The Future of Food, Agriculture, and Aquaculture

[Vakanai]

I'm part of the problem not the solution as far as that chart goes - I will never give up beef, or even attempt to reduce my consumption of beef. I don't want to eat less beef, because beef is far and beyond my absolute favorite food. Nothing else on earth satisfies quite like beef food-wise. So while I understand the solution is for people to eat less beef, it's going to have to be other beef eaters not me. And in the frightening possibility I'm not the minority but the majority on this? Let's hope there's a second harder and more complex option to help cover up the emissions caused by beef consumption.

[caltrek]

Chickens are Taking Over the Planet
by Kenny Torrella
August 4, 2023

Introduction:

(Vox) In the century since the modern chicken industry was born, chicken has overtaken beef and pork as the most popular meat in the world. According to a report published last month by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that trend is expected to rapidly accelerate in the decade ahead — and it’s one that will have enormous implications for climate change, animal welfare, and economic development.

Humanity currently raises and slaughters a staggering 74 billion chickens each year, which will jump to around 85 billion annually by 2032, a 15 percent increase, the report predicts. By comparison, the number of beef cattle and pigs raised for meat will rise to around 365 million and 1.5 billion, respectively, by 2032.

High-income countries account for just 16 percent of the world’s population and 33 percent of its meat intake. But that’s quickly changing: while meat consumption is stagnating in high-income countries and expected to decline in Europe over the next decade, it’s growing rapidly in middle-income regions like much of Asia and Latin America.

Chalk it up to what economists call Bennett’s Law, which predicts that as people climb out of poverty, they tend to shift away from largely plant-based, low-emissions diets heavy in grains and starches, to a more diverse, high-emissions diet heavy in meat and dairy, as well as fruits and vegetables. As hundreds of millions more people enter the global middle class, the world’s population of chickens is expected to surge to unfathomable levels.

Conclusion:

Only the people in low- and middle-income countries can determine the right level of meat production and intensification to balance their food supply needs against public health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns. But the 100-year experiment in American-style factory farming has proven to be an environmental and moral disaster we’re just now waking up to. Hopefully, it’s one that other parts of the world can learn to avoid.

Read more here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/202 ... oecd-fao

[caltrek]

Making Plant-based Meat Alternatives More Palatable
August 14, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) One of the biggest obstacles to the uptake of plant-based alternatives to meat is their very dry and astringent feel when they are eaten.

Scientists, led by Professor Anwesha Sarkar at the University of Leeds, are revolutionising the sensation of plant proteins, transforming them from a substance that can be experienced as gloopy and dry to one that is juicy and fat like.

And the only substance they are adding to the plant proteins is water.

Plant protein microgels

To bring about this change, the scientists created plant protein microgels, through a process called microgeletion.
Plant proteins - which start off as dry with a rough texture - are placed in water and subjected to heating. This alters the structure of the protein molecules which come together to form an interconnected network or gel which traps water around the plant proteins.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/998346

caltrek’s comment: To me, a lot of this research into ensuring a high protein intake through plant- based foods is a solution in search of a problem. Nutrition researcher T. Colin Campbell argues quite persuasively that our protein needs are not nearly as high as many suppose. Even government guidelines in this regard overstate the need for protein. Put another way, a varied diet of plant-based foods can result in receiving more than enough protein to meet your needs. As always, I suppose I should caution the reader to consult their physician before making radical changes in their diet. Individuals do vary in their needs. More importantly, adopting a radically new diet is arguably a rather complicated affair. I should also note that in my case my wife does prepare a lot of “plant-based meat alternatives” for inclusion in my meals. She is more of the old school in regards to protein needs.

[caltrek]

How the Radical History of Plant-based Eating Illuminates Our Future
by Julieta Cardenas
August 17, 2023

Introduction:

(Vox) There has never been a better time to ditch meat. Climate change, health, and animal cruelty are among the many reasons why some leave animals (partially or entirely) off their plates.

Luckily, folks seem to be catching on. Vegetable-forward dishes are taking over food magazines, TikTok, and the restaurant scene. Along with some greater cultural acceptance of plant-based diets, there has been a growing recognition that animal-free cuisine can taste great; it doesn’t have to mean compromising on flavor.

“There is so much possibility of just feeding people a good dish,” food writer Alicia Kennedy told me in a recent conversation. “That can be an overlooked strategy of changing people’s minds. A lot of people never even notice if something is vegan or vegetarian until you tell them it is. They never even think about the fact that there’s no meat in it. They just ate it and it was good.”

That said, there’s still a lot of progress left to be made. The share of Americans who call themselves vegetarian or vegan is still very small. And US meat consumption has only increased over the last few decades. How we think about and make progress, of course, is still richly debated among different groups, from vegans to conscientious omnivores, with distinct perspectives on how to build the future of food.

Kennedy’s new book — No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating — gives a historical overview of the diverse movements that have decided to leave meat off the plate, and critiques our industrialized food system.

Read more here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/238 ... ant-based

caltrek’s comment: A glaring weakness of this article is that it ignores the most import reason for moving to a plant based diet – that it is healthier than a meat based diet.

[caltrek]

Climate Disasters are Fueling the Rise of "Doomsday" Seed Vaults
by Ayurella Horn-Muller
September 1, 2023

Introduction:

(Axios)"Doomsday" seed vaults are becoming an increasingly popular tool in the race to insure global crop and agricultural production against the damaging impacts of climate change.

Why it matters: In an era of simultaneous climate disasters, long-term solutions that bolster the future of food supply are gaining momentum among governments, scientists and small-scale farmers.

• The goal is to make sure crops that might get wiped out in one region can be revived somewhere else.

Catch up quick: One prominent example is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault — a "doomsday" reserve buried deep within a Norwegian mountain storing over 1.2 million duplicates of seed samples.

• The vault was created in 2008 to protect seed supplies for future growing needs against threats like climate change, extreme weather events and wars.

Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2023/09/01/seed- ... -change

[caltrek]

Potato Pangenome Could Lead to New Superspud
August 31, 2023

Introduction:

(Futurity) Scientists have assembled genome sequences of nearly 300 varieties of potato and its wild relatives to develop a more nutritious, disease-free, and weather-proof crop.

As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes.

Martina Strömvik, professor at McGill University, and colleagues have created a potato super pangenome to identify genetic traits that can help produce the next super spud.

“Our super pangenome sheds light on the potato’s genetic diversity and what kinds of genetic traits could potentially be bred into our modern-day crop to make it better,” Strömvik says. “It represents 60 species and is the most extensive collection of genome sequence data for the potato and its relatives to date,” she adds.

A genome is an organism’s complete set of genetic instructions known as the DNA sequence, while a pangenome aims to capture the complete genetic diversity within a species, and a super pangenome also includes multiple species.

Read more of the Futurity article here: https://www.futurity.org/potato-pangen ... -2968602

For a somewhat technical presentation of the results of the original study as published in PNAS: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2211117120 :

[caltrek]

Can Eating Seaweed Help the Climate Crisis?
by Jackie Flynn Mogensen
September – October Issue , 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Seaweed is having a moment. Once relegated to sushi rolls, kelp and other “sea greens” are now appearing in an array of American foods and beverages, including pasta, chips, burgers, butter, bread, beer, salsa, tea, muffins, and even ice cream.

When I started looking into it, I too was eager to join the seaweed hype. After all, what’s not to like? Enthusiasts love seaweed for its subtle umami taste and plentiful vitamin and mineral content. It also brings to the table several environmental benefits: As they grow underwater, kelp forests can suck up nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the ocean and absorb carbon dioxide; by doing so, they raise the pH of coastal waters and help reduce ocean acidification. And when introduced in small amounts as a feed additive for cattle, some seaweed may even dramatically cut down on the methane—a potent greenhouse gas—emitted by cattle through their burps and farts. “It’s good for the body and good for the planet,” says Vincent Doumeizel, a senior adviser on oceans at the United Nations and author of the new book The Seaweed Revolution. “And it’s delicious.” (His personal recommendation is French food writer Clotilde Dusoulier’s seaweed tartare.)

As demand has grown, seaweed farming across the world has flourished. In the last two decades, as the harvesting of wild seaweed has stayed flat, global seaweed cultivation has tripled to 38 million tons per year, largely led by Asia, where seaweed has been consumed for centuries.

Further Extract:

And it’s unclear whether human-made seaweed farms, whose crops are eventually harvested and eaten, can permanently pull a significant amount of CO2 out of the atmosphere, meaning our new obsession with eating seaweed may not come with that environmental perk. Some academics and entrepreneurs have proposed sinking seaweed to the deep ocean, where they believe it would remain for centuries, to help pull carbon from the atmosphere. But several of the experts with whom I spoke are skeptical. “There is hope that it will be a sink for carbon,” says Scott Spillias, a researcher affiliated with the University of Queensland in Australia whose work has focused on seaweed farming. “But I don’t think anybody has shown that definitively.”

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/environmen ... seaweed/

[caltrek]

The results of the study discussed below are largely redundant with points already made in this thread. I am presenting this article by way of corroboration of those earlier points for those who remain skeptical or otherwise would like additional supportive information.

Plant-based Food Alternatives Could Support a Shift to Global Sustainability
September 12, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to new research.

According to the study just published in Nature Communications, additional climate and biodiversity benefits could accrue from reforesting land spared from livestock production when meat and milk products are substituted by plant-based alternatives, more than doubling the climate benefits and halving future declines of ecosystem integrity by 2050. The restored area could contribute up to 25% of the estimated global land restoration needs under Target 2 of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030.

The study is the first to look at the global food security and environmental impacts of plant-based meat and milk consumption at large scales that considers the complexity of food systems. The research was conducted independently by IIASA in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, as well as USAID, and solicited input from Impossible Foods – a company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat products – as a potential user of the data to ensure relevance. The company also provided generic recipes for the plant-based meat substitute products used in the analysis. The data are, however, not specific to Impossible Foods and the science team had complete control over decision making.

“Understanding the impacts of dietary shifts expands our options for reducing GHG emissions. Shifting diets could also yield huge improvements for biodiversity,” notes study lead author Marta Kozicka, a researcher in the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1001106

For a presentation of the results of the study as presented in Nature Communications:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40899-2

[caltrek]

Disease-resistant Rice and Wheat Plants May Modulate Disease Susceptibility in Their Neighbors
September 12, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Growing several plant varieties in the same field for disease resistance is a longstanding agricultural practice, but can have unpredictable results. A study publishing September 12th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Jean-Benoit Morel at Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Montpellier, France, and colleagues suggests that plant-to-plant interactions may confer disease immunity in both wheat and rice.

Neighbor-Modulated Susceptibility (NMS) occurs when healthy, same-species neighbor plants modulate basal immunity and susceptibility to pathogens. However, NMS is not well understood. In order to evaluate NMS’ potential to reduce the spread of plant pathogens, researchers measured disease susceptibility in 200 pairs of rice and durum wheat varieties. They selected one set of genotypes composed of selectively bred varieties and one from populations that had not undergone modern selection. The pairs of same-species variety mixtures grown in pots under controlled greenhouse conditions were inoculated with fungal foliar pathogens, and disease susceptibility was monitored before any possible pathogen dispersal. Using a statistical model, the authors were able to quantify the relevance of NMS and the relative contribution of neighbor effect on pathogen susceptibility in varietal mixtures.

The researchers identified 23 same-species mixtures (~11%) where plant-to-plant interactions modulated disease susceptibility, suggesting that Neighbor-Modulated Susceptibility is a relatively frequent phenomenon. They observed both positive and negative effects of the neighbors, indicating that the consequences of plant-to-plant interactions can be variable. The study had several limitations, for example, only two crops, rice and wheat, were tested. Additional future studies may include field trials, where plants are subjected to a range of outdoor conditions, rather than grown in a greenhouse.

According to the authors, “These findings open new avenues to develop more sustainable agricultural practices by engineering less susceptible crop mixtures thanks to emergent, but now predictable properties of mixtures. Our study suggests that the indirect effects of plant-plant interactions on pathogen susceptibility could be used to design varietal mixtures with embedded crop protection.”

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1000571

[caltrek]

Nestlé USA in Legal Battle Over Staple Latino Products Sold in the U.S.
by Russell Contreras
September 14, 2023

Introduction:

(Axios) A trademark dispute between Nestlé USA and two Mexican distributors could affect the types of staple products found in many Latino pantries.

Why it matters: The fight, headed to trial in federal court this November, comes as all kinds of companies try to tap into the growing, multi-trillion-dollar U.S. Latino market.

Details: In 2020, Nestlé USA filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Western Texas against Ultra Distribuciones Internacionales and Ultra Distribuciones Mundiales for importing and selling Nestlé Mexico products.

• Nestlé USA claims those Mexican products — Nescafe, Abuelita, Nido, Media Crema, Carnation and La Lechera — were meant to be sold only in Mexico and are different from products it approved for U.S. consumers.

• The "parallel imports" are confusing consumers and have harmed Nestle USA's business, the complaint said.

The other side: Lawyers for Ultra Distribuciones Internacionales say the company has openly exported Nestle Mexico products into the U.S. for years.

Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2023/09/14/nest ... a-latino

[caltrek]

A Billion-Dollar Plan to Fix Farm Emissions Might Make Things Worse
by Matt Reynolds
May 9, 2023. (This article was recently republished in Mother Jones).

Introduction:

(Wired) Agriculture is a big source of emissions. In the US, about 10 percent of greenhouse gases come from livestock or crops—and for a long time, agriculture has lagged behind other sectors when it comes to cutting its carbon footprint. Since 1990, total emissions from agriculture have risen by 7 percent, while emissions from sectors like electricity generation and buildings have declined.

There’s a simple reason for this: Cutting emissions from agriculture is really hard. It’s not like the energy industry, which has readily available low-carbon electricity in the form of renewables. Reducing agriculture’s impact means making tough decisions about what gets farmed and how, and dealing with the notoriously tricky science of making sure carbon stays in the ground rather than being released into the atmosphere.

The US has started getting to grips with these tough decisions. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act included $20 billion to help farmers tackle the climate crisis. And in February 2022 the US Department of Agriculture announced $3.1 billion in funding through a scheme called Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). The money was intended to fund projects that help farmers adopt more environmentally friendly ways of farming and create a market for what the USDA calls “climate-smart” crops and livestock.

According to the USDA, its plan has the potential to sequester 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents—the same as removing 12 million gasoline-powered cars from roads for one year. But some scientists are worried that the PCSC approach is the wrong kind of climate intervention. The government could be channeling billions of dollars to projects that are of uncertain benefit in terms of emissions—or, worse, actually end up increasing overall levels of greenhouse gases.

If the goal is to reduce overall emissions from agriculture, a good place to start is by figuring out where all those emissions come from. It turns out that over half of all agricultural emissions come in the form of nitrous oxide—a potent greenhouse gas released when microbes in the soil break down nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Read more of the Wired article here: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/usda-c ... culture

Here is the same article as republished today (September 16, 2023) in Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/environmen ... ms-biden/

[caltrek]

Chinese Imports of Japanese Seafood Plunge 67.6% in August
by Ryo Inoue
September 18, 2023

Introduction:

(The Asahi Shimbun) The total value of marine products imported from Japan to China plummeted more than two-thirds for August following the suspension of seafood imports over the release of treated radioactive water into the ocean.

According to trade statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of China on Sept. 18, the total value of marine products imported from Japan was 149.02 million yuan ($20.4 million, or 3.02 billion yen), down 67.6 percent from the same month last year.

The drop is believed to be largely due to the total suspension of imports of Japanese seafood products since Aug. 24, when the discharge began of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant by Tokyo Electric Power Co. into the ocean.

In response to the discharge of water, China has boosted its inspections of Japanese marine products for radioactive materials since early July.

As a result, Japanese fishery products were held for weeks at Chinese customs and exports of mainly fresh fish, which cannot be sold once they lose their freshness, have become virtually impossible.

Read more here: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15008238

caltrek’s comment: I kind of take China’s side on this one. At least until when and if inspections consistently reveal no increase in “radioactive materials.”

[caltrek]

Vietnam Needs Sustainable Development in Durian Production and Consumption
September 18, 2023

Introduction:

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The agriculture sector and localities need to find prompt solutions for sustainable development in durian cultivation and consumption, according to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan.

If the durian industry, as well as other commodities, wants to develop sustainably, they must reorganise the structure from the production stage to consumption, Hoan said.

This means fostering cooperation between enterprises and farmers from the selection of durian varieties for production, rather than just engaging in purchasing activities. They need to transition from a business relationship to a cooperative one.

The minister also suggested that growing areas must register a code to plant durian according to standards. Moreover, it is essential to foster a close connection among businesses, cooperatives, and farmers.

They must understand that sustainable development is not only for durian trees but also for businesses and farmers, as they will participate in the sustainable durian supply chain.

The article goes on to note recent increases in trade of durian.

Read more here: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-need ... 159.vnp

Background regarding durian:

(Wikipedia) The durian (/ˈdʊəriən/, /ˈdjʊəriən/)[2] is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio. There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit.[3][4] Durio zibethinus, native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species available on the international market. It has over 300 named varieties in Thailand and 100 in Malaysia as of 1987.[3] Other species are sold in their local regions.[3]

Named in some regions as the "king of fruits",[4][5] the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odour, and thorn-covered rind. The fruit can grow as large as 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs 1 to 3 kg (2.2 to 6.6 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk from green to brown, and its flesh from pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the aroma overpowering and unpleasant. The smell evokes reactions ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The persistence of its odour, which may linger for several days, has led certain hotels and public transportation services in Southeast Asia to ban the fruit. The 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet desserts in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

Source of background discussion, including footnotes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

[caltrek]

True Cost of Food: Food is Medicine Case Study
September 26, 2023

Introduction:

(Tufts University) This report, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, features two national case studies evaluating the health equity and economic benefits of medically tailored meals (MTMs) and produce prescription programs. This provides the first “true cost” analysis of implementing Food is Medicine programs across the country.

The report’s top-line findings show that national implementation of MTMs in Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance for patients with both a diet-related condition and limited ability to perform activities of daily living could avert approximately 1.6 million hospitalizations and result in an estimated net savings of $13.6 billion in health care costs in the first year alone. Further, national implementation of produce prescription programs for patients with both diabetes and food insecurity could avert 292,000 cardiovascular events and add 260,000 quality-adjusted life years—a measure of how well a treatment lengthens or improves patients’ lives—while being highly cost-effective from a health care perspective and cost-saving from a societal perspective.

Read more here: https://tuftsfoodismedicine.org/true-c ... report/

You can download the report using this link: https://tuftsfoodismedicine.org/wp-cont ... _2023.pdf

[caltrek]

Plant Milk Is Better for Us and the Climate. So Why Do We Subsidize Dairy?
by Julia Métraux
November-December Issue, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Like an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population, I don’t digest lactose well, which makes the occasional latte an especially pricey proposition. So it was a pleasant surprise when, shortly after moving to San Francisco, I ordered a drink at Blue Bottle Coffee and didn’t have to ask—or pay extra—for a milk alternative. Since 2022, the once Oakland-based, now Nestlé-owned cafe chain has defaulted to oat milk, both to cut carbon emissions and because lots of its affluent-tending customers were already choosing it as their go-to.

Plant-based milks, a multibillion-dollar global market, aren’t just good for the lactose intolerant: They’re also better for the climate. Dairy cows belch a lot of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide; they contribute at least 7 percent of US methane output, the equivalent emissions of 10 million cars. Cattle need a lot of room to graze, too: Plant-based milks use about a tenth as much land to produce the same quantity of milk. And it takes almost a thousand gallons of water to manufacture a gallon of dairy milk—four times the water cost of alt-milk from oats or soy.

But if climate concerns push us toward the alt-milk aisle, dairy still has price on its side. Even though plant-based milks are generally much less resource-intensive, they’re often more expensive. Walk into any Starbucks, and you’ll likely pay around 70 cents extra for nondairy options.

Dairy’s affordability edge, explains María Mascaraque, an analyst at market research firm Euromonitor International, relies on the industry’s ability to produce “at larger volumes, which drives down the cost per carton.” American demand for milk alternatives, though expected to grow by 10 percent a year through 2030, can’t beat those economies of scale. (Globally, alt-milks aren’t new on the scene—coconut milk is even mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Mahābhārata, which is thousands of years old.)

What else contributes to cow milk’s dominance? Dairy farmers are “political favorites,” says Daniel Sumner, a University of California, Davis, agricultural economist. In addition to support like the “Dairy Checkoff,” a joint government-industry program to promote milk products (including the “Got Milk?” campaign), they’ve long raked in direct subsidies currently worth around $1 billion a year.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/food/2023/ ... limate/

[caltrek]

Ultra-processed Foods are Taking Up More and More Space in Global Conversations About Public Health and Nutrition.
by Alcie Callahan and Knowable Magazine
October 8, 2023

Introduction:

(Inverse) From breakfast cereals and protein bars to flavored yogurt and frozen pizzas, ultra-processed foods are everywhere, filling aisle upon aisle at the supermarket. Fully 58 percent of the calories consumed by adults and 67 percent of those consumed by children in the United States are made up of these highly palatable foodstuffs with their highly manipulated ingredients.

And ultra-processed foods are not just filling our plates; they’re also taking up more and more space in global conversations about public health and nutrition. In the last decade or so, researchers have ramped up efforts to define ultra-processed foods and to probe how their consumption correlates to health: A wave of recent studies have linked the foods to heightened risk for conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease and cancer to obesity and depression.

Still, some researchers — and perhaps unsurprisingly, industry representatives — question the strength of the evidence against ultra-processed foods. The category is too poorly defined, and the studies too circumstantial, they say. Plus, labeling such a large portion of our grocery carts as unhealthy ignores the benefits of industrial food processing in making food affordable, safe from foodborne pathogens, easy to prepare, and in some cases, more sustainable — such as through the development of plant-derived products designed to replace meat and milk.

“You cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater and decide that you’re going to just dump everything” that’s ultra-processed, says Ciarán Forde, a sensory science and eating behavior researcher at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and coauthor of a 2022 look at food processing and diets in the Annual Review of Nutrition.

As the debate about ultra-processed foods roils on, one path forward is to invest in understanding the mechanisms by which ultra-processed foods affect health. If the foods are indeed harmful, what about them — what features? — makes them so, and why? Through feeding volunteers carefully formulated diets and watching their consumption behavior, researchers can identify the qualities that make these foods both so appealing and so unhealthful, they say.

Read more here: https://www.inverse.com/health/the-cas ... vidence

[caltrek]

America’s Farmers are Getting Older, and Young People Aren’t Rushing to Join Them
by David R. Buys, PhD, John J. Green, PhD, and Mary Nelson Robertson, PhD
October , 2023

Introduction:

(The Conversation) On Oct. 12, National Farmers’ Day, Americans honor the hardworking people who keep the world fed and clothed.

But the farming labor force has a problem: It’s aging rapidly.

The average American farmer is 57 and a half years old, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s up sharply from 1978, when the figure was just a smidge over 50.

Conclusion:

Also in 2024, the USDA will release its next Census of Agriculture, giving researchers new insight into America’s farming workforce. We expect it will show that the average age of U.S. farmers has reached a new all-time high.

If you believe otherwise – well, we wouldn’t bet the farm.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/americas- ... m-211330

[caltrek]

Experts Warn of Risk of Civil Unrest in UK Due to Food Shortages
October 12, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) A shortage of popular carbohydrates such as wheat, bread, pasta, and cereal are most likely to trigger civil unrest, say the experts, who work across academia, policy, charities, and business.

The new analysis of frailties within the UK’s food system has been led by researchers from the University of York and Anglia Ruskin University, and is published in the journal Sustainability.

In the study, civil unrest is classified as over 30,000 people in the UK suffering violent injury in one year through events such as demonstrations and violent looting.

Just over 40% of the food experts surveyed believe that civil unrest in the UK in the next 10 years was either possible (38%) or more likely than not (3%). Over the next 50 years, this increased to nearly 80% of experts believing civil unrest was either possible (45%), more likely than not (24%), or very likely (10%).

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1004511

Read the Sustainability article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/20/14783

[caltrek]

Coffee and Cocoa Plants at Risk from Pollinator Loss
October 12, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurrekalert) Tropical crops such as coffee, cocoa, watermelon and mango may be at risk due to the loss of insect pollinators, finds a new study led by UCL and Natural History Museum researchers.

Published in Science Advances, the study explores the intricate interplay between climate change, land use change, and their impact on pollinator biodiversity, ultimately revealing significant implications for global crop pollination.

The study, which compiled data from 1,507 crop growing sites around the world and catalogued 3,080 insect pollinator species, exposes a concerning trend – the combined pressures of climate change and agricultural activities have led to substantial declines in both the abundance and richness of insect pollinators.

Crops which depend on pollination by animals to some degree make up around 75% of crops. The model created by the research team looked at which pollination dependent crops were most at threat all the way up to 2050 in the hope of providing a warning to both the agricultural and conservation communities.

Lead author Dr Joe Millard, who completed the study as part of his PhD at the UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, before moving to the Natural History Museum London, said: “Our research indicates that the tropics are likely most at risk when it comes to crop production from pollinator losses, primarily due to the interaction of climate change and land use. While localised risks are highest in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, northern South America, and south-east Asia, the implications of this extend globally via the trade in pollination dependent crops.”

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1004421

[caltrek]

Sustainable Smart Agriculture with a Biodegradable Oil Moisture Sensor
October 16, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Osaka, Japan – Increasingly limited land and water resources has inspired the development of precision agriculture: use of remote sensing technology to monitor air and soil environmental data in real time, to help optimize crop output. Maximizing the sustainability of such technology is critical to proper environmental stewardship and reducing costs.

Now, in a study recently published in Advanced Sustainable Systems, researchers from Osaka University have developed a wirelessly powered soil moisture sensing technology that is largely biodegradable and therefore can be installed in high densities. This work is an important milestone in removing the remaining technical bottlenecks in precision agriculture, such as safe disposal of used sensor devices.

With an increasing global population, it is imperative to optimize agricultural output yet minimize land and water use. Precision agriculture aims to meet these conflicting needs by using sensor networks to gather environmental information for properly allocating resources to cropland when and where these resources are needed. Drones and satellites can capture much information but are not ideal for deducing humidity and soil moisture levels. For optimum data collection, moisture sensing devices must be installed at ground level at high density. If the sensors are not biodegradable, they must be collected at the end of their service life, which can be labor-intensive, rendering them impractical. Achieving both electronic functionality and biodegradability in one technology is the goal of the present work.

"Our system comprises several sensors, a wireless power supply, and a thermal camera for acquiring and transmitting sensing and location data," explains Takaaki Kasuga, lead author of the study. "The in-soil components are largely ecofriendly; composed of a nanopaper substrate, a natural wax protective coating, a carbon heater, and tin conductive lines."

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1004938

For a presentation of the results of the study as published in Advanced Sustainable Systems: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10. ... 202300314