My first reaction was, "Wait - world food supply is about to be disrupted?"
Then I realized "disruption" was meant in the marketing sense. This is why I read the comments first.
We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
51–60 of 164 posts
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Isn't that exactly what technology enables? Ways of living and solving problems that were previously impossible with little to no additional effort from the actual consumer?
Not always. The shitshow of American agriculture is due to the technological wonders that moved most vegetable production to the California desert and the over utilization of the Midwest aquifers. Most of our sustainable east coast growing areas are subdivisions now.
Sure. There are always unintended consequences. In some cases they outweigh the benefits.
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#53Wouldn't the correct buzzphrase be "Food as a Service" not "Food as Software"? They certainly make bold claims and some cites sure would help to convince me as to their claims.
Food as a Service is basically a restaurant; known for millennia and does not sound disruptive enough.
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#54The reduction in land could be even higher if the energy for the fermentation is produced by non-biological means. That is, instead of feeding the bacteria plant-derived compounds, feed them CO2, water and electrical energy. Photovoltaics are an order of magnitude more efficient than photosynthesis, can operate in places and times plants cannot grow (deserts, below freezing conditions), and require negligible amounts…
at sea
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#55Looking around I see examples like this everwhere, where the science seems to be rapidly advancing new approaches and techniques which will feed, cloth, transport, teach, and entertain billions of people in ways that are more economical and ecological . Examples like these are why I'm convinced that environmental impact reduction and ultimately rejuvenation is possible without massively disrupting life as we know it.…
I'll believe that when our CO2 output per year stops accelerating (never mind when it actually starts shrinking!)
CO2 emissions have been falling in the US for over 10 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas_emissions_by_th...
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is where I stopped reading. How can somebody claim to be on the cusp of disrupting a market when they evidently don't understand the consumer? Nutritional equivalence will not bankrupt the cattle industry.
I'm too lazy at the moment to look up a link but fast food restaurants are already adopting these faux-beef burgers and people love them.
yes, but i doubt that cost-parity alone will get people to stop eating meat. there has to be more than that. the popularity of these alternatives is an indicator but not everyone primarily eats burgers.
there is also still the general problem with all processed foods being less healthy than naturally grown foods...
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#57Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#58We already have the resources to feed the hungry. A third of all the food produced is thrown out.
The problem is how we distribute it. Systemic change is the only thing that can address this problem in a meaningful way. Efficiency is great but producing more when we already have enough is completely missing the issue at hand.
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#59I'm curious how one is attracted to precision "chemically engineered" food. As I am gaining interest week by week in consuming foods in their most natural form, I want the opposite of what this article claims is "the future" (I'm a vegiterean too, it's not an animal VS impossible burger thing for me). What am I missing here to be excited about a future of custom fermented food products?
What would you say if you knew 50% of European produce never saw soil, and was instead growing on top of some chemical "water"? Disruptive "scientific" companies are buying high-quality cheap soil in Eastern Europe and impregnating top layer with their experimental chemical ingredients, leading to prediction the soil will be written off in 20 years; it survived thousands of years, reaching top quality, yet some get-r…
I would like to more about this can you give me a few links for further reading about this?
Re: We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production
#60We already have the resources to feed the hungry. A third of all the food produced is thrown out. The problem is how we distribute it. Systemic change is the only thing that can address this problem in a meaningful way. Efficiency is great but producing more when we already have enough is completely missing the issue at hand.
Keep in mind: logistics and product-market fit are both hard problems.