It is still a hungry World
To have access, at all times, to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that allows for an active and healthy life is a right of the human condition. Unfortunately, this is not the case for 3 billion people.
World hunger rose in 2021, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2022, the prospects are not better. The ongoing war in Ukraine is disrupting supply chains and affecting the prices of grain, fertilizer, and energy. The first half of 2022 already registered an overall increase in food prices. Simultaneously, extreme climate events have become more frequent and severe, causing further disruption.
To ensure food security we need to have adaptation strategies and policy responses. We must take bolder action to gain resilience against the future. At the GREEN-IT Research Unit, we aim to address these challenges.
Food security increasingly depends on proper soil management and on crop capacity for climate change mitigation/adaptation. At GREEN-IT, we study the mechanisms behind plant-environment interactions to innovate in plant breeding and protect environmental sustainability. By establishing phenotyping tools and identifying genes that regulate characteristics of agronomical interest, GREEN-IT researchers hope to reinforce breeding programs and attain plant varieties more resistant or adapted to a climate change scenario.
GREEN-IT brings together experts from different fields that look to contribute to the development of sustainable production methodologies, as well as sustainable agricultural practices. This multidisciplinary is crucial to identifying the most optimal conditions for growing plants while preserving/improving soil fertility regarding organic matter content, soil microbial populations, and water retention capacity. This allows for tailored solutions that grant crop resilience and increase yield and product quality.
Currently, we find ourselves amidst an ongoing pandemic, war conflict, and an increasingly warmer climate. The increase in global hunger in 2021 already exacerbated inequalities across and within countries. If we are to fight to contradict current tendencies then it is imperative that we establish food systems that are both able to provide for all of humanity and maintain sustainability.
World Food Day is celebrated on October 16th and marks the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The 2022 theme “leave no one behind” appeals to the joining of forces to prioritize the right of all people to food, nutrition, peace, and equality.
