News & Views

The time has come to include the wellbeing of animals in cost–benefit evaluations that inform agricultural policy. By doing so, we would account for those with the most to gain — or lose — from our choices.

By analysing recipes, it is possible to gain insights into the impacts of food preparation and consumption in different geographical contexts.

Empirical analyses of historical yields paired with manipulative experiments reveal that extreme rainfall reduces rice yields in China by physically disturbing the panicle and by reducing available soil nitrogen. Such mechanistic understanding aids prediction and mitigation of damages from climate change.

The double burden of malnutrition affects one-third of children globally. Knowledge on children’s current food consumption and related sociodemographic factors can guide actions towards improving children’s lifelong nutrition and health, and promote environmentally sustainable diets.

A scenario analysis reveals how changes in food production and consumption towards circularity could save natural resources in Europe — without compromising the provision of sufficient micronutrients and macronutrients for the continent’s population.

Climate change has already impacted nitrogen use and crop production. Nitrogen and climate scientists have to work together to understand future agricultural nitrogen use and adapt nitrogen management in a changing climate.

Better use of nitrogen fertilizers is key to tackling the challenge of feeding a growing world population without impairing planetary sustainability. Advanced nitrogen management and dietary changes could substantially increase Earth’s feeding capacity.

Many countries respond to short-term price fluctuations by adopting export restrictions and importing liberalization measures. The mere announcement of trade policy changes can aggravate price volatility.

The Russia–Ukraine conflict affected the price of staple crops and spurred interest in tropical wheat production. Regional consumption patterns and trade are better placed to guide effective and sustainable food security policy strategies.

Life cycle assessment reveals that the emissions from the treatment and disposal of lost and wasted food account for around half of greenhouse gas emissions from food systems. Therefore, saving food is essential to reduce food systems’ environmental impacts.

Low-cost informational interventions promoting the environmental and health benefits of reducing meat consumption can stimulate long-lasting dietary change and build support for systemic meat reduction policies.

The capacity of carbon dioxide removal currently deployed is far below what is needed to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature target. Biochar from crop residues could help China meet its 2060 net zero goal while bringing health and environmental benefits.

Taxing meat could benefit the environment, animal welfare and public health. However, such demand-side policies often face political obstacles, and politicians fear public backlash; strategic policy framing and design offer leeway.

The Chinese breadbasket is not where it used to be. Reshaped land systems have extended distances between food production and consumption, thus increasing carbon emissions associated with grain transport.

Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are responsible for substantial yield and post-harvest losses in yam production among smallholders in Africa. A seed wrap technology provides a low-cost, nature-based solution.

The increasing production and use of nitrogen fertilizers exert extreme pressure on the environment. There are ways to mitigate its harmful impacts without sacrificing food quality and quantity.

Aligning an organization’s food consumption with ambitious biodiversity targets involves complex steps but is instrumental for the protection of biodiversity nationally and globally.

Food systems must transform to provide undernourished people with greater access to nutrient-rich foods. While there has been a push to increase volumes of food production, too little attention has been paid to the factors that enable access to nutritious aquatic foods.

Nano-enabled fertilizers and pesticides can bring new economic benefits to agricultural practices with reduced environmental impacts. Moving forward, nano-enabled agrochemicals should continue to be optimized for greater efficiency.

Meeting future food demand while mitigating the social and environmental externalities associated with the agricultural sector will require creative, multi-scalar and synergistic strategies.