scholarly journals Climatic clustering and longitudinal analysis with impacts on food, bioenergy, and pandemics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Lagergren ◽  
Mikaela Cashman ◽  
Verónica G. Melesse Vergara ◽  
Paul R. Eller ◽  
Joao Gabriel Felipe Machado Gazolla ◽  
...  

AbstractPredicted growth in world population will put unparalleled stress on the need for sustainable energy and global food production, as well as increase the likelihood of future pandemics. In this work, we identify high-resolution environmental zones in the context of a changing climate and predict longitudinal processes relevant to these challenges. We do this using exhaustive vector comparison methods that measure the climatic similarity between all locations on earth at high geospatial resolution. The results are captured as networks, in which edges between geolocations are defined if their historical climates exceed a similarity threshold. We then apply Markov clustering and our novel Correlation of Correlations method to the resulting climatic networks, which provides unprecedented agglomerative and longitudinal views of climatic relationships across the globe. The methods performed here resulted in the fastest (9.37 × 1018 operations/sec) and one of the largest (168.7 × 1021 operations) scientific computations ever performed, with more than 100 quadrillion edges considered for a single climatic network. Correlation and network analysis methods of this kind are widely applicable across computational and predictive biology domains, including systems biology, ecology, carbon cycles, biogeochemistry, and zoonosis research.

Author(s):  
Saurabh Kumar Srivastava ◽  
Ankita Anshul ◽  
Pramod Pathak ◽  
Jayshri Bansal

The world population crossed seven billion during year 2011 and is expected to touch the mark of 9.3 billion by the year 2050. This increase in number of people all over the world will invariably lead to an increase in demand of food at a humongous scale. In a report prepared for the Global Food Security Programme, Bond et al. (2013) pointed that against the whopping 50-70% inflation projected in food demand, around 868 million people are struggling with under nourishment all over the globe whereas approx. one third of global food production ends up as waste. As a developing nation still battling the devils of poverty, corruption and skewed income distribution, India has not been able to solve or manage the conundrum of food wastage over the years and each year witnesses tons of food going to garbage at various stages of production, supply and consumption. However, it is crucial to investigate and assess the causes and impact of food wastage in order to take steps towards reducing losses and wastage in the entire food production and consumption system. This paper endeavors to uncover the causes and cases of food wastage in Indian households and commercial enterprises. It also underlines the various stages of food production and delivery that contribute to wastage of food in various ways. The paper concludes with taking an account of various causes leading to food wastage in Indian scenario and suggestions on strategies to reduce the scale of food wastage India.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monday Sunday Adiaha

The study surveys the economic value of Maize (Zea mays L) in Nigeria and its impact on global food production. The result analysis proves maize to be of high economic value in Nigeria, contributing massively to global increase in crop production. The crop has shown ability to be used in combating global food shortages. Data of this survey presented that production of maize in Nigeria has raised the standard of living, providing income to smallholder farmers and increased foreign exchange earnings. Utilization of maize in Nigeria ranges from; food, medicinal, pharmaceutical including industrial uses. Increase in maize production across Nigeria has greatly increase land utilization, where more arable land are been covered for the production of this important food crop, in-other to feed the ever-growing world population and as a measure for food/nutrition security, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.


AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Olof Drangert

Abstract The urban world population will increase from 3 to 8.5 thousand million in the 21st century. Cities become hot spots of both demand for water and global food and for disposed used water and nutrients. Sustainability requires that resource flows through our cities are co-managed and connected to agriculture. Reduced use of harmful chemicals in consumer products facilitates treatment to a quality that allows reuse/recycling of water and nutrients. A solid and liquid waste hierarchy can assist in ordering measures. A novel flexible water balance can guide city infrastructure and keep toilet water separate. New water-saving equipment can substantially reduce water use without losing personal comfort. The combination of these new approaches ascertains access to safe urban water, and that recovered nutrients from cities can substitute half of chemical fertilisers needed in food production. Now, thousands of new cities and suburbs provide unique opportunities to develop resource-smart and sustainable flows.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alfredo Blakeley-Ruiz ◽  
Carlee S. McClintock ◽  
Ralph Lydic ◽  
Helen A. Baghdoyan ◽  
James J. Choo ◽  
...  

Abstract The Hooks et al. review of microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) literature provides a constructive criticism of the general approaches encompassing MGB research. This commentary extends their review by: (a) highlighting capabilities of advanced systems-biology “-omics” techniques for microbiome research and (b) recommending that combining these high-resolution techniques with intervention-based experimental design may be the path forward for future MGB research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Roberts

Since its early rudimentary forms, phosphate fertilizer has developed in step with our understanding of successful food production systems. Recognized as essential to life, the responsible use P in agriculture remains key to food security.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ghislain de Marsily

In 2000, the World population was 6.2 billion; it reached 7 billion in 2012 and should reach 9.5 billion (±0.4) in 2050 and 11 billion (±1.5) in 2100, according to UN projections. The trend after 2100 is still one of global demographic growth, but after 2060, Africa would be the only continent where the population would still increase. The amount of water consumed annually to produce the food necessary to meet the needs varies greatly between countries, from about 600 to 2,500 m<sup>3</sup>/year per capita, depending on their wealth, their food habits (particularly meat consumption), and the percentage of food waste they generate. In 2000, the total food production was on the order of 3,300 million tons (in cereal equivalents). In 2019, about 0.8 billion inhabitants of the planet still suffer from hunger and do not get the nutrition they need to be in good health or, in the case of children, to grow properly (both physically and intellectually). Assuming a World average water consumption for food of 1,300 m<sup>3</sup>/year per capita in 2000, 1,400 m<sup>3</sup>/year in 2050, and 1,500 m<sup>3</sup>/year in 2100, a volume of water of around 8,200 km<sup>3</sup>/year was needed in 2000, 13,000 km<sup>3</sup>/year will be needed in 2050, and 16,500 km<sup>3</sup>/year in 2100. Will that much water be available on earth? Can there be conflicts related to a food deficit? Some preliminary answers and scenarios for food production will be given from a hydrologist viewpoint.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 638
Author(s):  
Yuki Yano ◽  
Tetsuya Nakamura ◽  
Satoshi Ishitsuka ◽  
Atsushi Maruyama

Vertical indoor farming under artificial lighting has gained attention as a novel means of food production. However, consumer acceptance of vegetable crops grown under artificial conditions is not well understood. Our nationwide online survey of 289 Russians gathered attitudes and opinions toward vertically farmed vegetables. Employing an ordered logit model and a two-mode co-occurrence network analysis, we show how respondents’ attitudes relate to their key demographic characteristics and opinions about the vegetables. Results indicate that respondents’ attitudes are heterogeneous and related to their region of residence, income level, and opinions regarding nutrients, safety, and taste. Respondents in the Central and Volga districts exhibited less favorable attitudes. Less favorably inclined respondents viewed the produce as unnatural, less nutritious, bad-tasting, and even dangerous, presumably because of misconceptions or lack of knowledge. On the other hand, respondents with monthly income above RUB 60,001 (1018 USD, 867 EURO) had relatively positive attitudes toward such vegetables. Respondents having positive attitudes saw the vegetables as safe, tasty, and of good quality. We discuss the political and commercial implications of these findings.


foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.


2021 ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Bryan Jenkins

A sustainability framework based on nested adaptive socio-ecological systems is used to analyse historical examples of soil erosion and its implications for food production and security for a growing population. While there are examples of innovation in agriculture to address food availability, there are also cases of inadequate social responses leading to famine. The analysis highlights the value of considering these issues in a framework of linked biophysical and socio-economic systems. The socio-economic system generates management interventions to resolve biophysical limitations such as soil depletion on food production. The socio-economic system is also responsible when there are inadequate social responses. Currently, the biophysical system produces enough food to feed the world population. However, food distribution through the socio-economic system results in increasing numbers of undernourished people. Biophysical system modelling indicates that unless major changes are made to the current world system, overshoot because of resource depletion will lead to system collapse within the 21st century. To develop sustainability strategies, we need to analyse the socio-economic response to this biophysical vulnerability. A socio-ecological analysis also indicates that perspectives based on power relations that govern real-world decision making rather than sustainability interventions to address food security, need to be incorporated.


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