Today, humanity is living in the early 21st century with a human population of more than 7 billion, and a projected population of more than 10 billion in 2050, with major climate changes leading to global warming and varying rainfall rates with droughts, the phenomenon of desertification is widespread throughout the world, especially in the Arab world, with the absence of real application of concepts and principles of sustainable development, which raises the concerns of scientists and researchers in the field of agriculture and nutrition that and it is difficult to provide global food security with these great challenges.

The report of the United Nations Agriculture and Food Organization (FAO) in February 2017 warned that the ability of people to feed themselves in the future was threatened by severe pressure on natural resources and the effects of climate change, and the report noted that "about half of the forests that covered the Earth's surface one day have disappeared. Today, while groundwater resources are drying up rapidly and biodiversity is eroding significantly." The concern of scientists and specialists in this regard remains a list of the planet's inability to give more to the world if the current trend remains the unjust depletion of natural resources, and FAO forecasts the need for a 60% increase in foodsupply to meet demand Global food by 2050.

Therefore, there is a need to accelerate and move to more sustainable diets to make effective use of agricultural land and water, and scientific research must be harnessed to this end. Perhaps the solution lies in modern agricultural technology to provide global food security. Today there are clear and concrete efforts on the way to the optimal use of technology in the production of healthy and safe agricultural crops for human consumption and the ability to adapt to prevailing climate changes.

The Japanese technology company Toshiba has unveiled the transformation of its plant into a huge farm for the cultivation of lettuce plants, in an attempt to raise the quality of the lettuce with its lifespan, in an agricultural environment not affected by climatic changes, as this type of innovative agriculture does not depend on soil or sunlight, and is done by providing enough artificial lighting to simulate sunlight in order to give the plant enough energy for photosynthesis, as it does not need the soil where the plant gets the nutrients needed by direct injection of the plant roots with the organic materials it needs, and the product will be free from any form of bacteria or insect pests and it is considered as a method of non-terrestrial farming.

Genetics of plants and animals is also witnessing a major scientific revolution, and scientists are approaching a genetic tool that allows for the evaluation of the genetic codes of each organism, which will facilitate the identification of better and more productive plants and animals.

There is a dramatic development in indoor agro-food production, due to advances in solar energy, sensors, lighting, robotics and artificial intelligence, and vertical farming has become viable alternatives to traditional open-air farming, compared to traditional open farms, vertical farms were found to use 10 times less water and land than traditional plantations, and agricultural crops were harvested several times a year without relying on the weather and without the need to use harmful pesticides.

Modern technology has contributed to change the way of cultivation and cattle breeding through modern methods such as the use of sensors that measure water level and nutrients in the soil. This technology allows agricultural tractors, tillage, seeding and harvesting to identify suitable crops and the amount of irrigation and fertilizer required, and has helped produce a new type of wheat that has the potential to grow in low-fertility/low-fertilizer areas. Scientific research is working on the use of gene technology such as DNA technology to produce some fruits containing all or most of the elements, instead of getting limited nutrients.

It is worth mentioning that the application and utilization of this technology and modern technology depends on the political, economic and social conditions that determine the nature of life and living in each country. The adoption of this technology is less important than the provision of health care, education, basic infrastructure, capital and good governance. The possibility of applying these new technologies will contribute to raising the levels of unemployment (which is already high) in the poor and developing countries whose population depends on agricultural work. 

Reference: 

Zaidon Falah.