Donors back tech over aid to feed hungry world

A farmer reads a message on a cellphone while working on a rice paddy field outside Hanoi, Vietnam. Be it tracking cows by computer or spotting signals via satellite to predict climate shocks, panelists said technology was the best chance of feeding the planet without destroying it. — Reuters

JOHANNESBURG: Food donors want to deliver cutting-edge technology to poor farmers in place of aid in a bid to cut waste, preserve precious land – and make themselves redundant.

In a shift they hope to accelerate, the donors say that tech – not handouts – is their best hope of tackling rising climates in a hungry world and preventing any long-term dependency.