Areas prone to drought and land degradation need effective water management plans to secure food production. Methods such as hydrological modelling and digital soil mapping can aid in evaluating water availability (water content and water stress). A study by Horta et al., 2023 examined the use of a global and local soil hydraulic properties (SHP) dataset to simulate soil-water balance at a regional scale in Portugal and found that the SHP dataset is a key factor to consider. The results showed that the choice between global and local SHP datasets significantly impacts the accuracy of soil-water balance simulations, influencing irrigation schedules and potentially jeopardizing crop production and soil quality, particularly in Mediterranean conditions.
This study underscores the importance of recognizing and respecting diverse worldviews, knowledge systems, and values in addressing global challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change. By providing a framework that emphasizes understanding onto-epistemological assumptions and power dynamics, the research offers principles to guide more inclusive and respectful engagement with diverse perspectives, aligning with the goals of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples to promote cultural diversity and indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts.
Contemporary global agrifood production systems are striving to feed a growing population of over 8 billion people. The growing population and fast economic growth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are leading to shifts in dietary preferences. Climate change and other challenges also add pressure to the global food system. In this persepctive alternative protein (AP) foods are proposed to support a global protein transition. Whereas AP food innovation has been a strategy to promote consumption of protein sources with low environmental impact in high-income countries (HICs) diets, their relation to sustainable, high-quality diets in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains to be established
The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) is a novel measure adapted to quantify alignment with the dietary evidence presented by the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health. This review aimed to examine how population-level health and sustainability of diet as measured by the PHDI changed from 2003 to 2018, and to assess how PHDI correlated with inadequacy for nutrients of public health concern (iron, calcium, potassium, and fiber) in the United States. Although there have been positive changes over the past 20 years, there is substantial room for improving the health and sustainability of the United States diet. Shifting diets toward EAT-Lancet recommendations would improve nutrient adequacy for iron, fiber, and potassium. Policy action is needed to support healthier, more sustainable diets in the United States and globally.
The authors evaluate shifts in water reservoirs (i.e. atmospheric versus terrestrial and underground water storage). Projections indicate water storage deficits in most Southern Hemisphere basins during the summer.
Plants have a microbiome, a diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, living inside and on their tissues. This review article contains deeper insight in endomicrobiome related research work in last years, recruitment, niche development, nutrient dynamics, stress removal mechanisms, bioactive services in plant health development, community architecture and communication, and immunity interplay in producing stress resilient future crop.
Strigolactones (SLs) are a new class of plant hormones that play a significant role in regulating various aspects of plant growth promotion, stress tolerance and influence the rhizospheric microbiome. GR24 is a synthetic SL analog used in scientific research to understand the effects of SL on plants and to act as a plant growth promoter.
In this paper the authors show how the heterogeneity in cities means that individual cities need specific low-carbon roadmaps, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach
A study published by Mukhopadhyay et al., 2023 investigates the long-term impact of subsurface drainage (SSD) on soil quality restoration and sugarcane productivity in waterlogged saline Vertisols in India. By using soil and water samples together with a farmer field survey, the authors showed that SSD significantly reduced soil salinity and improved various soil properties, leading to increased sugarcane yields by up to 585.5%. Farmers' perceptions indicated that SSD technology could substantially improve soil conditions and crop yields, and large-scale adoption of the technology will support the Sustainable Development Goals related to Land, No Poverty, and Zero Hunger in saline soils of India.
The importance of an updating of fundamental energy law to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in the energy sector.
