Since humans began to supplement hunting and gathering with farming, it has been the ultimate gamble. Plant seeds and hope that nature was kind and provided a good enough yield to help you survive until the following year. Sacred rituals and religions spring up in efforts to influence better outcomes. And each year was seen as a new venture. Sadly, in some parts of the world, farming today is nearly just as primitive—and just as uncertain in its outcomes. It doesn’t have to be.

As anyone with a smartphone who’s traveling into an area with limited coverage knows, your technology is only as good as the infrastructure that supports it. So yes, the idea of a smart farm with connected workers sounds great, but it also sounds like a pipedream in remote areas of the Global South.

Thanks to the investment of time, energy, and attention from many dedicated NGOs, private sector partners, and governments, many pieces are in place—with others coming—to address the crisis of hunger and food insecurity. Yet most experts agree we aren’t moving fast enough.