IOT-automated cricket farms will help solve world hunger: Cisco
Cisco CEO John Chambers has expressed hope that a combination of automation, the internet of things (IoT) and cricket farming will help to solve future world hunger. Speaking at the Techonomy conference, Chambers outlined his own investment in the Aspire Food Group, which claims to run the world's first automated cricket farm. “The primary source of protein you'll be having within 20 years will be insects,” he said. Chambers argues that IoT, robotic farming and cloud data capability are all key to growing insect farming “faster and safer than we have done before”.

As the world population rises alongside mortality rates, we’ve reached a point where there are more humans alive on Earth at one time than ever before. Unfortunately, resources have remained relatively constant, meaning more people are vying for the same basic needs. Clean water, energy, medicine… and, of course, food.

There are plenty of companies that are trying to combat world hunger in various ways. Many investors are excited about the opportunity to grow meat in labs rather than taking it from cattle. Vertical farming could allow for us to grow far more crops with less resources, taking up less space. Organizations from The Hunger Project to Action Against Hunger and more are working on ways to combat starvation.

John Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco, has a different idea for how we will solve world hunger. Insects and the Internet of Things. According to a report from The Register:

As such [Chambers] has invested in the Aspire Food Group, based in Texas, which claims to run the world’s first automated cricket farm. He said: “The primary source of protein you will be having within your life, definitely within 20 years and maybe within 15, will be insects,” adding, “they’re the cleanest form you can produce at least challenge to the environment.” He reckons the tasty morsels will be consumed by everyone, and will be served in high end restaurants as will be used to solve world hunger. But wait, there is also a tech angle. Chambers believes that the move to transition to an orthopteran diet is tied up in the Internet of Things, robotic farming, and capturing the cloud data capability “to grow this faster and safer than we have done before.”

That’s quite the future to wrap your head around. While insects have been a source of protein for humans for thousands of years, as of late the practice has fallen off. Especially in Western societies, if it crawls we don’t eat it.

The Internet of Things, in my mind, has a much stronger case for solving world hunger. Here I can get behind Chambers. Robotic farmers can automate the process of growing crops (or meats) at a larger scale than local farmers. That isn’t to say local farmers should be cut out – we’ll need their centuries of insight passed down from generation to generation if we’re ever going to curtail hunger globally. But for the hard, long, necessary work inherent in farming, robots will be able to aide these farmers at a cheaper price while producing more yield.

Not to mention sensors. Internet of Things devices will be able to measure soil, water, and the amount of sunlight we use to grow crops in real time. If a problem arises, we’ll be alerted immediately. We can distribute the exact amount of nutrients at the precise time to generate the best return, and measure plants on a minute-by-minute basis to ensure they are receiving what they need.

I’m not sure if insects will be the future of fine cuisine. You’ll need a hell of a marketing department to convince Americans to munch on a thorax for lunch instead of a burger and fries. But whether it’s insects, crops, or lab-grown meat, Internet of Things has huge potential for the future of farming and food.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!