Sustainable Agro-Food Systems for Addressing Climate Change and Food Security

Abstract

Despite world food production keeping pace with population growth because of the Green Revolution, the United Nations (UN) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 Report indicates that the number of people affected by hunger has increased to 828 million with 29.3% of the global population food insecure, and 22% of children under five years of age stunted. Many more have low-quality, unhealthy diets and micronutrient deficiencies leading to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases. Additionally, current agro-food systems significantly impact the environment and the climate, including soil and water resources. Frequent natural disasters resulting from climate change, pandemics, and conflicts weaken food systems and exacerbate food insecurity worldwide. In this review, we outline the current knowledge in alternative agricultural practices for achieving sustainability as well as policies and practices that need to be implemented for an equitable distribution of resources and food for achieving several goals in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, animal husbandry, particularly ruminant meat and dairy, accounts for a significant proportion of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use but contributes only 18% of food energy. In contrast, plant-based foods, particularly perennial crops, have the lowest environmental impacts. Therefore, expanding the cultivation of perennials, particularly herbaceous perennials, to replace annual crops, fostering climate-smart food choices, implementing policies and subsidies favoring efficient production systems with low environmental impact, empowering women, and adopting modern biotechnological and digital solutions can help to transform global agro-food systems toward sustainability. There is growing evidence that food security and adequate nutrition for the global population can be achieved using climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices, while reducing negative environmental impacts of agriculture, including GHG emissions.

Interlinkages between Climate Change and Food Systems: The Impact on Child Malnutrition—Narrative Review

“…Existing agriculture systems rely on an overabundance of staple grains (i.e., rice, wheat, and maize) rather than on a broader range of more diverse and healthier foods such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Despite consuming 83% of agricultural land and being responsible for 60% of agricultural GHG emissions, livestock farming provides only 18% of total food energy [ 84 ]. Highly processed foods are available, cheap, and intensively marketed both in HICs and in LMICs.…”

Tissue Culture—A Sustainable Approach to Explore Plant Stresses

“…The development of transgenic plants with desirable characteristics, such as tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress, is a reality. Plant characteristics are altered much faster than ever by utilizing a wide variety of approaches through gene transfer and gene editing [ 2 , 4 , 117 ]. The technique for tissue regeneration through tissue culture is a prerequisite in such processes, and it is vital.…”

“…Today, the world population has reached an alarming 8 billion people. Providing food and products, of which the majority is plant-based, has become one of the biggest challenges in front of the human race in this era, while the unprecedented climate change challenges are bigger than ever before [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Various climatic changes as a result of global warming greatly influence agriculture systems around the globe.…”

“…Various climatic changes as a result of global warming greatly influence agriculture systems around the globe. This includes severe environmental pressures, drought, extreme heat or cold climate, floods, salinity, and exposure to toxic compounds [ 4 ]. Human activities in the current production-based economy also contribute toward changes in soil and environmental conditions due to the accumulation of toxins and chemical elutes released to the environment in production processors [ 7 ].…”

Evaluation of Eutrophication in Jiaozhou Bay via Water Color Parameters Determination with UAV-Borne Hyperspectral Imagery

“…The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) state that one of the biggest issues confronting human societies worldwide is how to sustainably satisfy the requirements of 9.7 billion individuals for food and livelihoods in 2030 [4] while contending with the effects of climate change and environmental degradation [5]. Aquaculture, which is growing at the quickest rate among the main food manufacturing industries, is increasingly seen as a promising way to address population expansion by supplying food and nutrition, providing jobs and means of subsistence, and generating income through the sale of fish and seafood [6].…”