![]() ![]() European countries produce approximately 90 million tons of agricultural wastes per year. Waste production is another relevant issue of the primary sector. In addition, agriculture (cultivation of crops, livestock and deforestation) is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions producing about 24% of the total annual worldwide amount. Īgriculture uses inefficiently the conventional inputs (land, water, energy, fertilizers and pesticides), and a large fraction of plant protection products applied per year are lost or are unavailable to the target. Some examples are the following: (i) How will we feed our children? (ii) How can we simultaneously deliver increased crop yields and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture? (iii) How do plants contribute to the ecosystem services (e.g., photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and organic matter cycle) upon which humanity depends? Will world agricultural systems be able to cope with global climate change?. Thus, in the very near future, scientific research will be requested to provide new paradigms and practices to solve highly complex and diverse problems. ![]() On the other hand, producing more food requires natural resources, land consumption, water supply and energy. This implies that new systems for food, water and energy will be needed to ensure food security. The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100. However, the field application of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) has not been properly investigated yet, and many aspects have only been considered theoretically or with models, which make it difficult to properly assess the usefulness of ENMs for plant fertilization and protection. Such expectations are coupled with some uncertainties about the fate of nanomaterials in the agro-environment. Nanotechnology is a rapidly evolving field with the potential to take forward the agriculture and food industry with new tools which promise to increase food production in a sustainable manner and to protect crops from pests. Considering that the human pressure over natural resources has already reached critical levels, international agencies such as the World Bank and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are soliciting scientific research in order to identify innovative solutions to support the primary sector. This will pose serious problems with food, water and energy supply, particularly in less-developed countries. The prediction that in 2050 our planet will be populated by over 9 billion people is quite reliable. ![]()
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