A/HRC/43/29 promoting inclusiveness in the market, enabling them to sell their perishable produce more effectively and negotiate better prices.9 18. At the same time, trends towards digitization, the financialization of the food market and the commodification of food, accelerated by technological advancement, are profoundly reshaping food systems and having a significant impact on the right to food. Technology is at the heart of the industrial food system, which focuses on maximizing efficiency in food production at the lowest possible cost and relies heavily on chemical inputs, affecting nutritional quality and public and environmental health (A/71/282, paras. 22–23). As seeds and other plant genetic materials are being digitized and patented by global corporations, risks emerge that access to traditional knowledge and seeds developed in other ways, including by indigenous peoples, may be undermined. Digitization of land registration and land-related data with blockchain technology can bring significant benefits in enhanced transparency, efficiency and security. However, new technologies need to be introduced with care in order to avoid unintended consequences, including easier transformation of land interests into speculative financial assets and risks of dispossession of, in particular, rural communities from long-held land.10 C. Right to health 19. New technologies, including digital technologies, play an important role in the realization of the right to health and universal health coverage for all. Information and communications technology can expand the availability and accessibility of quality health services. For example, in Ghana, mobile phone-based health information technology has helped community health workers in rural areas to receive needed advice online and to track information about patients.11 20. Artificial intelligence and big data are being used to develop new medicines, provide personalized treatment plans and improve the efficiency of care delivery. When new technologies are designed and implemented in an accountable manner, they offer the potential to transform health services, expand access to preventive, diagnostic and treatment services, provide health education and expand knowledge and research. 21. Despite the potential benefits, new technologies such as digitization in health care are not always necessary or appropriate in all circumstances or for all people. As technologies affect different people in different ways, the design and application of new technologies will need to take into account the particular conditions and needs of the persons concerned and the context in which technology is to be deployed, so as not to undermine applicable rights and infringe upon the persons’ dignity. 22. For example, new technologies, including assistive devices, built-in environmental applications and robotics, are gaining traction as cost-effective and efficient solutions to the increased need for individualized support and long-term care for older persons in many of the countries facing the most advanced population ageing. Effectively designed robots could support care delivery in a safer, more responsible way, relieving pressures from overworked care staff. This could contribute considerably to reducing abuse, violence and maltreatment of older persons in care settings. Interactions with robots, such as social companion robots, could potentially be beneficial for the physical and emotional well-being of older persons (A/HRC/36/48, paras. 73 and 82). 23. At the same time, overreliance on technology entails the risks of dehumanizing care practice. Technologies may undermine the autonomy and independence of older persons, 9 10 11 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The Future of Food and Agriculture: Trends and Challenges (Rome, 2017), p. 54. See Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition, Right to Food and Nutrition Watch: When Food Becomes Immaterial: Confronting the Digital Age, September 2018. See the conference report of the Integrated National Information and Communications Technology for Health and Development Forum, August 2016. Available at http://1millionhealthworkers.org/files/2016/09/ICT_REPORT.pdf. 5