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The challenge of achieving comprehensive food security for a growing human population is driving rapid innovation and the development of next generation farming and food production technologies. AgTech and FoodTech researchers are delivering creative solutions to help growers adapt to climate change and to eliminate supply chain risks and bottlenecks.

Several leading companies are focusing on food security and implementing ambitious corporate strategies to harness the new agricultural revolution to create a more equitable, resilient, and profitable global farming industry. 
 

Feeding Up to 10 Billion People by 2050

The United Nations expects the human population to top the 10 billion level sometime after 2050. Feeding every human on the planet requires a concerted effort by governments, NGOs, scientists, and companies to transform food production and integrate AgTech innovation throughout the supply chain.

Source: UN News
 

Adapting to Climate Change and Boosting Crop Yields

2024 was the hottest year on record. Farmers will require a variety of adaptive strategies to produce staple grains, cereals, and beans in the quantities required for long-term food security. AI-driven data analytics and satellite imagery are already proving crucial to the development of data-based adaptation at field level.

Source: Our World in Data

5 Leading Companies Delivering Food Security
 

#1 Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM)

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is an American multinational with a food processing division. The company is a major supplier of cereal grains and oilseeds for both human and animal feed and is working to improve overall food security by implementing regenerative agriculture across its North American supply chains. 

ADM aims to actively regenerate 5 million acres of farmland this year in partnership with other stakeholders, focusing particularly on family farms. The company is also investing in developing end-to-end supply chain integration from field to fork that eliminates waste and contributes to a 25% reduction of Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 2035.
 

#2 ICL Group (NYSE: ICL)

ICL Group is a leading specialty minerals company with operations across the planet and is also one of the world’s largest fertilizer manufacturers by volume. The company developed its own strategic vision in alignment with the United Nations Strategic Development Goal Two of Zero Hunger and is making a significant contribution to the implementation of food security.

ICL Group is making a significant difference at field level by delivering advanced crop nutritional solutions and nutrient-rich specialty fertilizer blends to farmers in emerging markets. ICL’s most recent ESG report quantifies the company’s contribution to food security in terms of feeding 400 million people a day. ICL Group also invests in farmer education and outreach programs to help growers improve yields on a sustainable basis.
 

#3 Bunge Global SA (NYSE: BG)

Bunge is a global food and agribusiness company incorporated in Switzerland and headquartered in the US. The company is a significant  component of the international food supply chain with major food processing, grain trading, and soybean operations. Bunge is contributing to a secure food future on several levels, including through innovative oilseed processing methods. 

Bungee is currently the world’s largest oilseed processor and is implementing ambitious and forward thinking policies to transform oilseed production, and particularly palm oil and palm kernel production, on a sustainable basis. The goal is to preserve forests and protect biodiversity in accordance with "No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation” (NDPE) practices for future generations and to safeguard a valuable nutritional resource. 
 

#4 Kubota Corporation (KUBTY)

Modern farming increasingly depends on automation and the ability of farmers to optimize their operations with smart vehicles. Japanese multinational Kubota is a major manufacturer of agricultural vehicles and their advanced vehicle technologies bridge the gap between wet rice field operations and dryfield requirements. 

Kubota is improving food security by focusing on smallholder and small unit mechanization in Asia, Africa and other emerging economies. Kubota is empowering farmers with a range of solutions that includes smart tractors, rice and grain harvesters, pumps and other essential agricultural equipment, often with full IoT integration. 
 

#5 Ingredion Inc. (NYSE: INGR)

Ingredion is a US company that provides ingredients to the food and beverage industries. Its core business is built around the manufacture of edible starches, pea proteins and sugar substitutes (including stevia, a super-sweet leaf extract). The ingredients that Ingredion supplies to food manufacturers are essential to maintain a supply of affordable processed foods.

Ingredion is committed to developing both sustainability and resilience across its own supply chain. The company is working to reduce water use intensity by 30% and to achieve 100% avoidance of landfill waste by the end of 2030. Functional ingredients are often an overlooked element of the food chain equation, but Ingredion is implementing sustainability to guarantee a secure supply for the future. 
 

Conclusion: 

Although climate change, population growth and geopolitical instability presents ongoing challenges to food security, major companies like ICL Group, ADM and Kubota are channeling technological innovation and creativity into initiatives to preserve agricultural ecosystems, transform farming methods through AgTech, and strengthen rural communities to ensure that a new generation of farmers will have the resources and incentives to create an abundance of healthy and sustainable foods. 

It’s possible that for the first time in human history, there is a genuine opportunity to tackle world hunger and achieve lasting food security for every human being on the planet. Consumers and investors can make a difference by backing ethical food companies and by encouraging all businesses to develop a strategic vision for sustainability. 

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