Today's global food production system faces significant challenges crucial to sustaining our planet's fast-growing population. This growth requires a significant increase in the food supply, with estimates suggesting a need to boost food production by up to 70% to meet rising demand. At the same time, the need for sustainable farming practices has never been more critical. The agriculture sector contributes approximately 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions and plays a significant role in water usage and habitat loss.
These environmental impacts conflict with the European Union's sustainability goals, which aim for a climate-neutral continent by 2050. Climate change intensifies the challenges faced by the agri-food sector, heightening crops' vulnerability to pests, diseases, and extreme weather events. Additionally, roughly one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. To address these challenges, balancing increased food production with environmental sustainability goals is essential for the future of global food systems, highlighting the need for innovative approaches and solutions.
Photonics and imaging technology, specifically, are crucial to addressing these challenges, offering innovative tools that transform the agri-food tech sector. Photonics-based instruments emit light toward a target, interacting with the material in ways specific to its composition and structure. The light may be absorbed, reflected, transmitted, or cause the material to fluoresce. Advanced sensors capture these interactions, providing detailed information about the target's chemical, physical, and biological makeup through sophisticated analysis.
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