Ensuring food security by 2030

Our national data and infrastructure security issues affecting the “bioeconomy” are evolving rapidly. Simultaneously, the conversation about cyber security of the U.S. food and agricultural system (cyber biosecurity) is incomplete and disjointed. The food and agricultural production sectors influence over 20% of the nation's economy ($6.7T) and 15% of U.S. employment (43.3M jobs). The food and agricultural sectors are immensely diverse and they require advanced technologies and efficiencies that rely on computer technologies, big data, cloud-based data storage, and internet accessibility. There is a critical need to safeguard the cyber biosecurity of our bio economy, but currently protections are minimal and do not broadly exist across the food and agricultural system. Using the food safety management Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system concept as an introductory point of reference, we identify important features in broad food and agricultural production and food systems: dairy, food animals, row crops, fruits and vegetables, and environmental resources (water). This analysis explores the relevant concepts of cyber biosecurity from food production to the end product user (such as the consumer) and considers the integration of diverse transportation, supplier, and retailer networks. We describe common challenges and unique barriers across these systems and recommend solutions to advance the role of cyber biosecurity in the food and agricultural sectors.

Crop science: A foundation for advancing predictive agriculture

Nurturing natural capital

Food production, availability, agricultural systems, and food security are intricately linked components of the global food system. Ensuring food security, defined as the availability, access, and stability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all, is one of the most pressing challenges faced by both developed and developing countries. This comprehensive review explores the relationship between food production and availability, the role of agricultural systems in ensuring food security, and the critical factors that influence these processes, including climate change, technological advancements, policy frameworks, and socioeconomic factors. Food availability is shaped by both the efficiency of agricultural systems and the effectiveness of food distribution networks. This involves addressing post-harvest losses, improving storage and transportation infrastructure, and managing global trade dynamics. The review also delves into the impact of climate change on food systems, highlighting the need for resilient agricultural practices and adaptive policies to ensure long-term food security. The review concludes by advocating for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to food security that integrates sustainable agricultural development, policy interventions, technological innovation, and community-level resilience to ensure equitable and sustainable food systems for future generations.

The 2021 National Eye Institute Strategic Plan: Eliminating Vision Loss and Improving Quality of Life

Environmental context Nanominerals are more reactive than bulk minerals, a property that strongly influences the fate of nutrients and contaminants in soils and plants. This review discusses applications of Fe- and Mn-nano-oxides in agricultural systems and their potential to be used as fertiliser and contaminant adsorbents, while addressing potential phytotoxicity. We discuss areas where significant advances are needed, and provide a framework for future work. Abstract Rising population growth and increase global food demand have made meeting the demands of food production and security a major challenge worldwide. Nanotechnology is starting to become a viable remediation strategy of interest in farming. Ultimately, it may be used as a sustainability tool in agricultural systems. In these roles, it could be used to increase the efficiency of techniques such as food monitoring, pathogen control, water treatment and targeted delivery of agrochemicals. In addition to these uses, nanoparticles, particularly nano-metal-oxides (NMOs), have been engineered to act as contaminant scavengers and could be applied to a wide range of systems. Numerous studies have investigated the scavenging ability of NMOs, but few have investigated them in this role in the context of agricultural and food systems. Within these systems, however, research has demonstrated the potential of NMOs to increase crop health and yield but few have studied using NMOs as sources of key micronutrients, such as Fe and Mn. In this review, we address previous research that has used Fe- and Mn-NMOs in agricultural systems, particularly the worldwide crop production of the four major staple foods – rice, wheat, maize and soybeans – highlighting their application as fertilisers and sorbents. Fe- and Mn-NMOs are strong candidates for immobilisation of agricultural contaminants in soils and, because they are naturally ubiquitous, they have the potential to be a cost-effective and sustainable technology compared with other remediation strategies.

Highlights ASABE has created a society initiative on transforming food and agricultural systems to achieve greater circularity. A task force has been charged by ASABE with guiding the initiative effort. Transforming to more circular bioeconomy systems will require multiple disciplines, policy makers, and inclusion of economics, societal, and environmental aspects. The special collection topics include conversion of wastes into usable products, incorporation of sustainability objectives into production systems and supply chains, assessment of a system’s circularity, and workforce education for achieving circularity in agricultural and food systems. Abstract. The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) launched a new initiative in 2020 – Transforming Food and Agriculture to Circular Systems (TFACS) – that calls for system-level solutions. Linear systems focus on creating a profitable yield while considering the financial costs of inputs (e.g., water, nutrients, energy) with little regard to resource use efficiencies and the broader impacts of losses and wastes. Circular systems consider a more holistic view for transforming systems using principles that: (1) design out waste and pollution; (2) keep products and materials in use, (reuse, share, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, recycle); (3) regenerate natural systems; (4) increase the productivity of resource use; and (5) provide economic benefits. This introduction to the Special Collection of articles provides an overview of ASABE’s initiative to accelerate the growth of circular bioeconomy systems and introduces the articles in this ASABE Special Collection. Articles in this collection provide examples showing the benefits of combining circular economy and bioeconomy concepts to develop the cascading use of biomass from biological resources for economic development. The articles also identify the need for additional work to move society toward circular food and agricultural systems. Efforts to rethink and redesign future systems using circular bioeconomy concepts can rapidly create more sustainable, resilient, and equitable food and agricultural systems. Keywords: Bioeconomy, Circular economy, Circularity, Convergence, Food and agricultural systems, Systems thinking, Systems of systems.

The first Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), published in 2016, identified the need to develop capacity for AMR surveillance and monitoring in food and agriculture sectors. As part of this effort, FAO has developed the “Assessment Tool for Laboratories and AMR Surveillance Systems” (FAO-ATLASS) to assist countries in systematically assessing their AMR surveillance system in food and agriculture. FAO-ATLASS includes two different modules for surveillance and laboratory assessment. Each module includes two questionnaires that collect either qualitative or semi-quantitative data to describe and score the performance of national AMR surveillance system data production network, data collection and analysis, governance, communication and overall sustainability in a standardized manner. Based on information captured in the questionnaire by trained assessors (1) tables and figures describing the outputs of the surveillance system are automatically generated (2) a Progressive Improvement Pathway (PIP) stage, ranging from “1-limited” to “5-sustainable”, is assigned to each laboratory assessed in the country, each area of the surveillance system and also to the overarching national AMR surveillance system. FAO-ATLASS allows national authorities to implement a strategic stepwise approach to improving their AMR surveillance systems via the FAO-ATLASS PIP system and provides an evidence base for actions and advocacy. The implementation of FAO-ATLASS at regional and global levels can contribute to harmonize and better coordinate strategies aimed at implementing an integrated AMR surveillance system under the One Health approach.

Purpose. The aim of the article is to study the role of tools of economic diplomacy in ensuring food security, identification of effective measures that contribute to the stability of food systems and their reform in the context of global challenges. Methodology of research. A set of scientific methods was used to achieve the goal of the study, in particular: the abstract and logical method was used to formulate generalizations and conclusions based on the results of the analysis of the relationship between economic diplomacy and food security; methods of analysis and synthesis were used to substantiate theoretical approaches to economic diplomacy, to substantiate the impact of its tools on food security; comparative analysis – to study the experience of leading countries in the world in using tools of economic diplomacy to develop food systems and ensure the protection of agricultural producers; empirical analysis – to assess the policy of protectionism and the use of restrictive measures by countries in international trade, the impact of Ukraine's economic diplomacy tools on its foreign trade and food security in the world; institutional analysis – to identify the role of institutions (including funds) in solving food issues; the method of visual analysis was used to visualize the results of the study through graphs, charts and tables. Findings. The multifaceted nature of the problem of food security is substantiated. The directions of its research in the scientific field are analysed. It is confirmed that research on food security through the prism of economic diplomacy is not frequent in the domestic scientific literature. However, in practice, countries use mechanisms of bilateral and multilateral cooperation to solve food security problems. It is substantiated that food security is significantly affected by changes in the geopolitical and geo-economics order, a crisis of confidence in international organizations, climate change and environmental policy. The main tools of economic diplomacy, with which it affects food security, are identified. The landscape of economic diplomacy is characterized by the intervention of countries in international trade that are protectionist in nature. The role of agrarian protectionism for food security is determined. The state of protection of agricultural producers in 2023 in individual countries of the world is analysed. The problem of foreign trade regulation for Ukraine and the main barriers, including in the agricultural sector, are revealed. The role of multilateral diplomacy in ensuring food security is revealed. The programs of individual countries and funds aimed at overcoming the food crisis and maintaining food security are analysed. The role of Ukraine in ensuring global food security and the main challenges it experiences in connection with the war are argued. The role of regional integration in food security is confirmed. Measures are proposed for the effective use of economic diplomacy tools to ensure food security. Originality. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the comprehensive analysis of economic diplomacy tools aimed at ensuring food security in the face of modern global challenges; substantiation of their role in stabilizing food systems in the context of climate change, geopolitical instability, social and economic inequality. Practical value. The practical value of the study lies in the fact that the approaches developed in it to the use of economic diplomacy tools to ensure food security and the conclusions drawn can be used by food security actors at all levels of its functioning, including in the process of improving state policy in the field of food security, integration into educational programs for training specialists in international relations and international economic relations. Key words: geopolitical uncertainty, food security, agriculture, economic diplomacy, tools of economic diplomacy, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, protectionist policy, agrarian protectionism, international trade, foreign trade of Ukraine, WTO, financing of food security programs.

It is a perilous time to be a farmer. Across the world, 2015 broke records for unseasonal, unprecedented, and unexpected weather. The combination of El Nino and climate change produced conditions with devastating effects for the agriculture sector around the globe. This article examines the impacts of unseasonal weather on farmers around the world, in losses to yield quality and quantity but also in economic, physical and psychological effects for farmers coping with the “new normal” in weather. It considers regional differences in farmers’ susceptibility to unseasonal weather, and presents the implications of the lack of resiliency of the major crop producers for the future of food security, and by extension, political stability. Finally, it looks at how the international community is addressing this situation, concluding with practical and achievable means for farmers and cooperatives to start to build resiliency to climate change today.

How Behavioral Interventions Can Reduce the Climate Impact of Energy Use

Although Indonesia has recorded good performance in its national economic development, especially in the agriculture sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on farming and food systems has not been evaluated yet. This study has evaluated the resilience of the two dominant existing farming systems in West Timor, i.e. (i) wetland farming system and (ii) dryland farming system. This research aims to understand the resilience of farming after the Covid-19 pandemic and to develop strategic policies that could be adopted to increase the resilience of the farming system in West Timor. A quantitative analysis using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to evaluate the relationship and impact of the following seven generic aspects: labour movement, sustainability, economy, socio- culture, output markets, input markets, farming system resilience, and 27 reflective indicators. The analysis shows that dryland farming systems are more resilient than wetland farming systems. It might be understood from the size of the regression coefficient, as the impact of exogenous construct variables of the environment, socioculture, input, and output on the resilience of dryland farming systems is more significant than on wetlands. Economic performance rather than labour movement factors will create better resilience of farming systems for wetland or dryland after the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, the economic recovery process and the ongoing input supply mechanism after the Covid-19 pandemic have increased the resilience of the dryland food system more than the resilience of the wetland farming system.

The article discusses the possibilities of applying the theory of information systems to the processing of remote sensing data and methods based on the satellite positioning system. Food security is one of the most important tasks. Given climate change and the growing demand for food, agriculture requires innovative approaches. One of these solutions is precision agriculture, which combines technological advances with traditional farming methods to increase resource efficiency and reduce the negative impact on the environment. With precision agriculture, farmers can adapt their farming strategies to changing climatic conditions. Precision farming allows farmers to apply inputs more precisely, taking into account the specific conditions in each field. The use of technologies such as GPS and sensors makes it possible to create yield and soil maps, which helps to determine where certain actions need. The choice of test plots in Podillia was maddened for several reasons. First, the region has all the natural prerequisites for growing crops. Secondly, understanding the application of precision agriculture can contribute to the introduction of the latest technologies in agriculture. The article analyses crop plots within the territory of Ukraine, which unite a set of fields of a particular agricultural enterprise, and on the basis of this analysis, outlines the possibilities of introducing remote sensing systems into agriculture, which is an important step towards creating smart agriculture and ensuring food security. The article highlights important scientific and practical issues that are bringing studied by both economic geographers, economists, agricultural scientists and geoinformatics. One of the most important tasks is to analyses remote sensing data, which is the basis for accurate monitoring of crops. The use of vegetation indices such as NDVI makes it possible to estimate plant biomass, identify stress conditions and take timely measures to eliminate them. In turn, an understanding of climate risks can be use ding to map soil types, identify drought and pest risk zones, and optimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The use of remote sensing methods is the basis for developing an effective adaptation strategy for agricultural production in the Podillia region. The introduction of remote sensing systems in agriculture is an important step towards creating smart agriculture and ensuring food security. Precision agriculture uses a number of different methods, the combination of which allows to fully utilizing its advantages to optimize crop production processes. Among the methods of precision agriculture are geographic information systems and satellite monitoring and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). In the context of this article, two methods of precision agriculture are consider ding the use of geographic information systems and satellite monitoring. Using the example of a plot of land in Ukraine near Husiatyn, Ternopil Oblast, which unites a number of fields, the article analyses the state of crops. The article demonstrates the informational value of decoding maps of the object of crop plots within the territory of Ukraine, which unite a set of fields of a particular agricultural enterprise. The analysis of remote sensing data demonstrates a significant potential for accurate monitoring of crops. The use of vegetation indices, such as NDVI, allows us to estimate plant biomass, identify stress conditions and take timely measures to eliminate them. In addition, this technology can be use ding to map soil types, identify drought and pest risk zones, and optimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The introduction of remote sensing systems in agriculture is an important step towards creating smart agriculture and ensuring food security. Thus, the analysis of remote sensing data demonstrates significant potential for accurate monitoring of crops. The use of vegetation indices, such as NDVI, allows us to estimate plant biomass, identify stress conditions and take timely measures to eliminate them. In addition, this technology can be use ding to map soil types, identify drought and pest risk zones, and optimise the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The introduction of remote sensing systems in agriculture is an important step towards creating smart agriculture and ensuring food security. Among the main limitations and challenges that could be identifying in this area are the high cost of equipment (in the case of unmanned aerial vehicles), the need for qualified specialists and the impact of weather conditions. In the other hand, an affordable technology can be use ding by both small farmers and large agricultural holdings. Theoretical knowledge and practical experience has already been accumulate ding over the decades of this technology's existence and continues to be implement ding in various fields of science and industry. Precision agriculture proves the benefits of using geographic information systems that have already proven themselves in other industries to optimise production process sing, reduce climate impact and cut production costs. Keywords: ecosystems, crop production, change analysis, geographic information systems, remote data.

As India looks towards 2030 and beyond, its food system confronts a myriad of challenges, including heightened pressure on natural resources, the impact of climate change, land fragmentation, increasing urbanization, high rates of malnutrition among children and impacts of chemical inputs on human health (Gulati et al. 2023). Major concerns around natural resources include the decline in yields, soil fertility, soil organic carbon (SOC), and water scarcity. 86 per cent of the farmers in India are small and marginal – 126 million farmers with an average holding of 0.6 hectares (India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare 2019) – posing challenges for access to improved technologies, extension services, credit, and markets that would enable them to mitigate and adapt to these challenges. Women are particularly affected by these challenges given that the agriculture sector has the highest share of women workers (62.9%) of all industries in India (India, Ministry of Labour and Employment 2023). Many of these concerns in the agriculture sector, as is the case globally, have arisen from a tendency to measure the success of agricultural and food policies through a narrow lens such as ‘yield per hectare’ or ‘per capita production’ that fails to consider agriculture and food systems in a holistic manner, ignoring the links between food systems, the environment and human wellbeing. If not amended, these can have long-term deleterious effects on not just food supply but also on human health and nature.

Household and Community Gardens Surge in the Philippines and Senegal during COVID-19