Scientists from the Mendel University in Brno will participate in a European project to respond to major global changes in society. Most of the population is now moving to big cities and the question of how to feed these cities arises. The project, called Hungry EcoCities, will last almost 4 years and has a budget of 2.8 million euros. One of its goals is to increase people’s trust in digital technologies, which are increasingly reflected in agriculture and food.
The uniqueness of the research lies, among other things, in the fact that within it, growers and agricultural experts will work closely with artists, designers and scientists in the field of IT and artificial intelligence, food industry, biotechnology to come up with new ideas for the future food system for all.
“Together with our colleagues, we will strive to increase people’s trust in digital technologies and their acceptance in society through art and the development of digital technologies, while still preserving and recognizing human values and thereby enabling social inclusion and environmentally friendly innovation,” said Dalibor Húska from the Institute of chemistry and biochemistry of the Mendel University in Brno.
One way to proceed is to implement digital technologies in the agricultural sector through artistically motivated experiments to address social, business and sustainability challenges. Another path is to develop new products and services in line with a human-centred approach, innovation and sustainability goals through specialized collaboration between the arts, industry and research and development sectors. The entire project has been inspired by Carolyn Steel’s book from 2008, which addresses the fundamental question of the contemporary civilized world, which includes socioeconomic, cultural, and above all agronomic impacts on sustainable agriculture.
The scientific consortium consists of eight scientific workplaces from seven countries, from the Czech Republic it also includes experts from Brno University of Technology. The MENDEL Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is tasked with designing, consulting and verifying a virtual laboratory. For example, experts from seven countries, including MENDELU, will consult with the artists and connect design with functionality. “We will design and build a digital environment that will connect with existing platforms and thus provide a framework for the usability of artificial intelligence that will allow the entire process to be managed and suggest possible solutions and improvements,” Húska supplied.
Contact for journalists: Ing. Dalibor Húska, Ph.D., dalibor.huska@mendelu.cz; Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of AgriSciences