Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2024 | Viewed by 1290

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Policy & Development, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AD, UK
Interests: crop production; soil–plant interactions; plant nutrition; sustainable food systems; climate change; underutilized crops
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Guest Editor
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne, Australia
Interests: delivery of cereal water productivity traits; statistical and quantitative genetics; phenomics in breeding; grain yield; filling period
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fundamental purpose of agriculture is to produce nutritious food for people. This production needs to be carried out in a way that it does not permanently degrade the environment or result in the loss of habitats for other organisms.

These are challenging objectives. As such, the aim of this Special Issue is to examine what ‘sustainable agriculture’ may look like in different parts of the world as the human population continues to increase, climate changes and becomes more variable, and the means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are implemented. Different views and contributions about how sustainable production systems might emerge are welcome and could include aspects of regenerative, low-input, climate-smart, net-zero, intensified, mixed or conservation production systems. Articles that include data about the nutritional value of the crops and animals to humans in addition to details about production methods and yields are particularly encouraged. We are also keen to explore how sustainable production systems can lead to a more efficient processing of products and thereby contribute to more sustainable food systems.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Agronomy.

Prof. Dr. Peter J. Gregory
Dr. Greg Rebetzke
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • production systems
  • sustainable intensification
  • regenerative agriculture
  • vertical farming
  • integrated pest management
  • nutritious food
  • food security
  • sustainable agriculture

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 8336 KiB  
Article
Land Carrying Capacity in China: A Perspective on Food Nutritional Demand
by Jinyi Zhang, Li Tan, Dong Ai, Fei Lun, Nan Wang, Mengbing Wu and Jinmin Hao
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4378; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244378 - 5 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1015
Abstract
The sustainable and stable population support capacity of a country or region is of great concern. This study proposes a new method for evaluating the land carrying capacity (LCC) based on food nutrition demand and establishes a clear link between nutritional health and [...] Read more.
The sustainable and stable population support capacity of a country or region is of great concern. This study proposes a new method for evaluating the land carrying capacity (LCC) based on food nutrition demand and establishes a clear link between nutritional health and land. We delved into the evolving dynamics of food consumption and production structures in China between 1990 and 2020, with a focus on the spatial variations among its 31 provinces. The objectives of this study were to assess the status of LCC, identify the critical nutritional factors constraining LCC enhancement, and propose differentiated pathways for improving LCC. The results showed that: (1) There has been a steady increase in the annual consumption of animal-based products, while plant-based product consumption has declined. (2) Overall, food supply capacity has expanded, displaying an “east high, west low” trend, resulting in an imbalanced food supply level. (3) The LCC for energy and carbohydrates exhibited continuous fluctuating growth but displayed a declining trend after 2018. (4) The pressure on land carrying capacity has shifted from a state of “surplus” to “abundant surplus,” signifying a safe food system level. However, significant spatial variations persist, leading to shortages and surpluses. Therefore, this work suggests that addressing these disparities requires the optimization of food consumption structures and increasing the supply of animal-based foods. This approach leverages regional advantages and reduces disparities in regional LCCs. This study provides a valuable reference for ensuring food security in response to unprecedented global changes in sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security)
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