By Abbas Nazil
Climate change is not only threatening global food production but is also reducing the nutritional quality of staple crops, prompting scientists to call for the accelerated development of climate-resilient and nutrient-rich crop varieties to strengthen future food security.
A new scientific review published in the journal Nature highlights how rising temperatures, prolonged drought, salinity and other climate-related stresses are affecting both crop yields and the essential vitamins and minerals contained in major food crops consumed by billions of people worldwide.
Researchers from Ghent University and several international partner institutions argue that future agricultural systems must move beyond simply increasing food production and instead focus on producing crops that deliver higher nutritional value while remaining resilient under changing environmental conditions.
According to the researchers, more than two billion people globally suffer from hidden hunger, a form of malnutrition that occurs when individuals consume enough calories but fail to obtain adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals needed for healthy growth and development.
The problem is particularly significant because staple crops such as rice, wheat, maize, potatoes and cassava form the foundation of diets across many regions of the world.
Although these crops provide much of the world’s energy requirements, they often do not supply sufficient micronutrients to prevent nutritional deficiencies, especially among vulnerable populations.
Scientists warn that climate change is making this challenge even more severe by reducing the nutritional quality of these important crops, creating an additional burden for farmers, plant breeders and food systems already under pressure from extreme weather events.
The review concludes that future crop improvement programmes must simultaneously achieve three critical objectives.
These include increasing agricultural productivity, enhancing the nutritional quality of food crops and strengthening their ability to withstand drought, heat, soil salinity and other climate-related stresses.
Professor Dominique Van Der Straeten of Ghent University said future crops must combine higher yields with improved nutritional quality and greater resilience to the consequences of climate change if they are to meet the needs of a growing global population.
To achieve these goals, researchers recommend combining conventional plant breeding with modern genetic technologies.
Among the promising innovations identified is CRISPR-based genome editing, which enables scientists to make precise genetic modifications that can improve both nutritional characteristics and tolerance to environmental stress.
The researchers note that such technologies could help increase the concentration of essential vitamins and minerals in staple crops while also improving their ability to survive under increasingly difficult growing conditions.
However, the authors emphasise that no single scientific method can address the complex challenges facing global agriculture.
Instead, they advocate integrating conventional breeding techniques with biotechnology and other modern approaches to develop crop varieties suited to different farming systems, climates and local production environments.
They believe that combining multiple scientific tools will provide the greatest opportunity to improve both crop performance and nutritional outcomes.
The review also builds on decades of research undertaken by Ghent University to improve the nutritional quality of staple crops.
The institution has earned international recognition for its work in enhancing vitamin levels in important food crops through plant biotechnology and related research.
Scientists hope the publication will draw greater global attention to crop nutrition as a fundamental component of food security strategies.
As climate change continues to alter agricultural conditions and the world’s population continues to grow, experts argue that ensuring crops provide adequate nutrients alongside sufficient food production will become increasingly important.
They maintain that strengthening the nutritional quality and climate resilience of staple crops will play a vital role in reducing hidden hunger, protecting public health and supporting sustainable agriculture in the decades ahead.
