of these outcomes, however, are inevitable. Barriers to technological innovation and adoption range from the capital costs of adoption to producer concerns about data security and privacy and consumer resistance to products perceived as unnatural or unfamiliar. This chapter will explore these barriers along with opportunities to develop physical, regulatory and institutional infrastructures that support socially and environmentally responsible innovation.