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In the search for food —whether through foraging, hunting or agriculture —we are constantly at war with nature. In addition, food is distributed unequally: over .

Successive industrial revolutions have defined who we are and what we eat. In the mid-18th century, steam engines, railways and mechanized agriculture changed the ways food was produced and transported.

The Second Industrial Revolution, in the mid-19th century, brought electrical grids, assembly lines and mass production. Job loss happened in agriculture, while employment in the manufacturing and service sector grew. In the United States, for instance, .

The Third Industrial Revolution began with the . While opening up the digital revolution, transistors have been integral to all digital devices, from personal gadgets to farm appliances. For instance, efficient use of plant nutrients, pesticides, seeds or water is possible by using information technologies and other digital applications, like sensors, robotics, drones, GPS and autonomous vehicles.

The is a result of the rapid development and application of . It offers countless possibilities to grow more food in different ways, such as , , and .

Imagine a future where we go to grocery stores, . We could set the printer up with the right amount of nutrients, for instance, according to age- or gender-specific needs.

These technologies can be and have been controversial in society; .

Technology not the elixir

While enthusiasm for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is understood, it also comes with anxieties, including unprecedented job losses and insecurity related to artificial intelligence. . , leading to an ethical question about who will control the means of production: humans or robots?

Setting aside potential warfare between humans and robots, technology is used to triumph over nature and food production is one among many ways humans do this. As we enter the , we have caused .

Industrial revolutions in agriculture led to the 1960s "Green Revolution" in the Global South, .

Humans have caused existential threats to non-human species, including those essential for food production. We are in the midst of . An asteroid may have ended the age of the dinosaurs, but in the Anthropocene it is . According to a recent article in Science, species extinction is .

Social injustice

Together with environmental damage, industrial revolutions also exacerbate social injustice. Even 200 years after the First Industrial Revolution, animal and human drudgery continue in many parts of the world. .

In Canada,

Social injustice is further worsened by Fourteen per cent of Canadians still .

Although all levels of government in Canada have , technology alone can't deliver. .

Yet, , mobile phones are an exception, improving lives and livelihoods in developing areas. People in remote areas with neither broadband internet nor landlines have access to smartphones.

A just transition to our common future

World leaders adopted to promote socially responsible climate action. This declaration has provided a vision for low-carbon and climate-resilient futures for countries across the world, such as the U.S. Democrats' .

Read more: How to fight climate change in agriculture while protecting jobs

In addition to climate action, the just transition principle could also address job loss and income insecurity related to automation. Some experts believe that the can reduce human sufferings regardless of the cause —climate change, automation, inequality or otherwise.

While they could generate important lessons, pilot projects on universal basic income are being terminated early, for example, and . As far as food security is concerned, income guarantee alone isn't sufficient. Scholars rather propose a , which includes access to food, water, public transport, basic phone, broadband, health care and education.

Citizen science for responsible innovation

Educating future leaders on science and engineering ethics can better prepare them for what to expect and how to deal with potential controversies.

Our research shows that we could get ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution by transforming the triple-helix of university, government, industry collaboration into a matrix model . It would .

Citizen science comes in various forms. For example, the is arguably the first citizen science project, at over 115 years old. Citizen science in agriculture includes

Before we advance any further, we need to take care of those who don't have access to basic infrastructure and services so that they can fully participate in the digital age. In a bid to feed the future, we can't afford to repeat the social, ecological and environmental problems of past industrial revolutions.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .