Food for Hope: Scenarios from the Bioeconomy

President Biden has taken a meaningful step toward long-term food security for the US. His new executive order specifically supports expanding the use of biotechnology and biomanufacturing in food production. From a futurist’s perspective, this is an exciting opportunity to see exponential technology serving the greater good.

It can be difficult to find glimmers of hope in the face of complex global challenges like food insecurity. One reason for optimism is the emerging bioeconomy, which encompasses R&D around food, water, energy, and climate. The bioeconomy lights the path to a more sustainable way of life while providing new jobs and business opportunities. Here are three positive scenarios that could unfold.

1. Sustainable Meat

Cultured meat is a food product grown from animal cells in a lab setting using cellular technology. It is essentially a solution that permits us to sustain omnivorous dietary habits without factory farming. Substituting cultivated meat would go a long way to decarbonizing the planet, limiting the future impact of food production on climate, and reframing some ethical considerations on the question of consuming meat. Cultured meat manufacturing on a large scale would shrink our ecological footprint fast.

2. The New Global Superpower

It is possible that the quest to secure basic needs such as food and water is the modern equivalent of the Space Race in the sense that it will spur innovation, discovery, and optimism in America. During the Cold War, intense scientific competition with the Soviet Union transformed the US public education system in a way that encouraged engineering and technology careers. Soon, schools could pivot to preparing for the bioeconomy. Gen Alpha (born early 2010’s) could train for jobs in vertical farming, water desalination, and soil rehabilitation. The next global superpower might be whoever is first to secure the food supply—and hopefully lead others in doing the same.

3. Foodaceuticals

Foods that are genetically designed to contain a special dose of vitamins, vaccines, or medicines are known as foodaceuticals. They are not only edible, but they deliver some sort of pharmacological treatment. The executive order on biotech could cover the use of gene edited crops modified for foodaceutical purposes. Gene edited crops might not be limited to treating illness. Doctors could prescribe fruits and vegetables designed to address preventable diseases, for example. We could grow drugs instead of making them in a lab and maybe with fewer side effects. Could gene edited crops help to cover gaps in healthcare access AND food deserts? Foodaceuticals could also be an efficient means for distributing vaccines against future pandemics since they could be consumed at home and without medical supervision.



The pandemic experience has highlighted the important role of technology in social problem-solving. From Zoom meetings to online learning, mRNA vaccines to home-sewn face masks—we innovated our way through crisis. It is inspiring to now see cutting-edge technologies aimed at achieving food security as the bioeconomy rises. The visionary use of biotech with a sustainable abundance mindset could turn the course of history in our lifetimes.




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