GCRI · Food Nexus

Innovation and practical technology

Technology relevant to food and agriculture, trade, resources and supply chains and climate and hazards: what it can do, the constraints it faces and its consequences for people and institutions.

02Approach

Evaluate before adopting.

  1. 01

    Need

    Which problem does the technology address, and for whom?

  2. 02

    Evidence

    What has been demonstrated, under what conditions, and what remains untested?

  3. 03

    Constraints

    Cost, skills, infrastructure, data and governance requirements.

  4. 04

    Consequences

    Effects on safety, rights, equity and the environment.

03Technologies under assessment

What could change food system practice, and what it still has to show.

TechnologyWhat it could changeWhat remains to be shown
Satellite crop-type and condition mapping at field scaleEarlier, subnational yield outlooks where surveys are slowAccuracy on smallholder plots and mixed cropping; cloud in the growing season
Heat- and drought-tolerant varietiesLower yield sensitivity to the extremes that drive synchronous failurePerformance across farming systems; seed system reach and affordability
Off-grid cold storageReduced post-harvest loss where grids are weakMaintenance, financing and use at village scale
Digital market information for farmersBetter price discovery and less distress sellingConnectivity, literacy and whether information changes bargaining power
Precision fertiliser applicationLess nitrogen use per unit of output and less exposure to gas pricesCost and agronomic advice for small farms
04Build and test

From idea to tested capability.

Promising work can be built in Foundry and tested under controlled conditions through Universe. No technology is described as proven before it has been tested and reviewed.

05Sources

Where this page's references lead.

The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.

06Questions

Questions and answers.

Does the platform endorse products?
No. It evaluates technologies and publishes what it finds, with limits. It does not endorse, certify or recommend products or vendors.
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Reports is the Consortium's quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

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Food Nexus

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