Global phosphate production is set to peak in 2030, around the same time the world’s population will reach nine billion. As a finite resource, a phosphate shortage will effect global food production.
As climate change alters temperature and rainfall patterns, yields of some crops are increasing while others decline. The net result: less food, especially where it’s most needed.
With each industrial revolution, food production and distribution has been revolutionized. With the current Fourth Industrial Revolution, can we address inequalities in food distribution?
Australian wheat growers need to boost yields to stay competitive in the face of climate change. They could do this by sowing earlier, but need new varieties of wheat to help them do it.
Urban farming can make it easier for city residents to obtain healthy, affordable food. But to raise big yields from small pieces of land, farmers need training and support.
To improve access to locally grown food and help prevent disruptions to supply chains caused by climate change, we need to support farming on the fringes of cities.
An ancient relationship between plants and fungi could be used in sustainable agriculture. But there’s still a lot we don’t know, and new research suggests these fungi can sometimes do more harm than good.