Climate change reduces the nutritional value of food – 7/3/2023 – Science

Among the most varied consequences of climate change, the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere can result in the reduction of nutrients in food plants. Basically, the greater the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere –and the expectation is that it will continue to grow–, the tendency is for plants to synthesize more carbohydrates, such as glucose, in place of other essential nutrients for human health, such as proteins, iron and zinc.

It was with this observation that biologist Marta Vasconcelos, from the Catholic University of Portugal, opened the lecture held on Friday (30/06), at FAPESP, on “Climate Change, Plant Nutrition and Food Production”, the third of the Conferences cycle FAPESP 2023.

“A [descoberta relativa à] nutritional reduction in food was personally catastrophic, because I did my PhD in biofortification of rice for iron. Then I continued to try to improve the iron content in legumes, and suddenly I realized that heaven was against me. So I almost took this affront personally and decided to investigate how we can save the nutrients in our food”, said Vasconcelos jokingly.

The researcher is deputy director of the Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF), where she leads the Environment and Resources Group and the PlanTech Laboratory (Plant Nutrition and Biotechnology for Sustainability). Her group works at the interface between plant and human nutrition and promotes nutrient-rich plant-based foods for more sustainable agri-food systems. She has a long and successful track record of coordinating and participating in projects dealing with crop diversification, value chains, plant nutrition and genetic resources.

“In the case of beans, for example, a study carried out by my group showed that iron was lost at very high levels, between 38% and 39%. However, this occurred in only six of the 18 varieties analyzed. But what happens? is that producers and farmers are not always aware of these issues related to varieties. Normally, the selection of what to plant is related to yield and resistance to pests. But it is important that we are also aware that there are nutritionally more resilient varieties than others,” he pointed out.

In addition to studies on the variability of beans, the researcher presented research results related to the cultivation and nutritional content of chickpeas, lentils, peas and tomatoes.

For the researcher, legumes play an important role in combating climate change. “Leguminous plants are ‘natural fertilizers’ for the soil and promote biodiversity. They promote the diversification of crops and value chains in various types of production systems, including agroforestry. And I think they are a great opportunity for Brazil, as they are the world’s largest bean producer,” he said.

It is worth noting that Portugal and Brazil are completely different realities. In Brazil, rice and beans are the population’s staple food and the country is the largest producer of legumes in the world –20% of the beans consumed in the world are produced in Brazil–, at the same time that, in 2021, food insecurity reached 77 million people in the country.

“In Portugal, 73% of food is imported. It is not common to eat beans and when it comes to the consumption of meat, fish and eggs, it appears that the population consumes three times what it should”, said Vasconcelos.

Vasconcelos also addressed what he calls the paradox of legumes: “In Europe, we don’t want genetically modified food. We want to reduce meat consumption and increase consumption of legumes. However, we import them. [geneticamente modificadas] and we use them for animal feed”, he lamented.

three axes

In Vasconcelos’ assessment, the strategy to produce nutritious food despite climate change can be divided into three main axes. First, the issue related to nature. In addition to protecting and restoring ecosystems and transitioning to renewable energies, one of the drivers for these changes is consumption.

“There is a concept of homogeneity in what we eat. Do you think we eat more or less differently than our ancestors? It doesn’t matter if we are in São Paulo, Lisbon or Porto, we are all eating the same foods and worse, the same varieties of the same foods,” he said.

The second axis is related to innovation in production. “It is necessary to diversify crops, to invest in regenerative agricultural practices. To study the resistance of plants to multiple stresses, for example, to the effects of drought and the increase in CO2. And of course [investir na] digitization”, he pointed out.

Finally, the last axis is associated with a change in diet. “We as consumers must demand more sustainable, more local and more diversified food, in addition to reducing the consumption of poorly produced animal protein”, he defended.

Marta Vasconcelos’ conference can be watched in full here.

More information about the Fapesp 2023 Conference series can be found at this link.