In response, researchers have turned to microbiology and the use of manure to develop new strategies. As such, the development of alternative measures that are sustainable yet cost-effective is increasingly necessary. More than ever before, food security now affects dimensions beyond the resources needed for rapidly growing populations due to its effect on economic and environmental dynamics.įurthermore, with the rapidly decreasing availability of arable land, the use of mineral fertilizers has soared across agricultural systems for decades around the world despite widespread environmental consequences. While the number of people that suffer from a lack of adequate nourishment around the world has decreased from 18.6 percent in the 1990s to 11 percent since 2015, this enduring issue is further conflated by global climate change and increasing socioeconomic disparities between nations.
Image Credit: kram-9/ The need to improve plant growth in today’s world By James Ducker Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.įertilizers have been used since the dawn of agricultural civilization to boost plant health, yet the demands of a rapidly developing population combined with the emerging issues of global environmental change means that sustainable, effective strategies are needed now more than ever.
