From the muds of Finland to contemplations on development of open sourcing agriculture

Little of intrest has been going on lately on the project and it has consisted mainly of delays of all kinds, delays in installation, getting the measurement system complete, kalibrating intstruments, and so forth. But it seems to be picking up speed now and tomorrow, Monday, we are hoping to have it running and the next question is about getting a control system working. More on that as it progresses.

My initial thought of this blog was to put down and share my thoughts on the project I work on but also to try to find a relation to what’s going on in larger scale in the global food system. Working on this small greenhouse project in the quiet countryside in northern Europe may not seem to have anything to do with mass starvation in developing countries that have been desperate and war torn, and are subject to misgrowths, trade barriers and dept burden. Could it though? If we can use our technological advances to not only sustain our own farms where we are but also share our success with those struggling to stay afloat.

This is a beautiful idea. If every country had it’s base source of food products coming from local farms, the need to keep successful agro technologies to ourselves would not apply, we would all have our basic needs sustained. A bit of fair sharing just might get us all on a better way to success. What this boils down to is of course the question about open sourcing technology and how this may apply to agriculture and the global food system. Since it often costs a fair bit of investment to bring forward new technology, the inventors file for patent. They may choose to licence their technology to others depending on the scene of competition.

There is nothing saying that open sourcing agro technology will actually work for boosting development in countries where yields cannot feed population. Differences in climate, existing technology, type of crop and access to equipment may call for modifications to fit application. Open Sourcing knowledge in agro-technology may give the opportunity for these people to get a foothold on to development if appropriate technology is applied to the problems. Where does this take us in development of technology? What can it do for development in places where it is implemented?