Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2024

Policies for supporting domestic grain production propose converting large areas of marginal and low-grade arable land into strategic cropland reserves. This process will require advances in science and land engineering, and presents opportunities to revitalize social, economic and ecological systems in rural China.

Despite decades of resistance in the USA, agroecology is gaining momentum as a catalyst for food systems transformation, calling for coordinated action between science, practice and movement to dismantle the dominant industrial paradigm.

Crop migration driven by climate change can exacerbate environmental pressures. Addressing the technical and socioeconomic challenges that hinder widespread adoption of sustainable practices is crucial for realizing climate-smart agriculture.

Food systems innovations — including strategic adoption of crop and livestock breeding technologies, land-use optimization and food waste inhibitors — diminish the need to import protein and avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

The complex realities of most countries grappling with zinc deficiency pose challenges to the implementation of highly compliant, mandatory, large-scale food fortification programmes.

Mariculture, or aquaculture in marine coastal environments, can contribute towards projected food demand increases. Greenhouse gas emissions from mariculture, including methane and nitrous oxide, could be 40% lower than emissions from land-based aquaculture.

Accurately assessing the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity is key to the development of effective and sustainable adaptation strategies. This Perspective discusses the main sources of uncertainty in such impact assessments and proposes strategies for improved crop modelling.

Ahead of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Strategic Plan for 2026–2031, this Perspective proposes changes to three decision-making elements influencing how Codex sets food standards—namely, mandates, governance and risk assessment—so that new standards enable healthy and sustainable food systems.

Data on chemical concentrations in commonly recommended diets are sparse. This study estimates the association between adherence to three dietary patterns considered healthy and exposure to environmental chemicals in a multi-racial pregnancy cohort, underscoring the need for increased regulation and monitoring of environmental contaminants.

This study reveals that wheat migration as a strategy for climate adaptation lacks sustainability in the North China Plain. Irrigation and fertilization management provide mitigation opportunities to reduce negative environmental impacts and avoid carbon leakage.

China’s feed imports have a considerable environmental impact globally. This modelling study quantifies China’s potential protein self-sufficiency by simulating farming spatial relocation according to irrigation water and nitrogen surplus, as well as technological innovations and demand-side measures.

Knowing how consumers allocate their budget among different food categories helps us understand their preferences, priorities and economic accessibility. This study investigates the convergence of budget shares for total food, stimulants, raw food categories and ultra-processed foods and beverages across more than 90 countries over the past decades.

Reducing China’s methane emissions is key to achieving carbon neutrality. Using four national-scale field surveys, a high-resolution dataset of Chinese methane emissions over the period 1990−2020 is compiled and used to estimate past and future emission trajectories while highlighting cost-effective mitigation measures.

Combining observations and biogeochemical theories, mariculture greenhouse gas emissions are estimated in comparison with freshwater aquaculture. Climate-friendly farm designs, species selection and low-density operational practices can mitigate damage to marine ecosystems and avoid carbon loss.

Using food balance sheet data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, this study shows that mandatory large-scale food fortification programmes in the 40 countries where zinc deficiency is considered a public health problem could considerably reduce the prevalence of inadequate dietary zinc intake globally.