Research priorities for global food security under extreme events

Sustainable food systems transformation in the face of climate change: strategies, challenges, and policy implications

Climate change-induced disruptions to agricultural systems and other socio-economic and geopolitical factors threaten food supply availability, access, and stability. The paper examines the crisis and explores the strategies, challenges, and policy implications of transforming food systems towards sustainability. It highlights the undeniable impact of climate change on agriculture, discussing how it affects crop yields and contributes to the increased frequency of extreme weather events. The paper discusses the extent and causes of food loss and waste in the supply chain, presents various technologies and initiatives to reduce it, and highlights models for efficient food distribution and surplus food redistribution. Lastly, it shifts its attention to food policy and governance, assessing the effectiveness of national and international policies in addressing food security and climate change. Conclusively, it underscores the pressing need for a holistic and sustainable approach to food systems transformation in the face of climate change.

MUSAE: Fusion of art and technology to address challenges in food and health

There is an urgent need to transform our current food system to improve population health/wellbeing and planetary health. A number of challenges exist in order to achieve this. Artists, with their innate ability to use imagination to envision future needs and solve problems, represent a key group in this transformation. The project MUSAE brings together artists with experts from different disciplines to define an innovative model to integrate artistic collaboration in the (European) Digital innovation hubs (E-DIHs). They will employ the Design Futures Art-Driven (DFA) methods to enable artists and a range of companies involved in food production and distribution to develop innovative products and services that address key issues in the food system. MUSAE will run two residencies involving 23 artists and 11 SMEs working with three main technologies-Artificial Intelligence, Wearables and Robotics-to envision the future scenarios for societal needs and technology applications, as well as develop future-driven prototypes, thus opening new markets and innovations in the area of food.

Navigating the participatory turn in agricultural and food research: Best practice from citizen science

Food systems have enormous impacts on people and the planet, with agriculture and food research becoming strategic for many countries. However, the way this research is conducted and the rise of new agri-food technologies have ethical and socio-economic implications. To address these, many scholars are gaining interest in participatory methods, such as citizen science, but are unfamiliar with the latest debates on ethical and methodological issues surrounding non-academic stakeholder engagement. In this perspective paper, we revisit the European Citizen Science Association's (ECSA) Ten Principles of Citizen Science under the specific lens of agri-food research. The discussion presented is based on a review of the state of the art from academic literature, secondary data from agri-food citizen science projects, and the reflections of 11 scientist and practitioners, members of ECSA's Agri-Food Working Group. The findings reflect theoretical, methodological, and practical implications for navigating the participatory turn in agriculture and food research.

Enhancing plant disease detection through deep learning: a Depthwise CNN with squeeze and excitation integration and residual skip connections

This study proposes an advanced method for plant disease detection utilizing a modified depthwise convolutional neural network (CNN) integrated with squeeze-and-excitation (SE) blocks and improved residual skip connections. In light of increasing global challenges related to food security and sustainable agriculture, this research focuses on developing a highly efficient and accurate automated system for identifying plant diseases, thereby contributing to enhanced crop protection and yield optimization. The proposed model is trained on a comprehensive dataset encompassing various plant species and disease categories, ensuring robust performance and adaptability. By evaluating the model with online random images, demonstrate its significant adaptability and effectiveness in overcoming key challenges, such as achieving high accuracy and meeting the practical demands of agricultural applications. The architectural modifications are specifically designed to enhance feature extraction and classification performance, all while maintaining computational efficiency. The evaluation results further highlight the model's effectiveness, achieving an accuracy of 98% and an F1 score of 98.2%. These findings emphasize the model's potential as a practical tool for disease identification in agricultural applications, supporting timely and informed decision-making for crop protection.

Transforming plant-based waste and by-products into valuable products using various "Food Industry 4.0" enabling technologies: A literature review

The last several years have seen unprecedented strain on food systems as a result of pandemics, climate change, population growth, and urbanization. Thus, academic and scientific communities now view global food security as a critical issue. However, food loss and waste are a major challenge when adopting food security and sustainability strategies, since a large proportion of food is lost or wasted along the food supply chain. In order to use resources efficiently and enhance food security and sustainability, food waste and by-products must be reduced and properly valorized. Plant-based food production generates various by-products which are generally rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. Emerging technologies have been effectively employed to extract these valuable compounds with health benefits. Recently, Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, robotics, smart sensors, 3D printing, and digital twins have a great deal of potential for waste reduction and by-products valorization in food industry. Reducing food waste not only benefits the environment, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and thus contributes to sustainable resource management. This review provides up-to-date information on the potential of Industry 4.0 for converting plant-based waste and by-products into valuable products. Recent studies showed that innovations in Industry 4.0 provide attractive opportunities to increase the effectiveness of manufacturing operations and improve food quality, safety and traceability. By leveraging Food Industry 4.0, companies can transform plant-based waste and by-products into valuable products and contribute to a more sustainable and efficient food production system.

Responses of fisheries ecosystems to marine heatwaves and other extreme events

Marine ecosystems and their living marine resources (LMRs) continue to respond to the effects of global change, with environmental factors impacting marine fisheries biomass, distribution, harvest, and associated economic performance. Extreme events such as high-category hurricanes, harmful algal blooms, marine heatwaves, and large-scale hypoxia affect major regions and subregions of United States waters, with their frequency expected to increase over the next decades. The impacts of extreme events on fisheries biomass, harvest, and economic performance have not been examined as closely as a system (i.e., cumulatively), or in terms of their differential effects on particular functional groups of a given system. Among several U.S. subregions, we examined responses of fisheries biomass, landings, and revenue for particular functional groups to large-scale environmental perturbations (i.e., marine heatwaves, Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon oil spill). Distinct negative short-term consequences to annual fisheries biomass, landings, and revenue were observed in all regions, including at the system-level scale for several ecosystems which have higher proportions of pelagic species composition and variable shellfish-based revenue. In addition, shifts in species composition often were associated with environmental perturbations. Recovery to pre-perturbation levels (both in the immediate years following the event and over the post-event period of study) and resilience at the system level was observed in several cases, although post-event declines in biomass and landings occurred in the California ecosystem. Certain extreme events are expected to become more common in marine environments, with resulting perturbations throughout multiple components of U.S. socioecological systems. The recognition and understanding of the consequences of extreme events throughout marine ecosystems is necessary for effective, holistic, and sustainable management practices.

Plastic pollution in agricultural landscapes: an overlooked threat to pollination, biocontrol and food security

Ecosystem services such as pollination and biocontrol may be severely affected by emerging nano/micro-plastics (NMP) pollution. Here, we synthesize the little-known effects of NMP on pollinators and biocontrol agents on the organismal, farm and landscape scale. Ingested NMP trigger organismal changes from gene expression, organ damage to behavior modifications. At the farm and landscape level, NMP will likely amplify synergistic effects with other threats such as pathogens, and may alter floral resource distributions in high NMP concentration areas. Understanding exposure pathways of NMP on pollinators and biocontrol agents is critical to evaluate future risks for agricultural ecosystems and food security.

Connecting precision nutrition with the Food is Medicine approach

Two initiatives are reshaping how we can approach and address the persistent and widely prevalent challenge of malnutrition, the leading global risk factor for morbidity and mortality. First is the focus on precision nutrition to identify inter- and intra-individual variation in our responses to diet, and its determinants. Second is the Food is Medicine (FIM) approach, an umbrella term for programs and services that link nutrition and health through the provision of food (e.g., tailored meals, produce prescriptions) and access to healthcare services. This article outlines how interventions and programs using FIM can synergize with precision nutrition approaches to make individual- or population-level tailored nutrition accessible and affordable, help to reduce the risk of metabolic diseases, and improve quality of life.

Larger nations benefit more than smaller nations from the stabilizing effects of crop diversity

Crop diversification is increasingly recognized as a strategy to stabilize national food production, yet the benefits of this approach may vary across nations due to the scale dependence of crop diversity and stability. Here we use crop production data from 131 nations from 1961 to 2020 to explore the spatial scale dependence of the crop diversity-stability relationship. Drawing on ecological theory and complementary analytical approaches, we find that as the total national harvested area increases, yield stability increases. Crop diversity stabilizes national yield stability, as does an increase in the number of farms, but these stabilizing effects are weaker in smaller countries. Our findings suggest that enhancing crop diversity at the national level may not provide a de facto universal strategy for increasing yield stability across all countries-with implications for national strategies promoting crop diversification to protect against food system shocks.

Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that applying multiple diversification strategies creates more positive outcomes than individual management strategies alone. To realize these benefits, well-designed policies are needed to incentivize the adoption of multiple diversification strategies in unison.

Engineered Nanomaterial Coatings for Food Packaging: Design, Manufacturing, Regulatory, and Sustainability Implications

The food industry is one of the most regulated businesses in the world and follows strict internal and regulated requirements to ensure product reliability and safety. In particular, the industry must ensure that biological, chemical, and physical hazards are controlled from the production and distribution of raw materials to the consumption of the finished product. In the United States, the FDA regulates the efficacy and safety of food ingredients and packaging. Traditional packaging materials such as paper, aluminum, plastic, and biodegradable compostable materials have gradually evolved. Coatings made with nanotechnology promise to radically improve the performance of food packaging materials, as their excellent properties improve the appearance, taste, texture, and shelf life of food. This review article highlights the role of nanomaterials in designing and manufacturing anti-fouling and antimicrobial coatings for the food packaging industry. The use of nanotechnology coatings as protective films and sensors to indicate food quality levels is discussed. In addition, their assessment of regulatory and environmental sustainability is developed. This review provides a comprehensive perspective on nanotechnology coatings that can ensure high-quality nutrition at all stages of the food chain, including food packaging systems for humanitarian purposes.

Integrated ESI-MS/MS and APCI-MS/MS based metabolomics reveal the effects of canning and storage on peach fruits

The characterization of peach metabolites and carotenoids during canning and storage remains unclear. The present study identified 658 metabolites and 40 carotenoids in peach fruits throughout the canning and storage using ESI-MS/MS and APCI-MS/MS based metabolome approach. A total of 282 differentially accumulated metabolites were found, mainly including 78 phenolic acids, 74 lipids, 61 flavonoids. Five esterified carotenoids (rubixanthin palmitate, β-cryptoxanthin oleate, β-cryptoxanthin laurate, β-cryptoxanthin palmitate, and β-cryptoxanthin myristate) were the main peach carotenoids, with a proportion of approximately 90%, while free carotenoids accounted for 4.22-5.95% during the entire processing period. Moreover, the total carotenoid loss rates for canning and storage were 56.67% and 46.55%, respectively. Compared to the loss of free carotenoids, esterified carotenoids were more stable during storage, while canning led to a greater loss of esterified carotenoids. The results provided new insights into the maintenance of health-related phytochemicals from canning processes.

Artificial Intelligence Applications to Public Health Nutrition

Public health nutrition occupies a paramount position in the overarching domains of health promotion and disease prevention, setting itself apart from nutritional investigations concentrated at the individual level [...].

Predicting the Potential Impact of Emergency on Global Grain Security: A Case of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Global emergencies have a profound impact on exacerbating food insecurity, and the protracted Russia-Ukraine conflict has emerged as a significant driver of a global food crisis. Accurately quantifying the impact of this conflict is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals. The multi-indicator comprehensive evaluation approach was used to construct a grain security composite index (GSCI). Moreover, econometric model was used to predict the potential impacts of the conflict on global grain security in 2030 under two scenarios: with and without the "Russia-Ukraine conflict". The results conclude that global food prices reached unprecedented levels as a consequence of the conflict, leading to notable fluctuations in food prices, especially with a significant surge in wheat prices. The conflict had a negative impact on global grain security, resulting in a decline in grain security from 0.538 to 0.419. Predictions indicate that the influence of the conflict on global grain security will be substantially greater compared to the scenario without the conflict in 2023-2030, ranging from 0.033 to 0.13. Furthermore, grain security will first decrease and then increase under the sustained consequences of the conflict. The achievement of the 2030 sustainable development goals will encounter significant challenges in light of these circumstances.

Enhancing rice production sustainability and resilience via reactivating small water bodies for irrigation and drainage

Rice farming threatens freshwater resources, while also being increasingly vulnerable to drought due to climate change. Rice farming needs to become more sustainable and resilient to climate change by improving irrigation drainage systems. Small water bodies, used to store drainage water and supply irrigation in traditional rice farming systems have gradually been abandoned in recent decades. This has resulted in a higher water footprint (WF) associated with rice farming due to increased freshwater usage and wastewater release, also leaving rice production more vulnerable to extreme weather events. Here, we propose how protecting and reactivating small water bodies for rice irrigation and drainage can decrease rice production WF in China by 30%, save 9% of China's freshwater consumption, increase irrigation self-sufficiency from 3% to 31%, and alleviate yield loss in dry years by 2-3%. These findings show that redesigning rice irrigation drainage systems can help meet water scarcity challenges posed by climate change.

The socio-ecological resilience and sustainability implications of seafood supply chain disruption

Remaining resilient under disruption, while also being sustainable, is essential for continued and equitable seafood supply in a changing world. However, despite the wide application of resilience thinking to sustainability research and the multiple dimensions of social-ecological sustainability, it can be difficult to ascertain how to make a supply chain both resilient and sustainable. In this review, we draw upon the socio-ecological resilience and sustainability literature to identify links and highlight concepts for managing and monitoring adaptive and equitable seafood supply chains. We then review documented responses of seafood supply networks to disruption and detail a case study to describe the attributes of a resilient seafood supply system. Finally, we outline the implications of these responses for social (including wellbeing and equity), economic and environmental sustainability. Disruptions to supply chains were categorised based on their frequency of occurrence (episodic, chronic, cumulative) and underlying themes were derived from supply chain responses for each type of disruption. We found that seafood supply chains were resilient when they were diverse (in either products, markets, consumers or processing), connected, supported by governments at all scales, and where supply chain actors were able to learn and collaborate through trust-based relationships. With planning, infrastructure and systematic mapping, these attributes also can help to build socio-ecological sustainability and move towards more adaptive and equitable seafood supply.

Diversifying agrifood systems to ensure global food security following the Russia–Ukraine crisis

The recent Russia–Ukraine conflict has raised significant concerns about global food security, leaving many countries with restricted access to imported staple food crops, particularly wheat and sunflower oil, sending food prices soaring with other adverse consequences in the food supply chain. This detrimental effect is particularly prominent for low-income countries relying on grain imports, with record-high food prices and inflation affecting their livelihoods. This review discusses the role of Russia and Ukraine in the global food system and the impact of the Russia–Ukraine conflict on food security. It also highlights how diversifying four areas of agrifood systems—markets, production, crops, and technology can contribute to achieving food supply chain resilience for future food security and sustainability.

Risk profiling of food security impediments using decision maker's behavioural preference towards operational risk management

For different decision makers, their approach towards management of operational risks differs due to difference in background and behavioural preferences. For such reasons, they attach different importance to various perspectives to manage operational risks. Present study conducts and analyses risk profiling of food security impediments, in which operational risk has come up as an important impediment. Based on three perspectives namely, social, economic, and operational, the research first evaluates severity of impediments in food security. Risk profiling is then conducted on the basis of decision makers' preferences towards different perspectives. Integration of fuzzy set theory and evidential reasoning algorithm along with decision makers' behavioural preferences have been used for the analysis. The proposed model generates a continuum of scenarios towards relative importance of three perspectives. It is observed that despite changing the importance of perspectives, a few risks show robustness in their severity, while other ones are sensitive to small changes. Based on these dynamic changes in risk-percept, insightful risk profiling is presented in this research. The risk profiling approach uniquely helps decision makers to adequately plan their course of actions to deal with operational risks associated with food security.

A Study on the Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Driving Factors of Non-Grain Production in China's Major Grain-Producing Provinces

Food self-sufficiency in a large country with 1.4 billion people is very important for the Chinese government, especially in the context of COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The objective of this paper is to explore the spatial-temporal evolution and driving factors of non-grain production in thirteen major grain-producing provinces in China, which account for more than 75% of China's grain production, using 2011-2020 prefecture-level statistics. In the present study, the research methodology included GIS spatial analysis, hot spot analysis, and spatial Durbin model (SDM). The findings of this study are as follows: (1) The regions with a higher level of non-grain production were mainly concentrated in the central and western regions of Inner Mongolia, the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and Sichuan, while the regions with a low level of non-grain production were mainly distributed in the Northeast Plain. The regions with a higher proportion of grain production to the national total grain production were concentrated in the Northeast Plain, the North China Plain, and the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Plain of China. The hot spot regions with changes in non-grain production levels were mainly distributed in the Sichuan region and Alashan League City in Inner Mongolia, and the cold spot regions were mainly distributed in Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and other regions. (2) An analysis of the SDM indicated that the average air temperature among the natural environment factors, the ratio of the sum of gross secondary and tertiary industries to GDP, the ratio of gross primary industry to the GDP of economic development level, the urbanization rate of social development, and the difference in disposable income per capita between urban and rural residents of the urban-rural gap showed positive spatial spillover effects. The grain yield per unit of grain crop sown area of grain production resource endowment, the total population of social development, and the area sown to grain crops per capita of grain production resource endowment all showed negative spatial spillover effects. The research results of this paper can provide a reference for the country to carry out the governance of non-grain production and provide a reference for China's food security guarantee.