In 2015, 34% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions were caused by the food system, according to this paper - a proportion that has fallen over time. Most of these emissions (71%) were from agriculture and land use or land use change, with the rest from other supply chain stages.

In this article for the Institute of Food Technologists, Liz Specht of the Good Food Institute explores the role that microbial fermentation can play in the alternative protein sector. Specht groups microbial fermentation techniques into three classes: traditional fermentation such as cheese and yoghurt; biomass fermentation such as Quorn and tempeh; and precision fermentation for producing specific molecules, e.g. the heme protein used by Impossible Foods.

According to this infographic from the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (an academic institution within the US Department of Defence), acute food insecurity in Africa has increased by 60% from 2019 to 2020. The causes in various regions are conflict, road closures due to COVID-19, flooding, locusts, and hyperinflation. 

This book, aimed at first year undergraduate students, defines agroecology and the agricultural practices associated with it.

This book gives an overview of the phytomicrobiome - that is, the microbes that live in and around plants - and how it affects agricultural productivity. It is aimed at students, policymakers and researchers of plant biology.

This briefing paper from UK food waste NGO Feedback argues that supermarkets’ strong influence on the food system means they must act urgently if the UK is to significantly reduce meat and dairy consumption - and associated greenhouse gas emissions - over the next decade. 

This synthesis report by the United Nations Environment Programme examines how climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution can be tackled as part of the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, including by transforming food, water and energy systems.

This white paper, funded by Our Land and Water (one of 11 National Science Challenges run by the New Zealand government) and the NEXT Foundation, explores what regenerative agriculture means in the context of New Zealand and identifies 17 topics where more research is required. It acknowledges the alignment between regenerative agriculture and Māori food practices and knowledge.

This report by the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London summarises the qualitative research methods that are available to help understand how people interact with food environments, including interviews, community observation and photo elicitation. The report notes that there has been relatively little qualitative (compared to quantitative) research on lived experiences of food environments, and that existing qualitative research often guides commercial product development but is less often used to inform policy.