Food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture

Food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture constitute fundamental elements that contribute significantly to the attainment of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are a globally shared blueprint that calls for peace and prosperity for all people and the planet. Focusing on food security and nutrition is directly linked to SDG 2 which seeks to "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture." Beyond SDG 2, these themes also relate to other SDGs such as Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-being, Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, and Goal 13 - Climate Action. The relationship between sustainable agriculture and these goals is profound; by promoting eco-friendly farming methods, we reduce the environmental footprint, mitigate climate change, and ensure the long-term sustainability of food production systems.

Moreover, sustainable agriculture is vital in fostering biodiversity, improving soil health, and enhancing water use efficiency, which are critical aspects related to Goals 14 and 15 - Life below Water and Life on Land respectively. By safeguarding our ecosystems, we not only ensure food security but also the preservation of the natural environment for future generations. In turn, better nutrition is a conduit to improved health (SDG 3), and it can also influence educational outcomes (SDG 4), given the known links between nutrition and cognitive development.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that the interconnections go beyond these goals. There's an important nexus between sustainable agriculture, food security and issues of poverty (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), and economic growth (SDG 8), among others. Sustainable agriculture creates job opportunities, thus reducing poverty levels. By empowering women in agriculture, we can help achieve gender equality. Proper water and sanitation practices in agriculture can prevent contamination, ensuring clean water and sanitation for all. Therefore, the triad of food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture, while being a significant goal in itself, is also a vehicle that drives the achievement of the wider Sustainable Development Goals.

Elsevier,

Manzoor Qadir, Christopher A. Scott, Trade-offs of wastewater irrigation, Editor(s): Michael J. Goss, Margaret Oliver, Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment (Second Edition), Academic Press, 2023, Pages 277-287, ISBN 9780323951333, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822974-3.00018-5.

This chapter aligns with Goal 11 and 6 by analysing the use of wastewater for irrigation, balancing positive outcomes and trade-offs. There is a large variation between developed and developing countries as well as among countries within different economic groups regarding safe management of wastewater.
The demand for solar energy as a clean way to power human lives is increasing, but solar panels are land-intensive and may compete for space with farms. In this article, the authors examine how agrivoltaics (combining farming and solar technologies) can provide synergistic benefits together rather than in isolation, showing positive benefits in climate mitigation, climate resilience, and land equivalent ratios. This contributes to SDGs 2 (ensuring the promotion of sustainable agriculture), 7 (harnessing sunlight to power society), and 13 (agrivoltaics as a way to combat climate change).
This Health Policy paper supports SDGs 2, 3, and 13, by identifying and examining the debates that arose from the publication of the EAT–Lancet Commission, systematically examining how research has been directly influenced by the Commission, and synthesising identified research gaps to build a research agenda for healthy and sustainable food systems.
This article describes the effects of climate and environmental change on viticulture in heroic & steep slope settings
Elsevier,

Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Volume 89, July 2023

This article highlights the risks of a polluted environment on reproductive health, especially via the food system.
Elsevier,

Handbook of Food and Feed from Microalgae: Production, Application, Regulation, and Sustainability, 2023, pp 603-610

This chapter aligns with Goal 2: Zero Hunger and Goal 12: Responsible Consumption by exploring the energy and water consumption needs of microalgal production for food production to determine whether microalgae can be considered a sustainable food.
To mark the 50th Anniversary of World Environment Day on 5 June 2023, Elsevier proudly presents a curated list of publicly available journal articles and book chapters in support of this year's theme “Solutions to Plastics Pollution”. Please share and download.
This paper concludes that In the participating Dene population, vitamin D, fiber, and calcium intake were low, resulting in deficiencies for the majority of the participants and that Poor nutritional status might be because of several complex and intersecting challenges experienced by northern Indigenous communities, such as the historical context of colonialism, remote food insecurity, and social and environmental inequities. It is suggested that nutrition education, financial interventions, and store-food pricing policies should be put in place to facilitate access to market food, and culturally adequate initiatives, such as community harvest programs, should be put in place to facilitate better access to TFs/CFs.
The research in this paper shows that all 4 WEPs (Wild Edible Plants) frequently consumed by the Semai have variable quantities of proximate composition and mineral composition .According to the study’s findings, these wild plants can be regarded as inexpensive and good sources of micronutrients necessary for health and well-being. They can also contribute substantially to dietary needs, especially in remote areas, because of their beneficial nutritional qualities.
This chapter advances UN SGD goal 2: Zero Hunger by providing insight into adapting agriculture to changing climate conditions.

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