A story that I have been tracking for a long time involves the inflation of food prices in India. Off and on, the press reports this as a serious matter. The following two quotes highlight the issue:
"Prices of primary articles increased 15.19% from a year earlier, accelerating from the previous week's 14.75% expansion, driven mostly by a higher costs of milk, fish and fruits."
and,
"The June-September monsoon season brings about 70% of India's annual rain and is crucial for summer-sown crops such as rice, sugarcane, pulses, cotton and oilseeds as about 60% of the country's farmland is rain-fed."
Gangopadhyay, Abhrajit, 2010. India food prices remain red-hot. The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 3.
More than ever, the simultaneous study of agriculture, water, and energy will define a new academic discipline of worldwide importance. We undertaking such a project at the MIT Field Intelligence Lab that will perhaps expand into a wider effort at MIT called the Global Agriculture Initiative. I will provide more updates as part of later posts.
It is my hope that the upcoming 2010 Internet of Things conference in Tokyo will address some of these issues.
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