Precision Agriculture and Food Production

Around the world, the public faces a stark dilemma: food scarcity and food abundance, with food waste now reaching a trillion dollars a year. Rich countries have easy access to food products and can purchase a 300-gram chocolate bar for $4.00, yet a cocoa farmer in Africa earns less than $1 a day. This book provides a comprehensive study of the food production system, from farms and farming to the ultimate haute cuisine of the finest restaurants, and corporate business models, from commodity traders, food producers, and food retailers. Problems arise with the rising value of land and corporate strategies to minimize risk and seeking low-cost inputs, including the prices paid to farmers.For centuries, science and technology have played a role in all aspects of the 'total system'. Together, they have improved plant yields, soil condition, animal health, and machine mechanization, including plant-based meat and dairy products. A new paradigm, precision agriculture, now beckons.