2019 Azbee Awards of Excellence

Category

Online > Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team > Heartland

Awarded to

Natalie Gagliordi, Staff Writer; Charles McLellan, Reviews Editor; Teena Maddox, Senior Writer; Alison DeNisco Rayome, Senior Editor; James Sanders, Tech Writer; Derek Poore, Multiplatform Producer

Entry details

The Future of Food

Issue date (if applicable): 
Publication name: TechRepublic
Publishing company: CBS Interactive
Website home page: https://www.techrepublic.com/

Please describe the publication's mission and readership:

TechRepublic is a multiplatform publication that helps professionals make smart decisions about technology. With over 10 million readers in over 150 countries, TechRepublic has become one of the world's most widely read publications on B2B technology since its launch in May 1999. Its users run the gamut from entrepreneurs and small business owners to software engineers and CIOs. TechRepublic provides them with news analysis, tips, best practices, case studies, and advice. As a 21st century brand, TechRepublic tells stories in many different ways, including feature stories, tutorials, long-form reports, explainer videos, multimedia slideshows, and social media posts. The goal of all TechRepublic content is to help its users make great technology decisions that can improve their organizations and make them more innovative and efficient than ever.

Please describe the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:

There is an urgent need to ensure there is enough food to feed the global population, which is predicted to be at least nine billion people by 2050. Smart farming, big data, and drones are some of the technological approaches used to solve this problem. For TechRepublic's coverage about the future of food, five writers reported on various angles of this topic, producing three long-form articles and two features. Natalie Gagliordi wrote a cover story about self-driving tractors, artificial intelligence, and precision agriculture, and provided a first-hand account of John Deere's test farm in Iowa. Charles McLellan examined how two startups in the United Kingdom are focusing on precision agriculture through automation, robotics, and the Internet of Things. Teena Maddox zeroed in on what is called Agriculture 4.0, and interviewed experts at Land O'Lakes and Purdue University's agronomy center. Alison DeNisco Rayome reported on whether meal replacements that are popular with tech workers could provide nutrition to those in need. James Sanders wrote about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which serves as a backup for seed banks around the world in case an environmental or a political disaster destroys existing crops. This in-depth coverage provided TechRepublic readers with a greater understanding about one of the most important topics of our lives.

Links to entry URLs

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-self-driving-tractors-ai-and-precision-agriculture-will-save-us-from-the-impending-food-crisis/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/smart-farming-how-iot-robotics-and-ai-are-tackling-one-of-the-biggest-problems-of-the-century/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/agriculture-4-0-how-digital-farming-is-revolutionizing-the-future-of-food/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/meal-replacements-make-tech-workers-more-productive-can-they-also-solve-world-hunger/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-worlds-most-important-cold-storage-facility-safeguards-the-future-of-food/

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