Mitigating the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Crop Farming: A Nanotechnological Approach

Abstract

COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory disease that resulted in a global pandemic that has affected every stage and sector of life. Although it is mainly seen as a health issue, its impacts and ripple effects also resonated in the education, technology, agriculture, and research fields, creating socio-economic disruptions across the globe. In a bid to curb the wide spread of the disease, diverse sudden restriction measures were adopted, which had implications on food security and food availability via supply shortages and agricultural disruptions. Scientific studies such as those regarding nanotechnological developments, which had been underway for improving food quality and crop improvement, were also slowed down due to the complexities of the pandemic and global restrictions. Nanotechnology is a developing and promising field for further development of crop productivity by enhancing the proficiency of agricultural resources, thereby increasing food yield and food security. The application of nanotechnology crop farming involves the use of nano-scale materials that can be formulated into nano-emulsion, nano-capsule, nano-fertilizer, nano-pesticide, and nano-biosensor applications for improved agricultural productivity. In as much as the challenges of nanotoxicity could raise health and environmental concerns, advances in the biosynthesis of nanomaterials potentially allay such fears and concerns. Furthermore, these ideas will help in bridging the gap created by the pandemic on food availability, food security, and agriculture. This review focuses on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on nanotechnological applications for improved crop productivity and nanotechnological mitigation strategies on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, risk assessment, and regulatory issues surrounding nano-crop farming, and this study provides an insight into future research directions for nanotechnological improvements in crop farming and the sustainable development of nano-enabled agriculture.

Nano Revolution: “Tiny tech, big impact: How nanotechnology is driving SDGs progress"

“…Nanotechnology can make manufacturing processes more energy efficient, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, nanotechnology-based agricultural [ [87] , [88] , [89] , [90] ] technologies can improve crop yields [ [91] , [92] , [93] , [94] ] and reduce environmental impacts, promoting sustainable agriculture practices. Furthermore, nanotechnology-based water treatment technologies can improve the efficiency of water treatment plants and reduce the environmental impact of wastewater discharge.…”

“…However, they often face numerous challenges, such as limited access to resources, climate change [ 91 ] impacts, and post-harvest losses. Nanotechnology can address these challenges by improving crop yields [ [91] , [92] , [93] , [94] ], enhancing soil fertility with nano-fertilizer (NH 4+ -N), which recorded lower N 2 O emission (1.8 mg m −2 day −1 ) than conventional fertilizer (2.7 mg m −2 day −1 ) as well as using Zinc Oxide, Silicon dioxide, Titanium dioxide, and many others, as well as developing efficient pest control [ [166] , [167] , [168] , [169] ] methods using metal oxide nanomaterials.…”