TY - JOUR
T1 - Microalgae-based crop support technologies show multifaceted promise well-suited to looming threats
AU - Siedenburg, Jules R.
AU - Attard, Everaldo
AU - Mamo, Julian A.
AU - Verschoor, Arjan
N1 - Funding information: This research was funded by the Maltese government’s Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation under the project “Agri-food applications of microalgae: Learning from experience about their capacity to foster agricultural sustainability and food security despite climate change”, grant number UM REF:2023_048_UM_MSUN.
Data Availability Statement: The data analysed were derived from resources available in the public domain, namely, the source documents cited. No new data were created for this study. Data sharing is therefore not applicable.
PY - 2024/10/9
Y1 - 2024/10/9
N2 - This review summarises the available evidence on the prospects for using microalgae or their extracts to support crop production. The evidence is limited but suggests technological promise in several distinct ways, namely, higher core productivity, enhanced resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and better-quality produce. The different efficacy pathways of these microalgal technologies were examined to assess their scope to help address key farmer priorities. Their scope to help farmers face climate change and land degradation was a particular focus, given the magnitude of these threats. These microalgal technologies are framed in terms of their pertinence to farmer priorities due to the centrality of farmers to food systems. Notably, farmers’ technology adoption decisions are key to food system outcomes. The findings reported suggest that these crop support technologies could potentially deliver major benefits to farmers, consumers, and the environment. For the moment, however, this emerging literature remains largely neglected. Possible reasons for this are considered, as are potential ways forward. The review focuses particularly on the two most researched and widely available microalgae, the genera Arthrospira and Chlorella, in the interest of highlighting options farmers could adopt rapidly while research on the wider body of microalgae-based crop technologies continues.
AB - This review summarises the available evidence on the prospects for using microalgae or their extracts to support crop production. The evidence is limited but suggests technological promise in several distinct ways, namely, higher core productivity, enhanced resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and better-quality produce. The different efficacy pathways of these microalgal technologies were examined to assess their scope to help address key farmer priorities. Their scope to help farmers face climate change and land degradation was a particular focus, given the magnitude of these threats. These microalgal technologies are framed in terms of their pertinence to farmer priorities due to the centrality of farmers to food systems. Notably, farmers’ technology adoption decisions are key to food system outcomes. The findings reported suggest that these crop support technologies could potentially deliver major benefits to farmers, consumers, and the environment. For the moment, however, this emerging literature remains largely neglected. Possible reasons for this are considered, as are potential ways forward. The review focuses particularly on the two most researched and widely available microalgae, the genera Arthrospira and Chlorella, in the interest of highlighting options farmers could adopt rapidly while research on the wider body of microalgae-based crop technologies continues.
KW - agricultural innovations
KW - climate adaptation
KW - crop production
KW - food security
KW - food systems transformation
KW - land degradation
KW - microalgae
KW - nature-based solutions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207734127&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/environments11100220
DO - 10.3390/environments11100220
M3 - Review article
SN - 2076-3298
VL - 11
JO - Environments
JF - Environments
IS - 10
M1 - 220
ER -