SOME NOTES ABOUT MODERN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

SOME NOTES ABOUT MODERN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

Modern agriculture is a relative term. It is “modern” only when compared to what came before—what we might now call old, traditional, or antiquated agriculture. Simply put, all the old ways of doing agriculture—plowing with carabaos, planting without improved seeds, relying solely on rain—do not fall under the banner of modern practices.

What, then, distinguishes modern agriculture from the old? The answer lies in one word: innovation.

Innovation is the key that unlocks progress in any field—including farming. Whether we’re talking about developing drought-resistant crops, using drones for pest control, or automating irrigation, it’s innovation that turns subsistence farming into sustainable agriculture. Innovation can take many forms:

• Incremental innovations improve existing tools or methods little by little.
• Disruptive innovations shift the game entirely—think of how mechanized farming changed everything.
• Radical innovations bring entirely new technologies to life.
• Social innovations address real-world problems like hunger and poverty with practical solutions.

In short, innovation challenges the status quo and brings improvement. To borrow a familiar saying often attributed (perhaps inaccurately) to Einstein, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If we want different outcomes in agriculture—such as more food, better nutrition, and higher incomes—then we must change the way we do things.

That brings us to the crucial connection between innovation and food security.

Let’s be clear: we cannot achieve food security if we continue practicing agriculture the same old way. Traditional farming, while admirable in its resilience and history, simply does not produce enough food to feed our growing population. If we want more food—not just today but for the generations to come—then we must innovate.

And we must also redefine what food security really means. It's not just about having food on the table today. Food security should mean having more food reserves now than we used to, enough to withstand shocks like climate change, pandemics, and economic downturns.

But using new technology alone is not enough. Innovation must go beyond equipment and infrastructure—it must include systems thinking, new farming methods, new ways of distributing food, and policies that enable farmers to thrive. We need to integrate agronomy, forestry, and agroforestry to create a sustainable, resilient agricultural landscape.

Agronomy, the science of soil and crop management, is central to increasing yields and protecting the environment. Forestry and agroforestry, which involve the smart use of trees in agricultural systems, can enhance biodiversity, prevent soil erosion, and capture carbon—all while producing food and income.

Still, food security isn’t just about quantity. It’s about quality. The food we produce must be nutritious enough to cure and prevent malnutrition, especially among children.

Consider wasting, a form of acute malnutrition where a child has low weight for their height, often due to sudden weight loss. Unlike stunting, which results from long-term poor nutrition, wasting can be life-threatening in the short term. It weakens the immune system and makes children more vulnerable to infections. In the worst cases, wasting leads to death.

Underweight children—who are both too thin and too short—suffer from the dual burden of chronic and acute malnutrition. These conditions are symptoms of deeper systemic problems: not enough food, not enough nutrients, not enough innovation.

Unless we innovate—unless we find better, smarter, more productive ways of farming—we cannot solve these problems. We cannot treat or prevent wasting, stunting, or underweight if we do not first produce more and better food.

This is why the future of agriculture must be anchored in innovation. We must push boundaries. We must invest in research, support our farmers with training and technology, and adopt systems that value both productivity and sustainability.

Modern agriculture is not about replacing the old for the sake of novelty. It is about using the best of science, technology, and traditional wisdom to feed our people—today and in the years to come.

So, the question now is: Are we ready to innovate our way to food security?

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

06-11-2025