The Future of Food, Agriculture, and Aquaculture

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caltrek
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Even Republicans Worry Climate Change Could Impact Their Favorite Foods
by Mike Hoffmann, Danielle L. Eiseman, Jonathon P. Schuldt
August 17, 2022

Introduction:
(Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) Many people take for granted that cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or maybe you’re a tea drinker. Unfortunately, we have some bad news for you, too.

When it comes to the climate crisis, stories about melting glaciers, rising seas, and extreme heat dominate headlines. But climate change is also threatening the foods people need and love. For example, the acreage suitable for global coffee production will shrink by half as temperatures continue to rise. Coffee prices will increase, and choices decline. The flavors of teas and wines are already changing and the “angel’s share”—the millions of gallons of whisky lost to evaporation each year—will likely increase. Sushi rice, almost all of which comes from California, has been hit hard by the ongoing western megadrought. Globally, the nutritional quality of staple crops like wheat and rice are declining as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase. A recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report predicts that climate crisis will exacerbate food insecurity for millions of people as droughts, floods, and heatwaves increase in frequency and intensity, leading to widespread hunger and famine.

How does the public feel about this? Our new research shows that Americans are highly concerned about the impacts of climate change on food. This is true even of Republicans, a group that is typically viewed as relatively unconcerned or dismissive about climate change.
Conclusion:
By weaving climate change into conversations about food that Americans are already having, it could become an everyday topic of discussion for millions more and inspire the actions that scientists warn are necessary to avert the most dire consequences of climate change.
Read more here: https://thebulletin.org/2022/08/even-r ... t-heading
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Sulfur Shortage: a Potential Resource Crisis Looming as the World Decarbonises
August 21, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) A projected shortage of sulfuric acid, a crucial chemical in our modern industrial society, could stifle green technology advancement and threaten global food security, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

The study, published in the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) journal The Geographical Journal, highlights that global demand for sulfuric acid is set to rise significantly from ‘246 to 400 million tonnes’ by 2040 - a result of more intensive agriculture and the world moving away from fossil fuels.

The researchers estimate that this will result in a shortfall in annual supply of between 100 and 320 million tonnes - between 40% and 130% of current supply - depending on how quickly decarbonisation occurs.

A vital part of modern manufacturing, sulfuric acid is required for the production of phosphorus fertilisers that help feed the world, and for extracting rare metals from ores essential to the rapidly required green economy transition, like cobalt and nickel used in high-performance Li-ion batteries.
Conclusion:
However, they conclude that by recognising the sulfur crisis now, national and international policies can be developed to manage future demand, increase resource recycling, and develop alternative cheap supplies.
Read more of the EurekAlert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/962313

To read the lengthier The Geographical Journal article on the subject: https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.co ... geoj.12475
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Urban Crops Can Have Higher Yields Than Conventional Farming
August 23, 2022

Introduction:
(AGU)WASHINGTON — As urban populations boom, urban agriculture is increasingly looked to as a local food source and a way to help combat inequitable food access. But little is known about how productive urban agriculture is compared to conventional, rural farming. A new study digs in, finding urban gardeners and hydroponics can meet and sometimes exceed the yields of rural farms.

“Despite its growing popularity, there’s still quite a lot we don’t know about urban agriculture, like whether the yields are similar to conventional agriculture, or even what crops are commonly grown,” says Florian Payen, an environmental scientist at Lancaster University and lead author of the study, published today in AGU’s journal Earth’s Future.

The new study compiles studies on urban agriculture from 53 countries to find out which crops grow well in cities, what growing methods are most effective, and what spaces can be utilized for growing. The researchers find that urban yields for some crops, like cucumbers, tubers and lettuces, are two to four times higher than conventional farming. Many other urban crops studied are produced at similar or higher rates than in rural settings. Cost efficiency remains an open but important question.

Most studies on urban agriculture have focused on green spaces, such as private and community gardens, parks and field growing operations. Payen’s work includes “gray” spaces — places in cities that are already built but could be used for growing, such as rooftops and building facades. In both green and gray spaces, the study examines a suite of crops grown in soils versus hydroponics, horizontal versus vertical farming, and natural versus controlled conditions.

“Surprisingly, there were few differences between overall yields in indoor spaces and outdoor green spaces, but there were clear differences in the suitability of crop types to different gray spaces,” Payen says. Certain crops like lettuces, kale and broccoli are more naturally suited to be grown vertically in indoor spaces than others. “You can’t exactly stack up apple trees in a five- or ten-layer high growth chamber,” he says, “though we did find one study that managed to grow wheat stacked up like that.”
Read more of the AGU article here: https://news.agu.org/press-release/urb ... -farming/

For an abstract and summary of the study published in AGU’s journal Earth’s Future: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.co ... 2EF002748
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Ethanol Treatment Shown to Bring Drought Relief to Crops
by Candace Cheung
August 24, 2022

Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — Increased temperatures and water scarcity due to climate change have raised fears of food shortages as droughts affect crop production worldwide. One way scientists have been looking to sustain crop yield is to develop more robust plants to withstand prolonged drought.

Although some have focused on genetic modification to accomplish this, researchers with Japan’s RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science have developed a simple, cost-effective ethanol soil treatment that could help crops thrive even throughout periods of drought. They published their findings Wednesday in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology.

“The discovery came from the process of searching for compounds that make plants resistant to stress,” said Motoaki Seki, co-author of the study and leader of RIKEN’s Plant Genomic Research Team, in an email interview. “In general, experiments on compounds use organic solvents such as ethanol, acetone and methanol to dissolve insoluble substances. Our experiment used several kinds of organic solvents and obtained data that made us suspect that the organic solvents, not the compounds, could have a property that makes plants stress resistant.”

Researchers emphasize their method is merely an extension of the plants’ naturally occurring processes. This technique of ethanol application does not rely on controversial genetic modification and is both economically and environmentally friendly. As a naturally occurring compound, ethanol can eliminate fears of dangerous chemically treated food. But although safe for consumption, researchers have other concerns.

“Higher concentration of ethanol inhibits plant growth,” Seki acknowledged. “So, optimization of ethanol treatment (concentration and treatment period etc.) is important.”
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/ethanol ... to-crops/
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Newman’s Own Foundation Sued by Late Actor’s Daughters: It Has ‘Lost Its Way’
by Daniel Jackson
August 23, 2022

Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — Saying their father had long attempted to instill his “benevolent charitable sensibilities” in his children, two daughters of Paul Newman said the Newman’s Own Foundation has disregarded the late actor’s wishes regarding his children.

The foundation uses the name and images of the blue-eyed actor known for The Color of Money and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to sell salad dressing, salsa, lemonade and tomato sauce, donating the profits to charity.

As part of the arrangement, Susan and Elinor Newman said their father conditioned the use of his image on the foundation giving their foundations each $400,000 a year so they could direct where that money went.

But in a suit filed Tuesday in a Connecticut Superior Court, Newman’s daughters said the Newman’s Own Foundation halved the money that was allocated to them, and they worry their father’s foundation will eventually cut them out of the philanthropic process.

“Over the years, however, Newman’s Own Foundation lost its way and strayed from its mission to preserve and honor Paul Newman’s legacy,” the 34-page complaint says. “The years since Mr. Newman’s death consist of a long and consistent pattern of disregard, by those in control, of Mr. Newman’s specific intentions and direction, coupled with mismanagement, scandal, and questionable practices.”
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/newmans ... -its-way/

caltrek’s comment: Darn, I may need to re-think my brand loyalty to Newman food products.
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Climate Change is Increasing Frequency of Fish Mass Die-offs
August 2 , 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) As the planet’s climate has gotten warmer, so has the prevalence of fish die-offs, or mass mortality events. These die-offs can have severe impacts on the function of ecosystems, imperil existing fish populations and reduce the global food supply. And the frequency of these events appears to be accelerating, with potentially dire consequences for the world if global carbon emissions are not substantially reduced over the 21st century.

Those are the findings of a recent paper co-authored by two members of the University of Arkansas Department of Biological Sciences: doctoral student Simon Tye and associate professor Adam Siepielski, along with several of their colleagues.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/963035
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Storing Cattle Feed Can Improve Milk and Meat Yields: Why African Farmers Aren’t Doing It
by Mulubrhan Gebremikael
August 25, 2022

Introduction:
(The Conversation) Africa’s cattle feed production is a boom-and-bust cycle. Most of the continent’s grazing lands are lush and green in the rainy season, only to wither into dry scrublands in the dry season.

For instance, while Burkina Faso produces an excess of six million tons of forage a year, its Sahel livestock producing regions have a deficit of two million tons annually.

The quantity of food for cattle isn’t the only issue: another is its quality. Studies have shown that in Tanzania the quality of forage from pasturelands declines by a fifth during the dry season. In Ethiopia it declines by 28%. The result is a 40% decrease in milk yield.

Across many other countries in Africa, for example Sudan, Algeria, and South Africa, studies have shown that quality livestock feed swings from excess during rainy seasons to abrupt declines, with subsequent reduction in meat and milk and even mass death of cattle.

This cycle poses the question of why African herders are not preserving forage for dry season use.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/storing-ca ... it-189117
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Lithuanians Developed a Takeaway Food Package That Does Not Contain a Single Gram of Plastic
August 29, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Takeaway food became an integral part of our lives. However, despite the convenience of such a service, frequent users have to face its drawbacks: the contents of the food can accidentally leak, the meal cools down, and the package does not always suit the size of the portion. Kaunas University of Technology researchers together with business and citizens created a takeaway food box, which solves all these issues and is entirely plastic-free.

“Kaunas citizens, with the help of professionals in their field and guided by scientists, are starting a real revolution in the world of takeaway food. Everyone can create innovations,” says Aelita Zabulionė, a junior researcher at the Food Institute of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania.

During the laboratory session organised by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Food community (EIT FOOD), ordinary citizens tried to discover the shortcomings of the currently used takeaway food packaging.

In the workshop, they were working together with packaging experts from the “Spaudos departamentas” and the representatives of a restaurant “Daugirdas” located in Kaunas, Lithuania.

During this session, the idea was born – to co-create solutions that would eliminate the shortcomings of ordinary takeaway packaging.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/963121

caltrek’s comment: Not exactly high tech, or even that unprecedented, but whatever works is good.
Last edited by caltrek on Tue Aug 30, 2022 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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How Do Quality Seed Systems Impact Food and Nutrition Security?
August 30, 2022

Introduction:
( EurekAlert) Food and nutrition security is a key development indicator for children’s health. However, decades of global efforts to combat hunger are proving to be insufficient in the face of growing challenges (i.e., conflict, climate extremes, and economic shocks) that have been further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, about 1 in 10 people face hunger and 2.37 billion people face moderate or severe food insecurity, with the majority in Asia and Africa.

Seed systems are a collection of various interacting actors and tools like technologies, formal and informal groups, market and non-market institutions that allow the use and exchange of seeds. Unfortunately, in low and middle-income countries where smallholder farms are most vulnerable to shocks and stresses and where there is widespread malnutrition, timely and sufficient access to quality and preferred seeds remains challenging. To address this issue, seed system interventions are being developed and implemented, including breeding for improved varieties, capacity strengthening across the seed value chains, and enhancing access to finance to support farmer access to seeds.

In a review published in the journal Global Food Security, researchers led by the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT mapped evidence of the impact of seed system-oriented interventions on nutrition, identifying themes from 43 studies as direct seed supply, improving seed access, and adopting improved seed. The study provides insight for the pathways to improve nutrition from the perspective of access to and use of quality seeds. There is vast potential in strengthening seed system research in the context of improving diets, nutrition, and food security as part of agriculture and food system resilience.

The results showed more studies with positive than those with mixed or negative impacts on food security, household resilience, dietary quality and diversity, and nutrition status. Studies with positive impact emphasized the importance of seed system- and farmer context- specific approaches and use of multi-component interventions.


Read more of the EurekAlert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/963299

For a lengthier review of the study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ ... ia%3Dihub
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New Study Suggests Global Fish Stocks Cannot Rebuild If Nothing is Done to Halt Climate Change and Overfishing
September 1, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Global fish stocks will not be able to recover to sustainable levels without strong actions to mitigate climate change, a new study has projected.

Researchers at UBC, the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and University of Bern projected the impact that different global temperature increases and ranges of fishing activity would have on biomass, or the amount of fish by weight in a given area, from 1950 to 2100. Their simulations suggest that climate change has reduced fish stocks in 103 of 226 marine regions studied, including Canada, from their historical levels. These stocks will struggle to rebuild their numbers under projected global warming levels in the 21st century.

“More conservation-oriented fisheries management is essential to rebuild over-exploited fish stocks under climate change. However, that alone is not enough,” says lead author Dr. William Cheung, professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF). “Climate mitigation is important for our fish stock rebuilding plans to be effective”


Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/963448
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