Technology can enable food production and in some ways it has enabled the gracing of our tables with all sorts of things. In April this year Kim Hyong-O, Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, said to The 17th Vision Korea National Conference at the Hotel Shilla on March 24 that "It all depends on the politicians and the government whether we can improve the nation's agricultural industry to a higher value added agricultural bio-environment."
He also added that "The revolution of the nation's agricultural industry can arise from anywhere. It can be changed with a little bit more of interest from the government and the politicians." This was of course regarding the Agrigento Korea, Strong High-Tech Agricultural Industry to Lead S. Korean Economy, proposal. So from the context of 'Green Growth' and as stakeholders in traditional culture in all parts of the world, should we use technology to enhance traditional food
Yes
With 'Green Growth' has come new ways of doing things and new inventions that are in alignment with the peaceful processes of the past. Technology can speed traditional processes and remove health concerns that were not there in the past because they were perhaps not documented, not legislated or not apparent because of different immune systems that were adjusted due to small distance travel. Further, technology can assist with allowing a greater number of people access to different cultural food experiences. Nothing is lost if the technology is exercised responsibly.
No
It isn't only proponents of 'slow food' that think we are losing it as far as too much technology in food manufacture is concerned. They over did it in the gold rush of the eighties and now most of us are guarding kids from red food coloring and other such practices. There is a need to get back to common sense rather than justifying technology and short bursts of jobs for things we never needed in the past. It is getting increasingly illogical to globalise food due to a number of factors and there has been little additional gain, such as new discoveries or inventions, arising from agri-tech to justify innovations never needed. Food is slow and there isn't any getting around it.
