Megatrends
1. Climate change
13 Megatrends: Climate change directly affects agriculture. Storms and droughts reduce yields. The amount of usable land is decreasing due to salinisation and desertification, and warming is changing the vegetation.
2. Resource scarcity
13 Megatrends: Limited resources are the basis and driver of economic activity. The scarcity of resources demands efficiency. Particularly in agriculture and the food industry, input and output must be in balance; the motto is "grow more with less".
3. Ecology
13 Megatrends: Ecology is not a niche, but a broad trend. It is becoming a social movement and a central economic factor. Ecological behaviour demands science-based, comprehensive sustainability.
4. Knowledge society
13 Megatrends: The world is getting smarter. The level of education is rising globally, creating the conditions for a knowledge society. Knowledge is available at all times and can be accessed digitally.
5. Health
13 Megatrends: Health awareness is becoming a driver in society. It has great charisma. Health is becoming a goal in life and stands for quality of life.
6. Digitalisation
13 Megatrends: Digitalisation is not stopping at the agriculture and food industry. Research is increasingly based on mathematical models. From new breeding methods to drones and hacking robots, many new technologies are based on digital systems.
7. Connectivity
13 Megatrends: Based on digital transport infrastructures, connectivity is causing a profound change. With connectivity, the world is becoming a global village. Global economic structures and social exchange are gaining importance.
8. Demography
13 Megatrends: The world population is growing. By 2050, the UN expects the world to be home to 9.7 billion people. In addition, people are getting older and older. All of them will have to be fed.
9. Urbanisation
11 Megatrends: Globally, urbanisation is occurring at a breathtaking pace. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, around 70 percent of people will live in cities. Many of these cities are so-called megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants.
10. Globalisation
13 Megatrends: Globalisation describes the growing together of the world's population and economic systems. Everything becomes simultaneous and influences each other. The division of labour and the exchange of ideas and goods is increasing.
11. Multipolar world
11 Megatrends: After the end of the Cold War, the USA and the West dominated. But the world is changing. China and, by far, India are becoming economic heavyweights and power blocs.
12. Security
13 Megatrends: In a globalised and digitalised world, security is increasingly becoming a central megatrend. Cybersecurity, data protection and new ‘trust technologies’ such as blockchain are essential to ensure trust in digital systems.
13. The future of work
13 Megatrends: The world of work has been undergoing a profound transformation for several years. Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and changing social values are redefining work. Flexibility is also a key driver of the new world of work. Remote work, hybrid models and project-based structures are increasingly shaping companies.
Cool thanks to Caribbean genes: the heat-defying calf!
Cows are also suffering from global warming. Hot temperatures have a negative effect on their metabolism. Now, the first solutions are emerging: for example, Strickhof in Lindau is home to one of the first Slick gene cows in the world. These are more heat tolerant than conventional cows and can therefore withstand global warming.
Foie gras without a guilty conscience
The term foie gras often has negative connotations. The reason for this is foie gras production, in which the animals suffer great suffering. After top restaurateurs developed recipes with unstuffed liver, Migros is now also offering «Happy Foie». This is an animal-friendly foie gras that is supposed to taste just as good as the original. Patents are used to protect the inventors.
Invasive pests travel with us
Invasive pests and plant diseases are among the greatest challenges for biodiversity and agriculture. They often enter Switzerland via travel and imported goods and cause great damage to cultivated and wild plants. Since 2020, the import of plants from non-EU countries is prohibited. However, introduced pests are a worldwide problem.
The search for the egg of the future
Boiled, stirred, fried: Eggs are not only popular at Easter. At the same time, there is increasing interest in alternatives to the animal protein products that are common in our country. The search for new protein sources therefore does not stop at chicken eggs. The "egg substitute" can come from exotic jellyfish, as well as from a wide variety of plant sources. The result: The demand for protein-rich crops is growing.
Global facts on world food and agriculture
Only thanks to technological progress and modern crop protection will we be able to conserve our resources in the future and at the same time feed more and more people in a healthy way.
The Future of Agriculture and Climate Change
All around the world, we see and feel the effects of climate change on our lives. While it impacts everyone, agriculture is one of the sectors that is at the forefront of climate change – contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time coping with growing our food under increasingly challenging conditions. So, how can we address climate change and take action that makes an impact?
Can nutrition be healthy and sustainable at the same time?
Is there a menu plan that is good for our bodies and sustainable at the same time? The answer is yes, but it is also complex. This is the result of research on the online portal “Heidi.news” and the “Sonntagszeitung”.
Insects: The protein source of tomorrow?
Insects have long been considered the superfood of the future. They are rich in protein, require less land and water, and have a better carbon footprint than conventional meat.
Sustainable nutrition with algae
The greatest challenge facing today's agriculture industry is to produce healthy foods that do not place undue stress on the planet. Algae could one day represent an important piece of the puzzle in food production.
13 Megatrends: 'Avalanches in slow motion'
The world is changing. The complexity is great and that makes it difficult to keep track in everyday life. Megatrends provide orientation here. They outline the main lines of change. Megatrends are valuable navigation aids to classify and understand change. The Zukunftsinstitut describes megatrends as 'avalanches in slow motion'. This image describes the phenomenon well. Megatrends develop slowly, but have an enormous impact on the economy and society. They determine our future life.
From stem cell to steak
Meat production consumes a lot of resources. And for a wide variety of reasons, people are eating less meat or even giving it up entirely. A growing number of companies are therefore looking into alternative methods of producing meat – for example, in a lab.
Drought-tolerant maize as a response to climate change
Climate change poses increasing challenges for agriculture. Plant breeding is therefore working at full speed to develop varieties with better resistance to environmental stress.
Content in German
COVID-19 triggers a boom in functional food
During the COVID-19 crisis, demand for functional food and nutritional supplements has grown worldwide. Consumers have become more conscious of the importance of healthy nutrition.
Finally, a golden age for golden rice
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide, as many as 500,000 children go blind every year due to a lack of vitamin A. Roughly half of them die within 12 months of losing their sight. This miserable situation could be greatly eased if the affected children had access to an inexpensive, everyday food containing an adequate amount of vitamin A.
Technological progress in agriculture
In recent decades, technological progress has ensured that the application of plant protection products has become much more precise.