Scientists from the Alliance of Bioversity International believe the technology could have unforeseen consequences for the planet as we struggle to make our food system more sustainable before the effects of climate change become irreversible.
Protein derived from organic waste for animal feed could reduce demand for soy meal, which could lead to less deforestation caused by soy farming. However, scientists say that reduced production of soy, which is also used to produce oil for food, could increase demand for palm oil. This could create a bigger problem for forests with palm oil plantations.
In a new analysis published in The Lancet Planetary Health, a team of scientists conducted a survey on how new technology is being used to improve human health and the well-being of the planet.
According to the study's authors, the urgency of "meeting" the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be tempered since it appears that there are no quick fixes to ending poverty, eradicating hunger, and preserving biodiversity.
“The food system is in chaos because we are introducing technologies and approaches to manage it without fully understanding all the indirect impacts that the intervention may have,” said Andy Jarvis, deputy director of the Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) alliance.
Another example the team found of new technology with unintended negative consequences was the use of cereals to replenish nitrogen in soils. “Nitrogen fixation” could reduce the overuse of chemical fertilizers and their unsustainable environmental impacts, such as water pollution. On the other hand, this could reduce the prices of already overconsumed foods, potentially leading to further increases in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes.
Achieving the SDGs
The study was led by Mario Herrera, the chief research scientist at CSIRO, Australia. The authors of the study estimated the potential direct impacts of different technologies on the food system (including digital agriculture, genetic engineering and efficiency ) and their indirect impacts on the SDGs.
The analysis showed that most technologies will have neutral or varying degrees of positive impacts on most of the United Nations SDGs. However, in the case of decent work and economic growth for all (SDG 8), reduced inequality (SDG 10), and peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16), the results will be mixed.
“Change and innovation come with trade-offs, but we now have the methods, the science, the targets and the socio-economic mechanisms to ensure that the trade-offs of actions are not insurmountable,” the researchers added. “Now is the time to use socio-technical innovation and the vastness of human ingenuity to secure the future of our planet.”
