Transformative Food Systems and Paradigms

Greentech is hot, and possibly overheating. Surging green investments in still-to-be-proven technologies may overinflate this market bubble. Much depends on whether greentech’s issues can be efficiently addressed and whether governments will step in – and step up funding – if investor money dries up.

In the era of curated experiences, food personalisation is on the cusp of becoming the next big health and wellness solution – but at what price for the consumer, and at what cost to those experiencing food insecurity? Can the industries involved collaborate to efficiently bring these bespoke foods to market without exacerbating (or possibly even alleviating) the global food shortage?

Along with tourism and the events industry, retail has been one of the most heavily affected sectors by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, despite the sudden hit, we anticipate that the retail sector will bounce back with a renewed focus on experience design and human connection.

Digital technology today mainly uses two senses - sight and sound. But it may not be long before we can feel, taste and smell digital objects in a way that is indistinguishable from physical experiences.

Although wider culinary options are pleasing us, unhealthy diets are inviting chronic illnesses and various health risks. We are urged to eat healthier while the emergence of new technologies and ingredients are rapidly changing our food world. Would you change your diet if your doctor would prescribe the secret ingredient for a healthy life?

In our article series, we zoom in on some specific areas and industries in the world that will emerge after the COVID-19 pandemic. This third instalment is based on an analysis by Futures Platform, with insight from the founder and chairman of energy company St1 and climate change advocate Mika Anttonen and Futures Platform’s Senior Foresight Analyst Max Stucki.

The impacts of COVID-19 on the environment are likely to be temporary, but they give a historic opportunity to obtain new knowledge and renew our perspectives for handling the climate crisis.

The COVID-19 has shaken the lives of everyone, but the crisis will be overcome. However, economic, political and social changes are unavoidable. For this reason, it is important to anticipate the world after Coronavirus to ease the recovery.

China has had a bad reputation with regard to the environment for many years. But understanding that looking out for the environment has benefits both internationally and domestically; the country has been changing. In fact, some may even argue that China is, at the moment, leading the cleantech revolution - ahead of the United States and other Western countries.

The autonomous vehicle is set to be as life-changing as the invention of the motor vehicle itself. Modern-day cities have been shaped largely by the mobility that is achieved through motor vehicles, providing transport services to people and goods alike and supported by major road networks worldwide.

It's estimated that by 2050, global food demand will increase between around 60% to 100%. We're already seeing some efforts at making rural areas more efficient at crop production. Laboratories are now attempting to lab-grown meat and other methods. Another promise, which has been frequently evoked lately, is vertical farming. But what exactly is it?

Rural areas are plagued with dwindling populations, lack of job opportunities, inadequate education, inferior healthcare services, and much more. In the 21st century, however, we have the opportunity to turn some of this around. Making the Countryside Smarter. How it might survive in a rapidly urbanizing world

Retail has become a digital experience, far more optimized, quick, and personalized. That's not to say that physical retail is disappearing - far from that. In this article, we look at the future of retail through technology, business and value chains, the service industry, values and social responsibility, and the global economy.

What's the "quantified self?" Also known as "lifelogging," the quantified self is a movement proposing the acquisition of data from every aspect of your daily life. This could include the type of food you eat, the calories you burn, the air you breathe, the number of hours you sleep, other.

Imagine taking a small device out of your pocket, pointing it at a piece of food, and getting its exact composition and nutritional values. With these food scanners, you might. You could count its calories, know all its ingredients, and know whether it is spoiled or contaminated.

IoT is a network of smart devices that are connected to each other and exchange data, but it is not necessarily sensitive and responsive to people. When it is, we call it Ambient Intelligence, something that truly resembles a futuristic scenario out of a sci-fi movie.

If you thought that the proliferation of smartphones and social media apps with all their cultural and societal impact is a big thing - you ain't seen nothing yet. The digitisation of the global economy has just begun. The Internet of Things (IoT) represents the fourth industrial revolution, and perhaps the most significant one so far.

The American multinational company Qualcomm just claimed the first 5G mobile net connection. Although experts only predict 5G to become widely available in a couple of years, it is guaranteed to give us faster speeds and to become the driving technology behind the Internet of Things.

Dry heat and drought in one season and flooding rains in another is part and parcel of our global food futures to 2050. Also on the radar is a tidal wave of change caused by global warming, population growth, digital futures and deep systemic issues in food futures to 2050 and beyond. These issues are influencing food security, scarcity and trends like biotechnology and precision agriculture in the food industry.

Clean water and food shortages are two of the world’s pressing problems which require urgent solutions as the population grows and the climate change evolves. As unbelievable as it may sound, new technologies could help us to answer this challenge by harvesting water and food out of thin air.