Food Production Systems Research Articles

Effects of management practices on the ecosystem-service multifunctionality of temperate grasslands

Human wellbeing depends on ecosystem services, highlighting the need for improving the ecosystem-service multifunctionality of food and feed production systems. We study Swiss agricultural grasslands to assess how employing and combining three widespread aspects of grassland management and their interactions can enhance 22 plot-level ecosystem service indicators, as well as ecosystem-service multifunctionality. The three management aspects we assess are i) organic production system, ii) an eco-scheme prescribing extensive management (without fertilization), and iii) harvest type (pasture vs. meadow). While organic production system and interactions between the three management aspects play a minor role, the main effects of eco-scheme and harvest type considerably shape single services. Moreover, the eco-scheme ‘extensive management’ and the harvest type ‘pasture’ enhance plot-scale ecosystem-service multifunctionality, mostly through facilitating cultural services at the expense of provisioning services. These changes in ecosystem-service supply occur mainly via changes in land-use intensity, i.e., reduced fertilizer input and harvest frequency. In conclusion, diversifying grassland management where this is currently homogeneous across farms and landscapes depicts an important first step to improve landscape-scale multifunctionality for sustainable grassland systems. To meet societal ecosystem services demand, the three studied management aspects can be systematically combined to increase ecosystem services that are in short supply.

County-level intensity of carbon emissions from crop farming in China during 2000–2019

Agriculture is an important contributor to global carbon emissions. With the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and China’s carbon neutral strategy, accurate estimation of carbon emissions from crop farming is essential to reduce agricultural carbon emissions and promote sustainable food production systems in China. However, previous long-term time series estimates in China have mainly focused on the national and provincial levels, which are insufficient to characterize regional heterogeneity. Here, we selected the county-level administrative district as the basic geographical unit and then generated a county-level dataset on the intensity of carbon emissions from crop farming in China during 2000–2019, using random forest regression with multi-source data. This dataset can be used to delineate spatio-temporal changes in carbon emissions from crop farming in China, providing an important basis for decision makers and researchers to design agricultural carbon reduction strategies in China.

Safe and sustainable fish and seafood system and per- and poly-fluorinated substances occurrence: the role of PFAS toxicity in the assessment.

Fish and seafood are valuable sources of both nutrients and organic contaminants. The expansion of the analytical per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) panel with toxicological characterisation necessitates an update of PFAS intake assessment and management within the context of cumulative exposure. Benthic and demersal seafood, such as clams, squid, and cuttlefish, are more prone to contamination with C9-C14 perfluorocarboxylic acids, exhibiting the highest relative potency factors in terms of immunotoxicity, according to the grid recently proposed by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Health, Environment, and Emerging Risk. Based on the Italian food consumption database referring to demersal and benthic biota such as squid, cuttlefish, crustaceans, and clams, a toxicology-based intake scenario was drafted to highlight the relevant contribution of such wild species to PFAS intake, well above the provisional health-based guidance value of 4.4ng/kg body weight per week. Ensuring consistency between PFAS reduction and substitution policies, environmental quality standards for water bodies, and the issuance of advisories and regulations regarding safe and sustainable intake of fish and seafood is crucial. This is done to prevent a loss of accountability for institutional bodies, which aim to protect fragile (sensitive and vulnerable) groups from PFAS exposure and simultaneously promote 'blue growth' as a sustainable food production system.

Circular farming: EU consumers’ purchase intention and willingness to pay for circular beef – a discrete choice experiment within the theory of planned behaviour

Circular farming is a sustainable food production system focused on recovering nutrients and minimizing negative environmental effects. Consumers’ preference for circular food stimulates producers to adopt circular farming systems. This study aims to analyse consumers’ willingness to pay for beefsteak produced in a circular farming system and behaviours that influence their preferences. 5,246 EU consumers were surveyed using choice experiment methodology and planed behaviour theory. Results showed circular beefsteak is preferred more than conventional beefsteak, but less than organic. Similarly, consumers are willing to pay a higher premium for circular beefsteak than for conventional and lower than organic. Preferences regarding planned behaviour theory showed social norms and perception of behavioural control increases preferences for circular beefsteak. Environmental attitudes increase organic beefsteak preferences, but reduce conventional beefsteak preferences, like sustainable behaviours and frequency. The potential market for circular beefsteak urges policymakers to create a standardized legal framework for circularity labelling, similar to organic certification.

Assessment of the Environmental Footprint of Various Food Production Systems

Purpose: This study sought to assess the environmental footprint of various food production systems. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the environmental footprint of various food production systems. Preliminary empirical review revealed that with a call for transformative changes to mitigate ecological impacts while ensuring food security and human well-being. Through a comprehensive analysis, significant variations in resource use and emissions were highlighted across different production methods. The study emphasized the interconnectedness between dietary choices, agricultural practices, and environmental outcomes, urging policymakers to enact evidence-based policies and agricultural stakeholders to adopt regenerative farming practices. Ultimately, the study served as a call to action for concerted efforts to transition towards a more sustainable and resilient food system, integrating ecological principles, social equity, and economic viability to promote harmony between human activities and the natural environment. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Systems theory, Ecological Economics and Agroecology models may be used to anchor future studies on the environmental footprint of various food production systems. The study made significant contributions to theory, practice, and policy in the realm of sustainable food production and environmental conservation. It advanced theoretical understanding by advocating for a systems-based approach to assessing environmental impacts and highlighting the importance of considering multiple dimensions of sustainability. In practice, the study recommended the adoption of agroecological approaches and the promotion of sustainable farming practices to mitigate environmental harm. Policy recommendations included the implementation of regulatory interventions and incentives to promote sustainability, while consumer education and international collaboration were emphasized for driving demand for sustainable food products and facilitating knowledge sharing. Lastly, the study underscored the importance of investment in research and innovation to drive continuous improvements in sustainable food production systems.

Addressing the safety of new food sources and production systems.

New food sources and production systems (NFPS) are garnering much attention, driven by international trade, changing consumer preferences, potential sustainability benefits, and innovations in climate-resilient food production systems. However, NFPS can introduce new challenges for food safety agencies and food manufacturers. Most food safety hazards linked to new foods have been identified in traditional foods. However, there can be some food safety challenges that are unique to new foods. New food ingredients, inputs, and processes can introduce unexpected contaminants. To realize the full potential of NFPS, there is a need for stakeholders from governments, the food industry, and the research community to collectively work to address and communicate the safety of NFPS products. This review outlines known food safety hazards associated with select NFPS products on the market, namely, plant-derived proteins, seaweeds, jellyfish, insects, microbial proteins, as well asfoods derived from cell-based food production, precision fermentation, vertical farming, and 3D food printing. We identify common elements in emerging NFPS regulatory frameworks in various countries/regions. Furthermore, we highlight current efforts in harmonization of terminologies, use of recent scientific tools to fill in food safety knowledge gaps, and international multi-stakeholder collaborations to tackle safety challenges. Although there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the regulatory oversight for ensuring the safety of NFPS, there is a need to develop consensus-based structured protocols or workflows among stakeholders to facilitate comprehensive, robust, and internationally harmonized approaches. These efforts increase consumers' confidence in the safety of new foods and contribute toward fair practices in the international trade of such foods.

Salmonella Typhimurium and Vibrio cholerae can be transferred from plastic mulch to basil and spinach salad leaves

Plastic pollution is increasingly found in agricultural environments, where it contaminates soil and crops. Microbial biofilms rapidly colonise environmental plastics, such as the plastic mulches used in agricultural systems, which provide a unique environment for microbial plastisphere communities. Human pathogens can also persist in the plastisphere, and enter agricultural environments via flooding or irrigation with contaminated water. In this study we examined whether Salmonella Typhimurium and Vibrio cholerae can be transferred from the plastisphere on plastic mulch to the surface of ready-to-eat crop plants, and subsequently persist on the leaf surface. Both S. Typhimurium and V. cholerae were able to persist for 14 days on fragments of plastic mulch adhering to the surface of leaves of both basil and spinach. Importantly, within 24 h both pathogens were capable of dissociating from the surface of the plastic and were transferred onto the surface of both basil and spinach leaves. This poses a further risk to food safety and human health, as even removal of adhering plastics and washing of these ready-to-eat crops would not completely remove these pathogens. As the need for more intensive food production increases, so too does the use of plastic mulches in agronomic systems. Therefore, there is now an urgent need to understand the unquantified co-pollutant pathogen risk of contaminating agricultural and food production systems with plastic pollution.

A transdisciplinary approach for assessing connections between soil, food, and people in Aotearoa New Zealand

AbstractWith increasing urbanisation, there is a growing disconnect between soil, food, and people, centred around those relying on Western food production models. This ‘wicked’ problem is challenging sustainable soil use and food insecurity. Knowledge of soils through scientific studies alone are unable to address this problem, and we need to extend the boundaries of soil science for real progress to be made. We present a conceptual framework for understanding the reciprocal connections between soil, food, and people in local food production systems in Aotearoa New Zealand, applying principles and practices from a transdisciplinary research methodology. The resultant Food‐Landscape Networks framework consists of seven factors that support understanding the inherent connections between soil, food, and people. The factors are: soil health, land suitability, climate, productivity, food quality, well‐being, and engagement. These factors have been identified from weaving together mātauraka (the Kāi Tahu mita [dialect] is used in this text, where the ‘ng’ diagraph is replaced with ‘k’, e.g., mātauranga = mātauraka) Māori (Māori knowledge, culture, worldview, and values) and soil science using the He Awa Whiria, Braided Rivers, epistemological framework. Mātauraka Māori guides the traditionally reductionist discipline of soil science into a more holistic space, in an Aotearoa New Zealand context.

Pencapaian Sustainable Development Goals di Sumatera Barat melalui Pertanian Berkelanjutan

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of international agreements on efforts that must be made to create a just, prosperous, and safe world for humans and the planet Earth. Efforts to achieve SDG number 2, namely "zero hunger", need to be done by implementing sustainable agriculture. This article explains the implementation of sustainable agriculture in West Sumatra Province, which has prepared a "Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Development Goals." In the RAD, it is stated that the Provincial Government will build a sustainable food production system. This research was conducted using a qualitative method. Data collection was carried out through interviews with farmer groups and various government agencies, accompanied by a review of related documents. The researcher used a policy framework consisting of four factors proposed by Eyhorn et al. (2019) to realize sustainable agriculture. The results of this study indicate that the first factor, namely the transformation towards sustainable agriculture, is underway in West Sumatra Province. The second factor, namely cooperation with the market to absorb sustainable agricultural products, has been attempted; the other two factors, namely incentives and sanctions related to sustainable agriculture, still need to be implemented.

Trends and gaps in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) improvement in sub‐Saharan Africa: Drought tolerance breeding strategies

AbstractThe main challenge facing agricultural crop production in the current global climate change scenario is sustainability. Drought, as a yield‐limiting factor, has become a major threat to international food security. Tolerance to drought is a complex trait and its response is carried out by various genes, transcription factors, microRNAs, hormones, proteins, cofactors, ions and metabolites. The complexity of the trait has limited the development of drought‐tolerant sweet potato cultivars by traditional breeding. Advances in sweet potato breeding to exploit the full potential of the crop to contribute to improved and higher performing sweet potato cultivars, adapted to increasingly risky rainfed conditions, mainly drought, are key to making food production systems more efficient and more tolerant to pressure from drought and other stressors. Genetic gain for yield potential in sweet potato has improved mostly in African countries, mainly as a result of an accelerated breeding scheme. The focus on maximising the utilisation of molecular tools for sweet potato improvement and yield has been recently explored in breeding programmes in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). This article provides an update on the trends and gaps in sweet potato breeding in SSA, reviewing the relevant strategies used to improve sweet potato in the region. Finally, the perspectives of using new advanced tools including genetic engineering and genome editing, and the challenges associated with climate change for further improvement of the crop are highlighted. Collaborative efforts in African countries are driving advances in breeding methods through the incorporation of molecular tools to develop drought‐tolerant sweet potato varieties that are important to global food security despite challenges posed by the drastic change in climate.

Investigation of the Resistance of Some Disinfectant Active Substances in ESBL-Producing Enterobacteriaceae

In this study, a total of 200 samples, including 100 neck skin and 100 cecum samples, were collected and analyzed from various poultry slaughterhouses on different sampling days. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were isolated and ESBL production was confirmed phenotypically by combined disk diffusion and E-test gradient strips. While ESBL production was confirmed in 10 (10%) of 100 neck skin samples, no significant ESBL production could be confirmed in 100 cecal samples. The broth microdilution method of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) was used to determine the resistance profiles against benzalkonium chloride (BC), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), N-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) and potassium peroxymonosulfate (PPMS) disinfectants in 10 neck skin isolates with confirmed ESBL production. In the study, it has been determined that MIC50 and MIC90 values were respectively ADBAC (8 and 16 mg/L), BC (16 and 32 mg/L), CPC (16, and 32 mg/L), PPMS (≥ 1024 mg/L). The impacts of Enterobacteriaceae strains on food safety and public health are significant; Disinfectant resistance can lead to increased transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, leading to serious infections in humans that are difficult to treat. For that reason, it is of great importance to develop effective control methods, including appropriate disinfectant use, hand hygiene and appropriate isolation measures, to prevent the spread of disinfectant resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains in food production systems.

Life cycle assessment of food consumption in different cities: Analysis of socioeconomic level and environmental hotspots

This study presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of dietary patterns in different cities, focusing on the correlation between food consumption and environmental impact. The functional unit was the food required to meet one person's yearly needs (1 Inh/year). To determine the quantity and type of food consumed, as well as the income level of the residents, 523 surveys were conducted in households in four cities in Chile (Iquique, Santiago, Temuco, and Coyhaique). Survey data were complemented with secondary information from national statistics and the Ecoinvent database. The environmental impact assessment was carried out using SimaPro, selecting the categories of global warming, terrestrial acidification, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication, land use, and fossil resource scarcity. The results show that higher-income households generate greater environmental impacts attributed to higher per capita food consumption. In the global warming category, the environmental impact can range from 1.08 kg CO2 eq/inh/year for the first quintile to 2.15 kg CO2 eq/inh/year for the fifth quintile in Santiago. In this category, the impacts in the highest quintiles can be up to 2.2 times greater than those in the lowest quintiles. Similarly, in acidification, this difference can reach 2.3 times. In the freshwater eutrophication category, the highest-income quintiles can double the environmental impacts compared to the lowest (I and II), mainly due to higher consumption of red meat and dairy products. The food production stage was the environmental hotspot across all evaluated impact categories, accounting for 45%–60% of the impacts in global warming, terrestrial ecotoxicity, and fossil resource scarcity; 74%–78% in terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and land use; and 68%–71% in freshwater ecotoxicity. Meat was pinpointed as the primary environmental hotspot in global warming (44%), terrestrial acidification (56%), freshwater eutrophication (50%), land use (35%), and fossil resource scarcity (30%). Conversely, cereals are the primary environmental hotspot in terrestrial ecotoxicity (30%) and vegetables in freshwater ecotoxicity (18%). The geographical location of cities also influenced the environmental impacts of food consumption, primarily due to the types of available foods in regions near each city. Food availability conditions, diets, and quantities consumed, thus influencing environmental impacts. Finally, household incomes, the geographical location of cities, and the food production systems in each city determine the environmental impacts of food consumption. Different configurations of these variables create unique environmental impact profiles for each city. Despite this, typical environmental hotspots in food consumption were identified across all cities, enabling the implementation of strategies to minimize environmental impacts on a national scale. Thus, circular economy strategies linked to food production systems, as well as food loss and waste, could significantly reduce environmental impacts, presenting an intriguing opportunity for future research in this field.

Soil compaction due to agricultural machinery impact: A systematic review

AbstractSoil compaction is generally viewed as one of the most serious soil degradation problems and a determining factor in crop productivity worldwide. It is imperative to understand the processes involved in soil compaction to meet the future global challenges of food security. In this work, we used co‐occurring keyword analysis to summarize 3491 papers on soil compaction over the past 40 years, elaborating on the main research focuses such as the causes, influencing factors, and effects of soil compaction on crops, and the mitigation and prevention of soil compaction. This review provides a comprehensive discussion of the effects of soil compaction, including altering soil structure, increasing bulk density (BD) and penetration resistance (PR), and reducing porosity and soil hydraulic properties. Notably, based on the 387 data points of 11 papers about BD, our results demonstrated soil compaction on average, increased BD by 7.6%, 6.9%, and 3.2% in the medium‐, coarse‐, and fine‐textured soils, respectively. Based on the 264 data points of 18 papers, in the 0–30 cm soil layer, compaction increased penetration resistance (by 91% in the coarse‐textured, 84.2% in the medium‐textured, and 8.8% in the fine‐textured soils). Compacted soil limits the access of crop roots to water and nutrients, leading to poor root development and reduced crop productivity. There was a difference in soil compaction sensitivity between the different crops, but crop growth and yield showed an overall worsening trend with increasing degrees of compaction. This review collected data points on 142 crop yields and found that wheat, barley, corn, and soybean yields decreased by an average of 4.1%, 15.1%, 37.7%, and 22.7%, respectively, in the BD range of 1.1–1.8 Mg/cm3 after compaction. Additionally, the effectiveness of different compaction mitigation measures, including natural, tillage, and biological, is systematically discussed. Compared with soil compaction mitigation measures, prevention should be the top priority although there is still a lack of practical prevention methods. Soil conditions and agricultural machinery type are the main factors affecting the risk of soil compaction in the process of soil compaction. Therefore, it is particularly important to optimize the soil working conditions in the field and the type of farm machinery used to reduce the risk of soil compaction. This initiative is pivotal for ensuring sustainable systems for food production and recovering crop productivity from compacted soil.

Potential imbalanced differences of grain production in the sustainable development of county cities—a case study of Jiangsu Province

IntroductionGrain production at the regional level is related to the strategic development orientation of the country as a whole, and maintaining the stability of grain production is of great importance in ensuring the sustainable development of the food system. Studying the potential imbalance differences resulting from the spatial and temporal development of grain production and its driving factors will help to reduce the contradiction between the rapid development of the urban economy and the inappropriate use of arable land resources, thus coordinating regional agricultural development and further clarifying the direction and focus of future food security construction work.MethodsThis study focuses on the potential imbalance differences based on spatial and temporal development of grain production in Jiangsu Province during the period 1990–2020, and explores the spatial and temporal patterns and driving mechanisms of grain production spatial autocorrelation model and spatial error model are applied to analysis the spatial and temporal characteristics of grain production and security in Jiangsu Province and their influencing factors.ResultsThe results are as follows: (1) The total amount of food in Jiangsu Province increased by 17.36% during the 30-year period, but the growth rate was lower than the national average. (2) Regional differences are significant, with a significant decline in grain production in southern Jiangsu and growth in northern and central Jiangsu. (3) The center of gravity for grain production has shifted to northern Jiangsu. (4) Grain production is significantly correlated with socio-economic factors such as per capita ownership, sown area, irrigated area, and cultivated area.DiscussionTo ensure the sustainability of food production in the future, attention should be paid to the risk of imbalance in regional food production, coordination of socio-economic factors, promotion of efficient agricultural production, improvement of the relevant policy system and optimization of the food production system.

Achieving Zero Hunger under Sustainable Development Goals Concerning Organic Agriculture

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were formulated to accomplish highly required overall human development without depleting the environment for future generations. Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) aims for “Zero Hunger” with eight associated targets. These associated targets set in motion the overall development of agriculture that provides healthy food and raises the living standard of smallholder farmers while maintaining the natural base. SDG2 and other SDGs are intertwined, and achieving SDG2 targets will help accomplish other goals that have been weakening due to climate change, carbon emission, excessive use of chemicals, droughts, locust attacks, and pandemics. The essence of achieving SDG2 is directly linked to food production and access. The current food production based on conventional farming harms the environment and is unsustainable in the long run. Thus, the need for an alternative food production system that ensures sustainable development is emphasized. Organic farming is a food production system based on agroecological principles and promotes sustainable development. We reviewed the role of the present organic farming as a food production system to achieve SDG2. We analyzed the four targets of SDG2 and assessed whether organic farming can achieve the sub-targets of SDG2. Besides food security, organic farming ensures economic viability for small farmers, provides nutritious food and promotes biodiversity. Innovative research, practices, stakeholder partnerships, and a comprehensive framework are recommended.

The Future of Agriculture

Abstract “The Future of Agriculture” by Aidan Connolly offers a fast-paced and insightful exploration of how technology is transforming the agriculture and food production system. Drawing from nearly 50 articles and essays that Connolly has published in recent years, it covers a wide range of topics. The book provides a pragmatic perspective, acknowledging both the positive and negative consequences of evolving technology and serves as a resource for understanding the current state and connecting it to various players in the industry and sector.

Exploring climate change resilience of major crops in Somalia: implications for ensuring food security

ABSTRACT The complex relationship between climate change and major crop output poses urgent challenges for contemporary food production systems. Recognizing the diverse responses of different crops to climatic stressors, it is necessary to investigate the repercussions of climate-induced shifts in various crop yields. Focused on the adverse extreme weather impacts on food security, this research employs multiple specifications to assess the effects of climate change on major crops—maize, sorghum, rice, wheat, sugarcane, bananas, and beans—in Somalia using annual data spanning 1991–2019. The empirical findings from the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach reveal that increasing precipitation positively impacts the long-run output of sorghum, sugarcane, and banana while adversely affecting bean production. Conversely, changing temperatures detrimentally affect the long-run output of sorghum, rice, and beans, although they enhance rice and sorghum production in the short-run. Intriguingly, the study reveals that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and crop-harvested areas significantly enhance the yields of various crops. Moreover, agricultural labour positively impacts bananas while hampering other crop outputs. Based on these results, the study proposes the adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties, investment in irrigation infrastructure, enhanced weather prediction and early warning systems, as well as the promotion of sustainable land management.

Towards a zero-waste aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food park

The scarcity of natural resources, rising energy prices and strict environmental policies are incentives for the food industry to reform current production strategies. As part of this shift, the eco-industrial park concept is gaining momentum. Industrial aquaponics, integrating aquaculture and hydroponics, emerges as a pioneering food production system. Its focus on reusing and conserving resources aligns with eco-industrial parks. The novel concept of an aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food park fits into a biobased circular economy and supports large-scale exploitation to overcome current economic constraints that prevent commercial adoption. However, balancing aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food parks to minimize external inputs as well as waste is challenging. The present study aims to investigate how a quasi-dynamic optimization method can be used in the design of aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food parks under different seasonal weather conditions. The food park encompasses an aquaculture-hydroponic and anaerobic digestion system that mineralizes internal waste streams. The study prioritizes enhancing nitrogen and phosphorus use-efficiency and self-sufficiency. The results unveil specific optimal hydroponic system sizes for a standardized 100 m3 aquaculture volume. Cooler regions thrive around 0.6–1.0 ha hydroponic system, while warmer areas excel at 0.2–0.3 ha with corresponding nitrogen and phosphorus use-efficiencies of 90% and 67% and self-sufficiencies of 88% and 95%, respectively. A supernatant nitrification step with light supplementation improved the design with maximum self-sufficiency and high water use-efficiency of 88% for a hydroponic-aquaculture area-volume ratio of 0.22:100. Complete nitrogen and phosphorus self-sufficient, near zero-waste, food park was achieved by introducing mineralization of chicken manure for a hydroponic-aquaculture ratio of 1.1:100. Moreover, the food park yielded a 6.7-fold lower carbon footprint compared to an optimized traditional on-demand coupled aquaponics system with a hydroponic-aquaculture ratio of 0.15:100.

Millets as Nutricereal Climate Resilient Smart Crop: A Review

Worldwide climate change and extreme weather variations are the most threatening challenge to agriculture and allied activities. The entire food production system has faced serious challenges due to increase in average temperature, intensity and frequency of drought and flood, aberration of rainfall patterns, and elevation in CO2 concentration. In today’s world climate change is a major concern. Review of different literature from different reports and studies for different nutritional benefit of millets and how it can thrive in climate change conditions are important. Different literature have been searched from different sources and complied. Millets are considered highly nutrition-rich and climate-resilient coarse grain cereals and it can enhance income as well as improve food and nutrition security. Millets have climate-resilient features and that’ s why they can thrive in adjust to a vast changing ecological conditions, less water requirements, low nutrient input conditions and also they have more resistance to environmental hassels. In comparison to cereals, millets have more dietary fibres, resistant starches and are nutritionally superior. Millet require less time to complete its life cycle than rice and wheat, so they have the capacity to escape the stresses. Millets also provide several health benefits as they have nutritious. The cost of cultivation is also less compare to other cereals. As population growth increases and climate is changing day by day so millets are the alternative choice for today’s world. In Karnataka most of the farmers already have started to cultivate drought resistant millets than more water required crop like rice, sugarcane, and maize to due to climate change. They commonly grown millets from domestic purposes are sorghum, pearl millet, finger - millet, barnyard, foxtail, kodo, proso and Little millet.

From sustainable feedstocks to microbial foods.

Climate change-induced alterations in weather patterns, such as frequent and severe heatwaves, cold waves, droughts, floods, heavy rain and storms, are reducing crop yields and agricultural productivity. At the same time, greenhouse gases arising from food production and supply account for almost 30% of anthropogenic emissions. This vicious circle is producing a global food crisis. Sustainable food resources and production systems are needed now, and microbial foods are one possible solution. In this Perspective, we highlight the most promising technologies, and carbon and energy sources, for microbial food production.