Technological advancement often has a sting in its tail 

Context: In his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari made the somewhat controversial statement that human beings have been domesticated by wheat. In other words, every science-driven improvement in agriculture has come at a price.

How science has enabled humankind to overcome many of the challenges we face as a species? 

Having learnt farming or how to create stable and easily-accessible sources of food, the human beings gave up the hunter-gatherer and Nomadic way of life. The humans’ beings now settle in one place to cultivate crops 

A series of innovations are: a) the Haber-Bosch process allows us to artificially enrich the soil with nitrogen-based fertilizers, b) agricultural automation made it possible for machines to do the work of many men, and c) genetic engineering improved crop yields by making them resistant to pests and disease. 

More recently, this discussion led to increased interest in developing plant-based alternatives to meat. They can lead to nutritional equivalent of animal meat and the same taste and mouthfeel. These plant-based alternatives can reduce current dependence on animal meat and reduce ethical cruelty implicit in the animal farming industry. For example, demand for soyabean. 

Had we not industrialized our agricultural processes, we would not have been able to avert the threat of global hunger.  

How agricultural innovations have come at a price? 

Agriculture altered human existence as well as it transformed the planet. The small towns have grown into cities.  

The demand for enough food to support burgeoning human populations far exceeded the land’s capacity to fulfil it. 

There have been a lot of issues with agricultural innovations. These are (1) Although fertilizers improve food yields, but their overuse has become a threat to our environment, (2) Genetically engineered plants are resistant to pests. But there are concerns around the allergic reactions, production of toxins and their reduced nutritional value. 

Now, agricultural activity has become an industrial activity. It has led to disproportionate utilization of the scare land resources. 

The plant-based alternatives to meat are unlikely to take place without serious consequences. For example, with a surge in demand for soybean, there has been resultant increase in deforestation and displacement around the globe. Same thing may happen with other plant-based meats. 

Way Forward 

Scientific progress always challenges our notions of what is right. Their benefits lead to their acknowledgement. Further, the new technologies inevitably throw up new challenges to be solved. 

Source: The post is based on an article “Technological advancement often has a sting in its tail” published in the Live Mint on 18th May 2022.