Within the next five years, the world's population will hit the 8 billion mark, with one billion of them not having adequate access to the food supplies necessary for a healthy life. At the same time, some 45% of the world's food supply is currently lost to waste. So, does technology hold the key to solving the planet's food crisis? Here are five technological solutions being proposed, which will be discussed at IBM Think conference in San Francisco, which starts today. The concept of building digital twins to enable us to learn from simulations has taken hold in industry, and in agriculture too, it holds a great deal of promise.

Each year researchers at IBM list "5 in 5" – five ways in which technology will change the world in the next five years. This year, the overarching theme is on feeding the world by using technology to reduce hunger and waste. Within the next five years, the world's population will hit the 8 billion mark, with one billion of them not having adequate access to the food supplies necessary for a healthy life. At the same time, some 45% of the world's food supply is currently lost to waste. So, does technology hold the key to solving the planet's food crisis?