At the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Summit, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Forum committed to help solve for world hunger by 2030 through the innovative application of technology. HPE and the Forum are calling on public and private organizations to join them in an open collaboration to find solutions that will eliminate food insecurity and sustainably, nutritiously and inclusively feed a growing population.
The mission to solve world hunger by 2030 is the first of several global challenges HPE and the Forum are addressing under Tech Impact 2030, an open collaboration to bring together industry, technology, academia and government leaders to power meaningful societal change by the year 2030.
“HPE believes that technology has the ability to power real societal improvements if applied innovatively and adopted universally,” said Som Satsangi, MD – India, HPE. “To spark progress, we need a new approach; one that will translate bold ideas into practical solutions. That’s why we are partnering with the Forum to bring together the right minds, resources and focus to achieve real-world change, now.”
Tech Impact 2030 marks a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the Forum as it seeks to support complex and systemic global challenges. By drawing on the Forum’s diverse suite of partners and experience in addressing global challenges, as well as HPE’s technology and industry expertise, Tech Impact 2030 aims to break down siloes and find new ways to apply technology to positively contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly.
“Open collaboration is the fastest way to inspire true innovation and implement change,” said Dominic Waughray, Head of the World Economic Forum Centre for Global Public Goods. “The introduction of Tech Impact 2030 demonstrates what can be achieved when we apply the convening power of the Forum to operationalize the technology vision of an action-oriented partner, like HPE.”
Over the next several months, HPE and the Forum will introduce additional challenges in key industries including financial services, healthcare, transportation and manufacturing. Each challenge will pose a social, economic or environmental problem that could be tackled by convening experts and applying existing and innovative technology in disruptive ways.
HPE and the Forum will bring these leaders together to scope, frame and deliver concrete outcomes.
The United Nations reports that nearly 800 million people worldwide are undernourished and forecasts the world’s population will grow to 8.5 billion by 2030. Looking beyond 2030, the Forum estimates that the global population will grow to 9.8 billion people by 2050, requiring a staggering 70 percent more food than is consumed today. HPE and the Forum can provide tools, technology and foresight to help solve this staggering reality.
Through Tech Impact 2030, HPE and the Forum aim to accelerate the transformation of food systems through the innovative application of technology. Building on the work of the Forum’s food system initiative, the work will be focused on improving yield, productivity and sustainability across the entire agricultural ecosystem – fields, factories, grocery stores and the dinner table.
During the SD Impact Summit, HPE and the Forum will kick off a series of working sessions under Tech Impact 2030, convening leaders to set an actionable roadmap. Attendees, HPE and the Forum will contribute ideas, commit to forward progress and agree upon 24-month “sprints” – progressive milestones toward the goal of solving world hunger.
As a first step, HPE and the Forum are already collaborating with Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, a leader in enhancing food security and optimizing ag-tech around the world. Purdue is working closely with HPE to implement disruptive technologies, such as IoT sensors and autonomous tractors, to make digital and precision agriculture possible.
