Research Briefing

We found trade-offs among the environmental and animal welfare impacts of pig farms — those that had low greenhouse gas emissions typically had low land use but poor animal welfare and high antimicrobial use. Some farms performed well in all four impacts, but these farms were not consistently associated with any particular farm or label type.

Returning agricultural organic residues to the soil is imperative for food security and carbon neutrality. We scaled up field findings using machine learning and found that the co-benefits of improved rice yield and reduced net carbon emissions can be realized with integrated management of organic residues and water worldwide.

We present an interdisciplinary conceptual framework of urban agriculture and synthesize its social–ecological effects across scales. Using those theoretical foundations, we proposed a multiphase developmental pathway for scaling up urban agriculture, including dynamics, processes, accelerators and feedback loops, which elucidated key considerations associated with achieving transformative change in urban regions.

A systematic review of micronutrient retention after processing of foods biofortified with provitamin A or minerals (iron and/or zinc) enabled the creation of an online, interactive dashboard that helps users to choose suitable food processing methods for maximal micronutrient retention.

Aluminium (Al) toxicity along with phosphorus (P) deficiency in acidic soils hampers crop growth; however, the role of soil microbiota in conferring Al resistance remains poorly understood. A synthetic community of Al-resistant bacteria was shown to increase rice yield by 26.36% in acidic fields, offering a promising solution for sustainable agriculture.

Genetic improvement of disease resistance in crops often incurs a yield penalty. We identified the ERAD-related ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme OsUBC45 as a positive regulator of rice resistance against multiple pathogens while also improving yield. The underlying mechanism involves OsUBC45 facilitating ubiquitination-mediated degradation of negative regulators of rice yield and immunity.

We used a data mining approach powered by machine learning to analyse microbiomes from chickens, carcasses and environments, collected from farms and abattoirs in three Chinese provinces. The resulting network of correlations between livestock, environments, microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance suggests multiple routes for improving antimicrobial resistance surveillance in livestock production.

Consumption of wild food from forests and common lands contributes to women’s dietary diversity in India, particularly during the lean season in June and July. Women who consume wild foods are more likely to consume dark green leafy vegetables during these months, adding a nutrient-rich food group to their diets.

The local loss of a crop can affect food availability in other countries, directly through trade but also indirectly if production inputs become unavailable. Quantifying the direct and often overlooked indirect effects of local shocks could inform the design of resilient food supply chains and effective crisis responses.

The condition of food is checked using standard laboratory tests — which are not regularly available to supply-chain personnel or end customers. A miniaturized sensor of spoilage in protein-rich foods, which leverages advances in polymer engineering and low-cost sensing, will enable more frequent and accessible testing, improving food safety and quality control.

Sustainable crop protection approaches are crucial to feeding an exponentially increasing global population. Seed wraps developed from banana harvest biomass and loaded with an ultra-low volume of a pesticide resulted in a substantial increase in the yield and quality of yam crops in field trials in Benin.

The demand for dairy produce is growing alongside concerns about the impact of intensive dairying on water quality owing to nutrient loss. We found that nitrogen losses were greatest from all-grazed systems, but could be lowered by incorporating some housing.

Understanding the relationship between the production of farmed Atlantic salmon and the use of marine resources is imperative for planning the future growth of this industry and the sustainable management of these marine resources. This study demonstrates that the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry can grow without the input of additional marine resources.

A realist review of 20 voluntary actions by the food and beverage industry in low- and middle-income countries analyses the implications of these actions for public health and policy. This realist review reveals that voluntary actions often aim to protect industry interests rather than improve public health.

Tillage on slopes thins the soil and reduces crop yields. Increased yields in regions where soil is deposited partially compensate for this reduction in crop yields at regional scales. However, continued increases in tillage intensity and climate-change-induced increases in dry spells may lead to reduced crop yields.

The digital twin technology uses real-time sensor data and in silico models to predict food quality and marketability metrics for every single refrigerated shipment. With this approach, we can identify the optimal shipment temperature window for maintaining citrus fruit quality, killing fruit fly larvae and avoiding chilling injury.

Modelling the quantitative effects of sustainable degrowth and efficiency proposals on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, material output and economic activity shows that a combination of both can lead to a sustainable transformation of the food system.

A farmer’s decision whether to use fertilizer is complicated in rainfed areas because the resulting yield gains vary greatly depending on rainfall, temperatures, soil conditions and many other factors. Farmers on about 25% of sub-Saharan Africa’s rainfed maize-growing land face an unacceptably high likelihood that this productivity-enhancing input will not pay off.