About ‘Atoms4Food’
- Genesis: Jointly launched by IAEA and FAO at the 2023 World Food Forum in Rome (Italy).
- Purpose:
- To provide countries with tailored solutions by harnessing the advantages of nuclear techniques along with other advanced technologies to enhance agricultural and livestock productivity, reduce food losses, etc.
- To help countries boost food security and to tackle growing hunger.
- Nearly 600 million people are projected to be chronically undernourished by 2030 (FAO).
- By 2050 the world’s population will have increased by one-third, mostly in developing countries (UN).
Nuclear Technologies for agriculture
- Irradiation technique: Extends shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects.
- Fallout radionuclide (FRN) technique: Analyzes soil radionuclide concentrations to measure erosion patterns.
- Cosmic-ray neutron sensor (CRNS) technology: Measures soil moisture over large areas by detecting cosmic ray neutrons reflected from soil.
- Radioimmunoassay (RIA) technology: Detects hormone levels in animals enabling precise timing for artificial insemination.
- Sterile insect technique (SIT): Controls pests by releasing sterilized insects to mate with wild populations.
- Other technologies: Nitrogen-15 to measure nitrogen fixation in roots; isotropic tracing techniques for crop nutrition and water management; etc.
Steps taken by India to leverage nuclear technologies for enhancing food security
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