Currently, the world relies on four major staple crops for food and non-food needs: wheat, rice, maize, and soybean. These are mostly grown in monoculture systems, oftentimes being dependent on high inputs (fertilizers and water).
Concomitantly, the world is getting hotter… but not in a cool way! The world’s climate is changing. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increased by 30% since preindustrial times and is anticipated to reach 1000 ppm by 2100 (more than double the current levels). These increased levels of CO2 are pushing global temperatures to extremes, which in turn lead to an increased risk of drought. As such, climate change is expected to impair the nutritional value of staple food-commodities threatening global food security, particularly concerning micronutrient and protein dietary deficiencies in developing countries.
When looking at the impact of the changing climate conditions so far, agricultural production has already suffered a great amount of damage from the increasing global temperatures and drought, having acute grain yield reductions. And this is expected to become acuter and accelerated with time, challenging our ecosystems, agriculture, and economy. This pinpoints the importance of agricultural diversification, specifically, to include a wider range of resilient crop species and agricultural systems that could be more adapted to the upcoming climates. For example, crops that are currently underutilized could contribute to agricultural diversification and be a great support for more sustainable agricultural systems.
Current knowledge is still unclear in regards to the impact of these upcoming events on plants’ nutritional composition. Gathering this knowledge will contribute to the development of efficient responses to mitigate the negative effects of climate changes at the agricultural systems, economic, societal, and environmental levels. Hence, this Research Topic focusing on the effect of climate change (increased levels of CO2, heat, drought) on the nutrient composition of staple foods, towards better management practices to mitigate climate current and projected change scenarios. To this end, we welcome all type of articles, including original research, method, opinion, and review articles, focused on agronomic, genetic, metabolic, and nutritional analyses, as well as on the environmental, societal, political, and governance mechanisms that can be used to develop the mitigation protocols to improve our food systems.
Currently, the world relies on four major staple crops for food and non-food needs: wheat, rice, maize, and soybean. These are mostly grown in monoculture systems, oftentimes being dependent on high inputs (fertilizers and water).
Concomitantly, the world is getting hotter… but not in a cool way! The world’s climate is changing. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increased by 30% since preindustrial times and is anticipated to reach 1000 ppm by 2100 (more than double the current levels). These increased levels of CO2 are pushing global temperatures to extremes, which in turn lead to an increased risk of drought. As such, climate change is expected to impair the nutritional value of staple food-commodities threatening global food security, particularly concerning micronutrient and protein dietary deficiencies in developing countries.
When looking at the impact of the changing climate conditions so far, agricultural production has already suffered a great amount of damage from the increasing global temperatures and drought, having acute grain yield reductions. And this is expected to become acuter and accelerated with time, challenging our ecosystems, agriculture, and economy. This pinpoints the importance of agricultural diversification, specifically, to include a wider range of resilient crop species and agricultural systems that could be more adapted to the upcoming climates. For example, crops that are currently underutilized could contribute to agricultural diversification and be a great support for more sustainable agricultural systems.
Current knowledge is still unclear in regards to the impact of these upcoming events on plants’ nutritional composition. Gathering this knowledge will contribute to the development of efficient responses to mitigate the negative effects of climate changes at the agricultural systems, economic, societal, and environmental levels. Hence, this Research Topic focusing on the effect of climate change (increased levels of CO2, heat, drought) on the nutrient composition of staple foods, towards better management practices to mitigate climate current and projected change scenarios. To this end, we welcome all type of articles, including original research, method, opinion, and review articles, focused on agronomic, genetic, metabolic, and nutritional analyses, as well as on the environmental, societal, political, and governance mechanisms that can be used to develop the mitigation protocols to improve our food systems.
