If in the year 2050 humankind is equally sustainable as they are well fed, it will be thanks to Caleb Harper and his Food Computer.
As Director of Open Agriculture Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, Caleb is changing how we will feed an ever-growing population. The product of a family of farmers, specialising in growing crops and raising livestock in Texas and Kansas, Caleb holds farming close to his heart. In order to innovate the agricultural industry, Caleb is combining his passion for traditional farming with his experience of engineering and computing expertise, to change the way we view the landscape of food growth. Caleb is fulfilling his innate desire to grow.
At the beginning of his career, prior to joining MIT Media Lab in 2011, Caleb designed data centres, health care and semiconductor fabrication facilities as a professional architect. He’s also consulted with multiple international development agencies, including USAID, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the Delhi Development Authority on high-density urban development projects. Caleb’s countless years within the technology industry helped him to create what he is renowned for today, providing a foundation for his agricultural passion.
Caleb is determined to turn the global food crisis around, by revolutionizing agriculture. After joining MIT, Caleb quickly began a diverse team of engineers, architects, urbanists, economists and plant scientists to start developing the product of Caleb’s imagination. At present, they are creating what Caleb dubs the Food Computer; a controllable environment for growing food that would have only existed half the world away.
During his TED Talk that has amassed 1.3 million views, Caleb assures us that the technology exists right now, and is working to send and produce the perfect environment for difficult to grow fruit and vegetables. In Caleb’s world, Scientists in the North Pole will be able to pick freshly grown strawberries.
