Traditional agriculture must be integrated into the technological revolution. The planet, markets, and consumers demand it. Agricultural ventures are emerging every day. Central America should be a key player in this process of change. It's not easy, but the challenge promises excellent returns in the short and medium term.
The agritech and the foodtech These are global megatrends that, rather than being a source of concern, should be part of the agenda of countries that continue to depend on agriculture and aspire to improve their productivity. State policies related to agricultural trade, aimed at agricultural, livestock, and fisheries production, the development of new products, the promotion of investment, and foreign trade, should be closely linked to new data science technologies, such as blockchain, bigdata, augmented reality, robotics, among others.
If governments, academia, and businesses don't embrace new trends, we in the region will continue to be "recipients" of new advances. Others will reap the benefits. Just remember how the Swiss became world leaders in chocolate production. gourmet without having a single cocoa tree in their territory, or how the Italians and French process millions of tons of coffee and have sophisticated the production of machines linked to that industry, while many developing countries in America, Africa, and Asia continue to export the golden bean without added value. We must work hard to change history and avoid the effect déjà vu.
various organizations and startup are researching and developing in the field of agriculture and the food tech, inventing products from soil technology, through precision technology, to solutions for big data to help distribute local food. The region's Agritech market was valued at $1.21 billion in 2021, with projected growth to $2.13 billion in 2026.https://www.entrepreneur.com/es)
Consumers are increasingly sophisticated and concerned about the environment and eating healthier foods with less polluting packaging. Food traceability, from farm to table, is now more appreciated and better rewarded. Fair trade is the reason for thousands of certifications. It's not unusual to find sneakers made from coffee grounds on store shelves or online platforms, kitchen utensils made from sugarcane bagasse or wheat fiber, foods processed with insect flour, lab-grown meats, tablets or pills containing turmeric, ginger, acerola, and dozens of superfoods, including fruits, spices, and other agricultural products.
The region's potential is enormous. It's now or never!
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