Food Security

A special issue of Challenges (ISSN 2078-1547).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 July 2013) | Viewed by 15655

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Politics, College of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK
Interests: rural policy analysis and governance with a specific focus on regionalism; sustainable agro-food systems and food security; climate change and rural land use; the historical and contemporary sociology of west country agriculture; farmer environmental attitudes and decision-making, particularly in the context of diffuse pollution and water quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global food security challenge is well recognised in relevant policy and science communities. Many international reports and reviews have been published establishing the broad parameters of the challenge, particularly following the 2008 food price spikes. This special issue will focus on responses to the challenge. How have science priorities evolved and shifted in response, and how much progress has been made? What are the key emerging technologies to address food production and sustainability issues? What have been the economic, social and policy responses? The special issue is particularly seeking papers that will report on research designed to tackle any of the following aspects of the challenge:

• Natural resources — managing and enhancing soils, water and ecosystems to improve global food security sustainably.
• Technology — advances in production efficiency, including precision farming, the application of genomics, and the development of technologies and farming systems suitable for small holding agriculture.
• Disease — developments in plant pathology and biosecurity.
• Waste — technical and social solutions to reducing waste from field to fork.
• Science policy — is funding for agricultural R&D adequate and well directed, what is are the respective roles for public and private research, what are the emerging research priorities?
• Agro-food systems — are global (and local) systems of production and distribution fit for purpose? Is the nutrition transition a ‘given’ or should responding to the food security challenge involve changing consumer trends?

Prof. Dr. Michael Winter
Guest Editor

 

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Keywords

  • food security
  • sustainable intensification
  • agricultural technology
  • plant pathology
  • agro-food systems
  • food waste
  • nutrition transition

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

1143 KiB  
Review
Climate Strategic Soil Management
by Rattan Lal
Challenges 2014, 5(1), 43-74; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe5010043 - 13 Feb 2014
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 15166
Abstract
The complex and strong link between soil degradation, climate change and food insecurity is a global challenge. Sustainable agricultural systems must be integral to any agenda to address climate change and variability, improve renewable fresh water supply and quality, restore degraded soils and [...] Read more.
The complex and strong link between soil degradation, climate change and food insecurity is a global challenge. Sustainable agricultural systems must be integral to any agenda to address climate change and variability, improve renewable fresh water supply and quality, restore degraded soils and ecosystems and advance food security. These challenges are being exacerbated by increasing population and decreasing per capita arable land area and renewable fresh water supply, the increasing frequency of extreme events, the decreasing resilience of agroecosystems, an increasing income and affluent lifestyle with growing preference towards meat-based diet and a decreasing soil quality and use efficiency of inputs. Reversing these downward spirals implies the implementation of proven technologies, such as conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, precision agriculture, agroforestry systems, etc. Restoration of degraded soil and desertified ecosystems and the creation of positive soil and ecosystem C budgets are important. Urban agriculture and green roofs can reduce the energy footprint of production chains for urban and non-urban areas and enhance the recycling of by-products. Researchable priorities include sustainable land use and soil/water management options, judicious soil governance and modus operandi towards payments to land managers for the provisioning of ecosystem services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Security)
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