COP27 Adaptation & Agriculture day

Worldwide, 822 million people are afflicted by malnourishment, and approximately 9 million die yearly of hunger and hunger-related diseases. Every year up to 40% of crop yields and millions of livestock are lost due to pests and disease. Nuclear techniques can help prevent this.

Techniques such as the sterile insect technique (SIT) use ionizing radiation to sterilize specially bred male insects, which then compete with wild males to mate with females. The females that mate with the sterilized males produce infertile eggs, reducing the insect population. This technique has been used successfully to control two serious fruit fly pests, the Mexican fruit fly and the Mediterranean fruit fly, and livestock-killing insects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Another exciting application is Food irradiation, which helps preserve food for longer. This technique can eliminate pathogens such as E. coli, listeria and salmonella, and bacteria that would otherwise cause food to rot more quickly. Nuclear technologies in food and agriculture improve the yield of crops, help reduce the losses due to pests and insects, and help maintain food fresh for longer, thus increasing the global available food supply.

All of this becomes more relevant as we move to responsible production practices and in attaining SDG2 Zero Hunger.

Today at COP27 on Adaptation & Agriculture day we are sharing this important information and how can nuclear science and technology can help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for a better future for all.