Applications of Nanotechnology-Based Agrochemicals in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture: An Overview

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture is crucial for stimulating both developing and developed countries. Agriculture needs modernization and innovation to meet the increasing demands of food for the growing global population and to maintain environmental sustainability simultaneously. Nanotechnology has gained wider attention in food safety improvement and environment protection by augmenting the efficacy of agricultural inputs and giving potent solutions to agricultural issues for improving food security and productivity. Modern agricultural practices have been found to be associated with the degradation of the environment, ecosystems, and land due to agricultural pollution. Our review provides a detailed insight into the recent developments in nanotechnology-based agrochemicals which have transformed the agriculture sector with better plant growth, crop yields, nano-facilitated soil remediation, and identifying environmental contaminants. The incorporation of nanoscale bioagrochemicals such as nano-pesticides, nano-fertilizers, nanoformulations, and nanosensors in agriculture has revolutionized the traditional agro-practices making them more sustainable, ingenious, and environmentally efficient. Furthermore, we also list recently explored nanotechnology-based agrochemicals including nanocomposites that have significantly overcome the crucial issues associated with food packaging and agricultural sustainability. However, further research is still warranted to study their migration in food products and their environmental implications. Altogether, this review will be highly beneficial for future researchers to understand and exploit the potential of nanomaterials for better food security and sustainable agriculture.