Rice is not as nice with global warming. Harvest records from Japan and China suggest that high night-time temperatures reduce the quality of rice, a staple food for billions of people. Modelling suggests that rice quality will continue to decline if climate change goes unchecked.

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#RiceQuality #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture

Agrivoltaics shows promise for sustainable food, energy and water management in East Africa | Combining solar power production with agriculture can significantly boost crop yields, conserve water and generate low-carbon electricity for areas particularly vulnerable to climate change

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#Agrivoltaics #SustainableEnergy #FoodSecurity #WaterConservation #ClimateResilience

Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation. Between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops of wheat, rice and maize is being lost due to the pervasive particles. It could get even worse, as more micro plastics pour into the environment

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#Microplastics #PlantPhotosynthesis #FoodSecurity #EnvironmentalImpact #SustainableAgriculture

Replacing crops with solar panels in California cut food output – but boosted water savings 💧 and farmer income 💵. Agrisolar setups 🌱☀️ could help balance food, energy ⚡, and water in drought-prone regions.

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#Agrisolar #SustainableFarming #WaterConservation #RenewableEnergy #FoodSecurity

A new study finds 86% of global croplands now face more soil exposure to climate extremes 🌍 – risking carbon loss 🌱, erosion 🌪️, and food security 🍽️.

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#ClimateChange #SoilHealth #FoodSecurity #SustainableFarming #ErosionAwareness

Global yields of wheat are around 10% lower now than they would have been without the influence of climate change 🌾🌍, according to a new study. Yields were lower than they otherwise would have been by 12-14% for barley, 8-12% for wheat and 4% for maize.

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#ClimateChange #WheatYields #AgricultureImpact #SustainableFarming #FoodSecurity

A study of 320 million records shows extreme heat ☀️ cuts milk yields 🥛 by up to 10 percent, with lasting effects. Even with modern cooling ❄️, losses remain. Climate adaptation 🌱 in farming has real limits.

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#ClimateChange #DairyFarming #ExtremeHeat #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture

Rising carbon dioxide levels make food more calorific but less nutritious—and potentially more toxic, a study finds. 🌱📉 While higher CO₂ increases crop yields, nutrient density declines: zinc levels drop, lead levels rise, and overall nutrient content decreases by an average of 3.2%. ⚖️🥦

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#CarbonDioxide #FoodSecurity #NutrientDensity #ClimateChange #SustainableAgriculture

Researchers reported pathways to improved food and nutrition security: The role of farm production diversity in household dietary outcomes in rural areas of Pakistan 🌾🍽️🇵🇰

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#FoodSecurity #NutritionDiversity #FarmProduction #RuralPakistan #DietaryOutcomes

Spray-on armor for plants 🌱🛡️ offers a new tool for global food security 🌍🍽️. Research reveals a polymer functioning as a spray-on armor that helps plants fight destructive bacteria 🦠 while surviving drought ☀️💧.

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#SprayOnArmor #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture #PlantHealth #DroughtResilience

🌍 Global food crisis affects 318 million people in 68 countries, with simultaneous famines in Palestine and Sudan posing extreme threats.

💧 Researchers at UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering have developed a spray-on polymer called polynorbornene to protect plants from harmful bacteria and drought.

🌿 This new tool acts as a spray-on armor, weakening harmful bacteria while allowing the plant to breathe and retain water, even when applied to small areas of leaves.

🔬 The polymer is synthesized in water, making it biocompatible and easier to apply. Untreated plants withered significantly more during drought tests compared to treated ones.

#FoodSecurity #AgriTech #Innovation

🌍 Analysis of FAO crop production data from 1961-2023 reveals that crop production shocks regularly occur in all countries, primarily driven by climate (especially droughts), but also by economic disruptions, storms, and conflict.

📉 The global average for the largest country-level shocks was a decrease of 29%. African countries experienced the most severe collapses (e.g., -80% in Botswana), while Asian and Central European nations saw more moderate shocks (-5% to -15%).

⏳ Global shocks exceeding 5% are rare (occurring once in 63 years), but continent-level shocks of this magnitude happen every 1.8 years on average, highlighting significant risks to the food system that require more preparation and planning.

#FoodSecurity #ClimateChange #Agriculture

Functionally rich crop rotations increase calorie and macronutrient outputs across Europe

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#CropRotation #EuropeanAgriculture #FoodSecurity

🚨 Super El Niño and extreme heat threaten global harvests and worsen food insecurity this summer, with vulnerable populations at risk of famine.

🌍 Human-induced global heating intensifies these dangers, making farm work unsafe and reducing crop/livestock productivity. Modern agriculture's reliance on fossil-fuel fertilizers and long supply chains are also major vulnerabilities.

💰 Heavily indebted countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, are struggling with high food import bills and debt, leading to rapidly rising hunger. Oxfam urges G7 nations to redirect less than 3% of military spending to support vulnerable countries.

🚜 The current food system prioritizes livestock feed production over feeding people, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental damage. Shifting to agroecological, plant-based farming is proposed as a solution to reduce land pressure and reliance on fertilizers/fossil fuels.

#FoodSecurity #ClimateChange #GlobalHunger

🐝 In Nepal's Jumla district, pollinators are vital for diets and income. A study found they provide over 20% of vitamin A, E, and folate intake, and 44% of farming income for 120,000 residents.

📈 Globally, 3-5% of fruit, vegetable, and nut production is lost annually due to inadequate pollination. This loss is linked to an additional 500,000 deaths per year from malnutrition-related diseases.

🌍 Tropical regions like sub-Saharan Africa, northern South America, and south-east Asia are most vulnerable to crop pollination shortfalls from pollinator declines, risking human well-being.

🌿 Pollinators are essential for about 80% of the world's population relying on herbal medicine, with insects pollinating approximately 28,000 medicinal plants.

#Pollinators #Biodiversity #FoodSecurity

The World's Vegetables Are Vanishing, And It's Quietly Impacting Our Diets. From artificial selection, to monocultures for mass production, to genetic modification, the industrialization of agriculture has whittled away the variety of vegetables that wind up on our tables.

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#FoodSecurity #Biodiversity #VegetableDiversity

🌱 A new study in PNAS highlights that a lack of vegetable variety in our diets contributes to poor health and declining planetary well-being.

🌍 Experts suggest focusing on increasing the diversity of vegetables grown, not just the quantity, is crucial for improving nutrition and adapting to climate change.

📉 Around 40% fewer vegetables are consumed globally than recommended, and many wild relatives of vegetables are at risk of extinction, leading to loss of nutrients and climate resilience.

💡 Vegetables like spider plant, slippery cabbage, and bitter gourd, rich in nutrients and well-suited to challenging conditions, are often overlooked in global food strategies.

#FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture #Nutrition

A USAID project gave cash to 300 farms in Liberia and Malawi, then tracked how the money impacted those households over the next 2 years. All the families spent the money immediately, largely by investing it into their farms in ways that improved food security even 2 years later.

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#FoodSecurity #AgriculturalInvestment #EconomicDevelopment

China’s rice science and production: Progress over the past decade and prospects for the future

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#RiceScience #ChinaAgriculture #FoodSecurity

📈 Climate change risks doubling the likelihood of wheat price spikes, and increasing maize and soybean prices by factors of 2.70 and 2.45, respectively.

🌾 This translates to an increased risk of losing 0.24, 0.71, and 1.20 million calories per capita annually for wheat, maize, and soybean consumption.

🌍 Food system vulnerabilities like concentrated production and import dependencies amplify these risks, with climate change further worsening consumption risks by up to 6 Mcal per capita per year in exposed regions.

#ClimateChange #FoodSecurity #GlobalMarkets