Food Security Problems Research Articles

Влияние расширения состава БРИКС на мировую торговлю сельскохозяйственными товарами

Being the largest producers and exporters/importers of agricultural raw materials and food, the BRICS+ countries play an important role in solving the problem of food security. The article examines the current state of trade in agricultural products within the association, as well as the main areas of cooperation and problems for the BRICS+ countries in foreign trade in agricultural products. Solving these problems will allow the association to become a key player in global agricultural markets, whose activities are based on the principle of mutual respect and compliance with international law.

Food Security in the Far East: New Approaches to Solving the Problem

The implementation of the socio-economic development programme of the Far East sets tasks to increase the permanent population of the Russian Far East. This problem cannot be solved without a corresponding increase in the food supply of the macro-region. The relevance of the study is conditioned by the need to modernize the system of food supply of the Far Eastern territories, taking into account external threats. The article examines approaches to agricultural development and solving the problem of food security in the Far Eastern regions of Russia. The author considers the potential for the permanent population of the Far East to produce enough food for self-sufficiency and assesses the impact of preferential regimes on agricultural development and food security. The author analyzes the current regulatory acts and the results of their implementation, on the basis of which he evaluates the effectiveness of public policy in modern conditions and proposes recommendations for solving the problem.

Environmental Changes and Food Security in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

This study aims at evaluating the role of Geo-spatial techniques in vegetation cover analysis and mapping, environmental changes and food security in Nigeria. The challenges of food security in Nigeria especially in urban centres are enormous. The unmitigated rural-urban drift as a result of socio-economic development has made it imperative to address the problem of food security in the study area. Also, the issue of rapid urban development without appropriate attention given to the important issue of food security with persistent deteriorating infrastructure for urban food processing has led to rapid price changes, in food and other agricultural products. This study, therefore, attempts to demonstrate that the recent advancements in remote sensing integration with Geographic Information System technologies provide powerful tools for mapping and detecting changes in land use and land cover using Ado-Ekiti as a case study. The digital image processing techniques of remote sensing (RS) was employed to enable speedy, accurate and objective interpretation of the multispectral data used for the study, in order to understand the extent, rate and the magnitude of land use and land cover dynamics in the study area. The study reveals that the agricultural land and natural vegetation have the highest change. Much of their land areas were converted to built-up areas for the three study epochs (1992,2007,2022). The study concludes that there is a progressive encroachment of built-up areas to other land use in the study area, thereby resulting in significant environmental changes and affecting food security.

Agriculture in the Polar Regions: New Approaches to Historical Challenges

The implementation of the Northern Sea Route Development Programme aims to increase the permanent population of the Arctic zone of Russia. This problem cannot be solved without a corresponding enhancement of the food supply of the Arctic. The importance of the study is conditioned by the need to modernize the system of food supply of the Arctic territories in the context of external threats. The article examines approaches to developing agriculture and solving the problem of food security in the Arctic regions of Russia. The authors consider the possibilities of the permanent population of the Arctic to produce enough food for their own consumption and the influence of preferential regimes on the development of agriculture and the solution of food security. The authors have analyzed the current regulatory acts and the results of their implementation in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, based on which an assessment of the state policy’s performance in modern conditions is given, together with the authors’ recommendations for addressing the abovementioned task.

THE NECESSITY OF INVOLVING AND EXPLOITING ALTERNATIVE ROADS IN RA AGRO-LOGISTIC SYSTEM

The problems existing in the RA agro-logistic system are numerous and diverse, which are caused not only by the geographical position and geopolitical developments of the Republic of Armenia, but also by the lack of diversity in the organization of cargo transportation in this field. Taking into account that in the total volume of cargo transportation of the country, road transport makes up more than 70% in 2022, the identification and exploitation of optimal alternative roads is more than important. In this article, it is proposed to use the Black Sea ports as an alternative, through which a significant amount of cargo will be transported in both directions to the Russian Federation and a number of European countries. Although these waterways will be inferior to traditional land routes from a financial point of view, the mentioned alternative routes will primarily solve the food security problems of RA, as well as open up wide perspectives for both resident and foreign business entities to expand their scope of activities.

Food inequality in Kharkiv during the war: an overview of causes, manifestations and ways to overcome

The article presents one of the aspects of the working theme of the Kharkiv team of the Fusilli project, namely, a general overview of the concept and phenomenon of food inequality as one of the forms of manifestation of general social inequality, as a process that outlines unequal and uneven access for different groups in different periods of time to benefits and resources necessary for the full reproduction of vital forces and provision of opportunities for personal development. Food inequality is problematized as a concept necessary to describe and explain the state of the city of Kharkiv under the conditions of a full-scale invasion at three stages: (1) the availability of food products as such in the Kharkiv region; (2) access to goods, that is, the very possibility of purchasing goods in one or another quantity and quality; (3) use of the goods, which are related to the possibility of consumption of the necessary goods. The concept and phenomenon of food inequality is correlated with other forms of social inequality, and an instrumental definition of the main causes and manifestations of food inequality is proposed. A general assessment of the state of food inequality in Ukraine is given and preliminary results of the author's sociological research are given. The article also reviews international, national and local initiatives aimed at solving the problem of food inequality, in particular the policies of central and local authorities, grant programs from foreign companies, the activities of local and international public, volunteer and charitable organizations. The authors come to the conclusion that the possibilities of solving the problem of food security exclusively by economic means and tools are limited, since it is a complex problem that requires a systematic solution involving not only economic, but also political, ecological, cultural, informational, etc. levers.

SYSTEM-PARAMETRIC IMPERATIVES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AQUACULTURE IN THE UKRAINIAN BLACK SEA REGION

Topicality. Modern socio-economic development is characterized by a steady growth of resource-ecological, economic, political and other crisis problems. These factors create a high level of threats to food security both at the national and international levels. For Ukraine, this problem is actualized as a result of russia's military aggression. This situation determines the need for comprehensive knowledge of the specified problems in the interests of sustainable development of Ukraine.
 Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is a scientific and methodological search for promising directions and effective solutions to the problems of sustainable food security in Ukraine over a fairly long time scale. At the same time, the task of scientific substantiation of the mobilization strategy for the development of domestic (within the territory of Ukraine) natural resource potential of aquaculture is set.
 Materials and methods. Regulatory and legal materials, including the Law of Ukraine "On Aquaculture", the report of the State Fisheries Agency of Ukraine, etc., which determine state policy in the field of fisheries and aquaculture development, were used as the information base of the research. The methodology and methods of the theory of complex systems, the principles of nonlinear and synergistic interpretations, etc. are used as tools for solving the tasks in the work.
 Research results. The scientific and economic foundations of the development of the aquaculture development program based on the natural resource potential of the Ukrainian Black Sea region have been developed. The work presents the results of research related to the formation of a conceptual basis for the development of a program-oriented direction of aquaculture development in relation to the conditions of Ukraine. Based on the high level of uncertainty of the studied problems in the work, the field of aquaculture of the state (region) is considered as a complex (non-linear) socio-ecological-economic system (SEES). Particular importance in the work is given to the question of the methodology of forming a system of imperatives for the development of complex objects, which is considered according to such directions as actual, categorical, modal and hypothetical imperatives. The specified system of imperatives is considered in connection with other development factors as one of the important elements of the driving forces of the development of the SEES, in relation to the conditions of development of the Ukrainian Black Sea region.
 Conclusion. Methodological and methodological approaches to the system-parametric understanding of complex socio-ecological-economic objects discussed in the work are an important basis for substantiating effective directions of development and ways of solving problems of sustainable development of natural and economic systems. The development of aquaculture in the Ukrainian Black Sea region is considered as a problem of solving the issues of ensuring national food security, improving the quality of life of the country's population and a factor in the revival of Ukraine as a maritime state.

CONCEPTUAL PROVISIONS OF THE FORMATION OF CARGO FLOWS OF MARITIME TRANSPORT OF UKRAINE IN THE SECURITY MEASURE IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD

Topicality. Formation of cargo flows is an important component of modern logistics and supply chain. Today, the transport system, especially water transport, is in a state of turbulence. In modern conditions, when Ukraine is left without a key logistics chain, it is necessary to focus attention precisely on the importance and role of Ukrainian sea transport in the formation of cargo flows that ensure food security. That is why there is a need to review the economic approaches used to regulate cargo flows and the need to develop a general guiding course for the post-war recovery of maritime logistics traffic by shaping cargo flows in the context of the global sefety system.Aim and tasks. The purpose of the study is to develop conceptual provisions regarding the formation of cargo flows by maritime transport of Ukraine in the context of global security based on individual reference markets, in particular, types of cargo transportation in the post-war period. The tasks that must be solved in order to achieve the set goal: a) analysis of cargo flows and cargo volumes for the period from 2017 to 2023, to single out among the full nomenclature of cargoes the main markets that can be relied on in the post-war period, during the revival of maritime logistics traffic; b) give a brief description of the current state of the markets of selected cargoes; to develop and propose conceptual provisions for the formation of cargo flows in the context of global navigation sefety on the basis of reference markets.Materials and Methods. This study is based on the use of conceptual provisions on the formation of cargo flows to solve the problems of food security and the global shipping security system. The methods of: graphic method, statistical analysis, system analysis, economic analysis on the example of cargo flows of water transport are applied.Reserch results. The authors of the study conducted a thorough analysis of cargo flows of various types of products that can be exported abroad by sea transport. The indicators presented in the article highlight the economic trends of domestic cargo flows of products transported by the sea corridor. Thus, an analytical study of the formation of cargo flows in the section of each seaport of Ukraine for the period from 2017 to 2021, i.e. the pre-war period, was conducted. The importance and expediency of using Ukrainian sea transport in ensuring global cargo flows is substantiated. The authors formed a concept regarding the formation of cargo flows by maritime transport of Ukraine in terms of security.Conclusion. Thus, the borders of some EU countries remain closed for the export of Ukrainian grain (only transit to distant European ports), we believe that Ukraine should keep its sights on third countries that directly depend on domestic grain and agri-food, namely: Indonesia, the Philippines, Morocco, India, PSA (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore) and African countries. After russia broke the agreement and began massively destroying the port infrastructure of seaports and river ports on the Danube, the Government is now opening "temporary sea corridors" that carry out transportation under the protection of the Armed Forces Navy. Therefore, from August 2023, transshipment of grain and oil takes place exclusively through the "temporary grain corridor" and the Danube ports. The total amount of export of agricultural products amounted to 3.6 million tons, out of the planned 6 million tons.

Forecasting the population growth and wheat crop production in Pakistan with non-linear growth and ARIMA models

Food security as a major social concern and a global threat, requires better policy decisions based on empirical studies. This work presents a comparative statistical analysis of different methods to forecast wheat area, productivity, production, and population growth rate in Pakistan. Time series data from 1950 to 2020 were analyzed using various methods such as ARIMA, the compound growth exponential regression model (CGREM), Cuddy Della Valle instability index (CDVI), and decomposition analysis. The results show that CGREM performs better than other models. Periodic compound growth rates indicate that wheat area and yield decrease by about 67.0% and 40.0%, while the population decreases by 31.7%. For the period 2001-2020, the compound growth reaches the level of 0.60% for wheat area, 1.21% for yield, while it is high for the population and amounts to 2.22%. The overall compound growth rate for wheat area and yield (about 1.207%, 2.326%) is lower compared to the population (about 2.839%). The paper presents forecasts for wheat area, yield, and population in Pakistan will rise: 12.7%, 25.5%, 31.8% in 2030 and 43%, 97.8%, and 129% in 2050. The results of this study provide empirical evidence for the necessity of policy decisions addressing the problem of food security in Pakistan.

CLUSTERING OF FOOD SECURITY IN PAPUA ISLAND: WITH AN OPTIMIZED SPATIAL FUZZY CLUSTERING APPROACH

Food needs are primary needs that must be met by everyone to maintain their survival. The condition of stable food security is still not evenly distributed throughout Indonesia. Papua Island is one of the regions that has low food security conditions. In identifying the characteristics of food security in Papua Island, it can be done using cluster analysis. The cluster analysis method used in this research is classical FGWC and FGWC with optimization of HHO. This method has considered the spatial element in the grouping process. The purpose of this study is to classify the level of food security in Papua Island and determine the effectiveness of using optimization in FGWC. Based on the evaluation results, it was found that the FGWC-HHO method was the most optimal method with a total of 3 clusters. Cluster 3 consists of 18 regencies is a cluster with a low level of food security, so this cluster can be used as a priority in handling the problem of food security which is still low in Papua Island.

Assessing body condition scores, weight gain dynamics, and fecal egg counts in feedlot and non-feedlot cattle within high throughput abattoirs of the Eastern Cape Province

IntroductionFeedlots have emerged as an ideal mitigation option to pursue sustainable and efficient livestock production. This paper aims to elucidate how the establishment and widespread adoption of feedlots have provided solutions to complex problems of food security, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.MethodsAn observational cross-sectional study compared fecal egg count per gram (EPG), weight gain, and body condition score (BCS) in feedlot and non-feedlot cattle at high throughput abattoirs. Cattle (n = 120) of different age and sex groups, farms, and breeds were selected from two commercial abattoirs (EA1 and EA2) in the Eastern Cape Province.ResultsAt EA1, non-feedlot cattle exhibited higher EPG values (323.3±28.9) than feedlot cattle (73.3±13.3), indicating a potentially greater susceptibility to internal parasitic infections. The similar weight gains between feedlot (298.1±4.7) and non-feedlot cattle (287.16±7.79) were attributed to the sufficient natural pasture in the communally raised cattle. However, body condition scores were significantly (P< 0.05) better in feedlot than in non-feedlot cattle. Nonetheless, the feedlot farms of origin had a significant effect (P< 0.05) on the EPG and body condition score values in EA1, with no significant effect in EA2.DiscussionMoreover, the negative correlation between EPG and body condition scores highlights that as parasite load increases, there might be a subtle tendency for body condition to decrease. These results underscore the importance of feedlots as an effective management strategy to improve animal health and productivity. Further investigations into the factors driving the differences in non-feedlot cattle are needed for informed decision-making in livestock management and abattoir operations.

Food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan: criteria and indicators

Global approach to qualitatively new consideration of the problem of food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan and state of agro-industrial complex, which in the current conditions needs to find and implement effective forms and mechanisms of state regulation and support for agricultural producers in order to stabilize domestic food market - all this becomes particularly relevant. The goal is to develop comprehensive methodology for analyzing food problem in the republic based on system of indicators that determine current situation and assessment criteria. Methods – monitoring the correlation between main parameters and threshold values. The availability of food (financial, economic, physical), quality and food safety, and availability of resource potential of agro-industrial production were taken into account and analyzed. Results - it is noted that the degree of financial affordability of food products for employed population and retirement age has decreased; coefficients assessing economic accessibility of food products are within normal limits. At the same time, physical accessibility indicators indicate difficulties with food supply. Conclusions - it was revealed that the level of food supply in Kazakhstan exceeds the average data in the countries of Central Asia. The food program is complex and multi-factorial, including economic, social, cultural and environmental indicators. By maintaining competitiveness of national producer, country gains the opportunity for more sustainable and efficient development of its own agricultural sector. Assessing the parameters of the effective functioning of AIC becomes main content of monitoring process, based on the results of which one can judge the possibilities and prospects of providing the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan with food in the required volume of quantitative and qualitative aspects of their needs.

Розвиток сільських територій як основа продовольчої безпеки України

Food security is one of the key goals of the state agricultural and economic policy. It forms a vector of movement towards the optimal state of the food system of any country. In this sense, food security monitoring is a continuous pro­cess. But mostly, in order to realize this goal, the development priorities and mechanisms for implementing the agricultural policy must be corrected. Each country has its own experience in implementing agricultural policy and creating a national food security system. The food security problems of Ukraine in the conditions of the war and the post-war period of reconstruction, as well as the connection between the prospects for the development of rural areas and the increase in the level of food security, are considered. Based on the most common approaches to defining food security and the basic aspects of the modern concept of food security, taking into account the social and economic problems of rural areas of Ukraine as obstacles to strengthening the country’s food security, proposals for their prevention and overcoming have been developed. The concept of Economic Ukrainian Centrism was introduced.

GMOs policy and research in Tajikistan

The policy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the field of biosafety, regarding the issue of handling and use of living genetically modified organisms (LMOs or GMOs) is aimed at compliance with international legal acts, agreements and obligations to ratified Conventions. Tajikistan ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1997 and the Cartagena Protocol on Biological Safety in 2004. After ratifying the protocol, the country has prepared three National Reports in accordance with the requirements of international agreements. Earlier in Tajikistan, the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Biological Safety” (2005) was adopted. “The Law regulates the development, testing, production, import, export and release on the market and into the environment of GMOs, is aimed at reducing the risk of adverse effects of GMO on human health, biological diversity, ecological balance and the state of the environment”. Currently, this Law has been renamed into the Law “On Genetically Modified Organisms” and is under discussion, approval and adoption by the Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan.
 Among the urgent problems that the Republic of Tajikistan is currently facing, considering the prospects for the coming years, is the problem of food security, including issues related to ensuring food safety. Taking into account the importance of conducting research in the field of biological and food safety, scientifically based risk assessment of biological agents (including GMOs) and toxins, chemical contaminants in food products and crops by the Decree of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan No. 108 dated 30.11.2015 the Laboratory of Biological Safety was established at the Institute of Botany, Plant Physiology and Genetics of Tajikistan National Academy of Science, the main tasks of which are the development and application of modern methods of analysis for the detection of biological agents and toxins, chemical contaminants in food products and crops, and analysis of GMO products.
 It should be noted that at present there is no official information related to the production, use, distribution, sale, import and export of GMOs, as well as the registration of incoming GMO food products in Tajikistan. An analysis of the market for agricultural products in the capital city of Dushanbe showed that a number of GMO food products and genetically modified seed material are still imported from abroad in the form of technical and humanitarian assistance as well as international trade. In this regard, food safety activities should include risk assessment based on scientific evidence. Its emphasis should be on both process control and end product safety so that potentially unsafe foods can be identified early. GMO food can be considered safe if the risks associated with it are at an acceptable and acceptable level. It should be noted that an effective system for monitoring food products, including products containing GMOs, their compliance with quality standards is important for protecting the health and safety of the country’s population.

Продовольственная безопасность страны в условиях санкционного давления и геополитической нестабильности

The purpose of the article is to study food security issues, whose importance is increasing due to sanction pressure and the aggravation of geopolitical instability. The problems of food security continue to be relevant, since the interests of the state are always affected (we are talking about the basic direction of ensuring national security) and relate directly to the population from the position of an appropriate standard of living, providing them with food. The scale of sanctions and geopolitical tension increases the importance of this area and allows us to consider it in the current situation from the point of view of the country’s independence from external threats to the world market. Despite the rather positive dynamics of the development of the agro-industrial complex, domestic agribusiness has faced new challenges, the process of overcoming which does not seem simple and instant. The spring of 2022 proved evidence of accelerating the process of import substitution; nevertheless, the accumulated margin of safety and timely response of the state contributed to the successful completion of the previous year. Ensuring food security and reducing dependence on imports has become one of the tasks of the Russian economy in the current conditions outlined by the President of the country. The article identifies the key problems of ensuring food security in Russia (inflationary pressure, rising prices, import dependence, etc.) and suggests possible ways to solve them (social support of the population, acceleration of import substitution processes, involvement of agricultural universities in this process, stimulating the interaction of universities with other educational and scientific organizations in the context of their adaptation to the needs of the agro-industrial complex). The key place is given to reducing import dependence as a parameter for ensuring Russia’s food security in modern economic and geopolitical conditions.

Improvement of modern machine technologies for the care of cereal crops

The development of agricultural reclamation is primarily focused on solving the problem of food security by ensuring the sustainable and innovative development of agriculture and the effective assimilation of agricultural soils and natural resources using complex reclamation measures that depend on the introduction of new, resource-saving technologies and technical means of reclamation works. The most energy-intensive process in the entire technological cycle of caring for grain crops is soil processing, on which 50-60% of fuel is spent on average. The most energy-intensive process in the entire technological cycle of caring for grain crops is soil processing, on which 50-60% of fuel is spent on average Raising the care of cereal crops by 30-60% is achieved as a result of the intensification of mechanized work. The use of modern technical means in the restoration and construction of the country's reclamation systems is incredible without knowing their operating indicators, the main characteristics and parameters of the car; Water resources on the territory of Georgia are unevenly distributed: 1.34 million m3/km2 per year for western Georgia and 0.37 million m3/km2 for Eastern Georgia. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange irrigation systems in the eastern and southern regions of the country, and in the west - drainage systems. Therefore, the paper proposes two-rotor channel machines imported into Georgia, which allow the withdrawal of open channels to a depth of up to 1.45 m, which is used mainly for drainage and irrigation. The parameters of the working body of the rotary channel plugs, the determination of engine power and the hatching of the base car are calculated.

Перспективы применения пространственного подхода к регулированию развития национального рынка FoodNet в контексте цифровизации

Studying the features of the formation and development of the national FoodNet market in the context of feder-al districts in the context of digital transformation is of particular interest in light of the high differentiation of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the growing digital divide between them. The aim of the arti-cle is to reveal conceptual-theoretical and applied aspects of the formation and development of the national FoodNet market in the context of digital transformation. In order to coordinate the spatial management of the national FoodNet market and clarify the understanding of agricultural integration and digital development, the authors of the article developed a model for constructing an interconnected model for coordinating the pro-cesses of digitalization of agriculture in the regions of the Russian Federation. The fundamental mechanisms of the digital economy and their spatial impact on the high-quality growth of the national FoodNet market are considered, and the indices of agricultural production and digital economy are evaluated. The empirical study was conducted using data from each federal district from 2010 to 2022 as the initial sample. The data obtained indicate that until 2015, in all federal districts, the degree of coordination of the development of agricultural sec-tors and the digital economy was less than 0.2. The digital adoption rate showed a moderate growth trend from 2016 to 2020, increasing by 583,33 % from 2010 to 2022, indicating that as the digital economy expands, the agricultural services sector is also developing in a qualitative manner. The authors proposed a number of measures to manage the processes of transformation of national agriculture to solve the problems of food se-curity in the constituent entities of the federal districts of the Russian Federation.

FOOD SECURITY PROBLEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT

Lela Aduashvili 
 E-mail: lela.aduashvili@tsu.ge 
 Phd Student, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University 
 Tbilisi, Georgia
 https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4732-7007
 
 Abstract: In the article, based on the official data of international organizations and the analysis of scientific publications published around the issue, the relevance of food security is substantiated.
 The historical importance of food security as an object of scientific research and study is discussed. The main causes of food insecurity are highlighted and its possible consequences are identified.
 In the paper, the impact of global crises of the 21st century on food security is evaluated. Due to the severity of the problem, the need for sustainable development of the food system is substantiated, where a decisive role is assigned to technological development. In the mentioned process, the current situation in Georgia is assessed and the main challenges facing the country are identified.
 In addition, in the process of ensuring food security, the feasibility of developing digital supply networks is substantiated. In particular, against the background of the analysis of the uncertainties formed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the accompanying crises, the shortcomings of the traditional food supply chains are presented and the need to replace them is confirmed.
 In the research process, based on statistical data, the level of food insecurity by region is studied. Its connection with the level of technological development of the countries is highlighted.
 On the basis of bibliographic research, the views of scientists in solving food security problems in the conditions of the development of the digital economy are evaluated. It is established that the solution to the issue requires the active participation and consolidated action of the developed world. The focus is on the role and importance of the private sector. At the same time, the current tendency towards solving the problem, in the form of developing urban food security strategies, has been identified.
 In the paper, based on the analysis of theoretical-methodological and statistical data, conclusions are developed and recommendations for overcoming problems are proposed through digital development.

Strengthening The Product Development Of Straw Mushroom To Enhance The Welfare And Sustainable Development Goals In Wonokerso, Malang

Sustainable development is a common goal of countries in the world, including Indonesia. In the process of its realization, sustainable development Goals or SDGs have an impact on various aspects of life, including overcoming food security problems. To achieve the SDGs, the participation of many parties is necessary. The form of community participation can be achieved by conducting training or counseling activities in the product development of local potential commodities, one of which is the mushrooms. Paddy straw mushroom is one type of mushroom that has a high protein content and is low in calories. Through capacity building in Wonokerso Village, Pakisaji, Malang Regency, we expect to be able to increase participants' skills and insights about the straw mushrooms product development in order to develop jobs in achieving sustainable development goals. Participants not only strengthen their mushroom product development skills but also increase their knowledge in preparing the media for cultivation. Participants were very enthusiastic because the theme conveyed in the activity was very relevant, it is hoped that with this activity participants can increase the ability and understanding of the community to cultivate straw mushrooms to be sold in various urban areas through business partners. In the activities that have been carried out, the final assessment results of training showed high knowledge about the cultivation of straw mushrooms compared to the results of initial knowledge and obtained sustainability analysis to provide advanced training in the cultivation of paddy straw mushrooms in the post-harvest process.

Functional Characterization of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase in Fusarium graminearum.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), a common oxidoreductase in organisms, is an aldehyde scavenger involved in various metabolic processes. However, its function in different pathogenic fungi remains unknown. Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight in cereals, which reduces grain yield and quality and is an important global food security problem. To elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of F. graminearum, seven genes encoding ALDH were knocked out and then studied for their function. Single deletions of seven ALDH genes caused a decrease in spore production and weakened the pathogenicity. Furthermore, these deletions altered susceptibility to various abiotic stresses. FGSG_04194 is associated with a number of functions, including mycelial growth and development, stress sensitivity, pathogenicity, toxin production, and energy metabolism. FGSG_00139 and FGSG_11482 are involved in sporulation, pathogenicity, and SDH activity, while the other five genes are multifunctional. Notably, we found that FGSG_04194 has an inhibitory impact on ALDH activity, whereas FGSG_00979 has a positive impact. RNA sequencing and subcellular location analysis revealed that FGSG_04194 is responsible for biological process regulation, including glucose and lipid metabolism. Our results suggest that ALDH contributes to growth, stress responses, pathogenicity, deoxynivalenol synthesis, and mitochondrial energy metabolism in F. graminearum. Finally, ALDH presents a potential target and theoretical basis for fungicide development.