Nine billion and beyond: from farm to fork [Agriculture Big Data]

IN THE FACE OF a populace set to break nine billion by 2050, people from across the world - from smallholder farmers in Asia to politicians at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations - have asked some variation of the question: how are we going to effectively and sustainably feed all these mouths? It is a question made more daunting in the face of increasing agricultural instability due to climate change, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity, as well as the fact that approximately one billion people are already unable to satisfy their basic needs in terms of food energy. "If you look at the current agricultural system and the reality of our environment, it becomes quickly clear that it is a complicated and complex problem - economics, nutrition, ecological factors all have to be taken into consideration," notes Kevin Watt, integrated land and livestock manager at TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation.