Index:
Overview
What “innovation” actually is
Innovation and systems
New technology is required, but insufficient
The Haber-Bosch method
Gene editing
Microbes
Final Thoughts
Defining Innovation
Agriculture has no shortage of technology. Plenty of sensors, models and molecules work exactly as designed and still never change what a farmer does or buys.
What this misses is that technology is not the important thing. Innovation is.
Those two words get used interchangeably all the time, I have done it myself, but they are distinct. Interchanging them fundamentally misses the important part of what drives progress in any industry and shifts what people watch, what they fund, and ultimately what creates value.
I have written about variations of this before. In 2022 I highlighted the corporate version of Innovation Theatre, where entities create the illusion of innovation. In late 2024 I wrote Companies Evolve Industries, Technologies Do Not after a week of "what technologies are you watching?" questions.
What "Innovation" Actually Is
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