Brief

<p>Mr. Caleb Harper, Principal Scientist and Director of OpenAg of MIT Media Lab, beckoned to change the way people think about climate change and food security. He discussed the changing face of the food growth industry, using statistics to justify the decline of agricultural industry with farmers moving to urban areas in search of other opportunities. Under his supervision, MIT is developing new hardware and software which has the potential to revolutionize food security. </p> <p>In terms of hardware, Harper showed videos of computers which allow the user to manipulate the climate with factors such as moisture, temperature and light. Virtually any seeds can be planted within a clear chamber, inputting these control factors for the given crop and growing it successfully for either personal or commercial consumption. He used an example of the computer growing tomatoes, which taste better than those commercially produced and even its ability to grow proteins used to combat the Ebola virus. Software on the other hand, records data on factors such as soil quality and microbiome, and can be shared as &ldquo;climate recipes&rdquo; between users of these computers worldwide to optimize both production and desired yield. In recording and processing data, farmers would learn more about climate change by recreating it. With this technology, countries become less dependent on food trade or climate affecting their food security. Despite the technology&rsquo;s potential, Harper highlighted the two main drawbacks currently faced: technology is not yet commercially exploitable, and the lack of other producers in the market. However, in the face of these problems, he remained hopeful.</p> <p>Concluding with solutions and the future of the technology, Harper stated that research and technology are available on open-source platforms. In doing so, more people can contribute to research and development, and different industries can specialize in the production of different parts of the technology. Harper and his team hope to produce a generation of 1 billion farmers of mechanical engineers, scientists, and biologists, providing solutions to the effects of climate change on food production.</p>

Speakers

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