With world projections of global population running to 9.5-10 billion by mid-century, it has becoming apparent that increasing food production will soon become an existential problem. However, the world has been here before. In the mid 1950’s parts of the developing world, especially in Mexico and India were facing national food crises. This previous situation helped spark a series of innovations that collectively became known as the “Green Revolution.” Recent advances in sensor technology, computer processing power, and algorithmic development have ushered in a new era of data-driven, precision farming. It is now possible to obtain precise measurements of biological phenomena on very large spatial and temporal scales. This development is part of a continuum of advances that have ushered in “Green Revolution 2.0” with Digital Farming technologies becoming the tip of the spear. In this paper we review the timeline and development of both biological and sensor technologies that are just now beginning to converge, with special emphasis on hyperspectral instrumentation. We address some very recent developments in the field and speculate about the potential of future advances to solve the pressing issue of adequate global food production.
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