Maintaining the integrity of mother Earth is vital for the survival of life, economic prosperity, and other aspects. Global civilization cannot and should not ignore the planet’s deteriorating health as a result. The framework for building a better, more prosperous future for all is provided by the Sustainable development goals. The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were announced by the United Nations (UN) on September 25, 2015, with the aim of “transforming the globe” by 2030. Current and next technological developments can address every facet of food sustainability. Using early detection systems and smart farming are two examples of these solutions. Biotechnology has the potential to directly and indirectly contribute to the SDGs’ accomplishment. To achieve SDG-2, which aims to eradicate hunger by achieving food and nutritional security, improving essential nutrients, and promoting sustainable development, agricultural biotechnology, for instance, may be utilized to boost the production and nutritional content of agricultural products. In a comparable vein by guaranteeing healthy lifestyles and promoting well-being for everyone at all phases, biotechnology can be crucial in diagnosing, treating, and coping with epidemics or newly emerging diseases, restoring or improving ecosystems, and reaching SDG-3, which relates to outstanding health and well-being. This chapter outlines the difficulties of guaranteeing food security, some technical and scientific solutions that can address these issues, the specific socio-cultural, ecological, and local variables that exacerbate food insecurity, and the sustainable development goals of biotechnology that aim to achieve “Zero Hunger” by 2030.

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1. Mutyasira V, Hoag D, Pendell D. The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by smallholder farmers in Ethiopian highlands: An integrative approach. Cogent Food Agric. 2018;4:155–439.
2. Läpple D, Kelley H. Understanding the uptake of organic farming: Accounting for heterogeneities among Irish farmers. Ecol Econ. 2013;88:11–19.
3. Lalani B, Dorward P, Holloway G, Wauters E. Smallholder farmers’ motivations for using Conservation Agriculture and the roles of yield, labour and soil fertility in decision making. Agric Syst. 2016;146:80–90.
4. Ajayi OC, Akinnifesi FK, Sileshi G, Chakeredza S. Adoption of renewable soil fertility replenishment technologies in the southern African region: Lessons learnt and the way forward. Nat Resour Forum. 2007;31:306–317.
5. Meijer SS, Catacutan D, Ajayi OC, Sileshi GW, Nieuwenhuis M. The role of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions in the uptake of agricultural and agroforestry innovations among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Agric Sustain. 2015;13:40–54.
6. Powlson DS, Stirling CM, Thierfelder C, White RP, Jat ML. Does conservation agriculture deliver climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration in tropical agro-ecosystems? Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2016;220:164–174.
7. Knowler D, Bradshaw B. Farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research. Food Policy. 2007;32:25–48.
8. Garibaldi LA, Carvalheiro LG, Vaissiere BE, Gemmill-Herren B, Hipolito J, Freitas BM. Mutually beneficial pollinator diversity and crop yield outcomes in small and large farms. Science. 2016;351:388–391.
9. Foguesatto CR, Borges JAR, Machado JAD. A review and some reflections on farmers’ adoption of sustainable agricultural practices worldwide. Sci Total Environ. 2020;729:138–831.
10. Béné C, Arthur R, Norbury H, Allison EH, Beveridge M, Bush S. Contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to food security and poverty reduction: assessing the current evidence. World Dev. 2016;79:177–196.
11. Asseng S, Ewert F, Martre P, Rötter RP, Lobell DB, Cammarano D. Rising temperatures reduce global wheat production. Nat Clim Chang. 2015;5:143–147.
12. Santeramo FG, Lamonaca E. Food loss–food waste–food security: a new research agenda. Sustainability. 2021;13:4642.
13. Anderson I, Robson B, Connolly M, Al-Yaman F, Bjertness E, King A. Indigenous and tribal peoples’ health (The Lancet–Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study. Lancet. 2016;388:131–157.
14. Santeramo FG, Lamonaca E. Evaluation of geographical label in consumers decision-making process: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food Res Int. 2020;131:108–995.
15. Santeramo FG, Lamonaca E. The effects of non-tariff measures on agri-food trade: a review and meta-analysis of empirical evidence. J Agric Econ. 2019;70:595–617.
16. Borges JAR, Lansink A, Emvalomatis G. Adoption of innovation in agriculture: A critical review of economic and psychological models. Int J Innov Sustain Dev. 2019;13:36–56.
17. Meschede C. The sustainable development goals in scientific literature: a bibliometric overview at the meta-level. Sustainability. 2020;12:4461.
18. Edwards-Jones G. Modelling farmer decision-making: Concepts, progress, and challenges. Anim Sci. 2006;82:783–790.
19. Rehman T, McKemey K, Yates C, Cooke R, Garforth C, Tranter R, Park J, Dorward P. Identifying and understanding factors influencing the uptake of new technologies on dairy farms in SW England using the theory of reasoned action. Agric Syst. 2007;94:281–293.
20. Siebrecht N. Sustainable agriculture and its implementation gap—overcoming obstacles to implementation. Sustainability. 2020;12:3853.
21. Blesh J, Hoey L, Jones AD, Friedmann H, Perfecto I. Development pathways toward “zero hunger.” World Dev. 2019;118:1–14.
22. Lapão MJC. The sustainable development goals and the community of Portuguese speaking countries (CPLP) in the post-COVID-19 era. Porto Biomed J. 2020;5:e102.
23. de Oca Munguia M, Pannell DJ, Llewellyn R. Understanding the Adoption of Innovations in Agriculture: A Review of Selected Conceptual Models. Agronomy. 2021;11:139.
24. Whitmee S, Rockström J, et al. Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch. Lancet. 2015;386:1973–2028.
25. Morais ME, Binotto F, Borges JAR. Identifying beliefs underlying successors’ intention to take over the farm. Land Use Policy. 2017;68:48–58.
26. Godfray HCJ, Beddington JR, Crute IR, Haddad L, Lawrence D, Muir JF, et al. Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science. 2010;327:812–818.
27. Matthew R, Smith SM. Impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on global human nutrition. Nat Clim Chang. 2018;8:834–837.
28. Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson Å, Chapin FS, Lambin EF, et al. Sustainable intensification of agriculture for human prosperity and global sustainability. Ambio. 2017;46:4–17.
29. Clinton N, Calderon J, Harold J, et al. A global geospatial ecosystem services estimate of urban agriculture. Earth’s Future. 2017;6:40–60.
30. Hira GS. Water management in northern states and the food security of India. J Crop Improv. 2009;23:136–157.
31. Nagarajan L, Tewari S, Padulosi S. Operationalizing the concept of farming system for nutrition through the promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Curr Sci. 2014;106:959–964.
32. Bhaskar V, Seshadri S, Balakrishnan R. Establishing integrated agriculture-nutrition programs to diversify household food and diets in rural India. Food Secur. 2017;5:981–999.
33. Pradhan A, Mishra M, Rout PK. Finger millet in tribal farming systems contributes to increased availability of nutritious food at household level: Insights from India. Agric Res. 2019;8:540–547.
34. Juma C. Preventing hunger: Biotechnology is key. Nature. 2011;479:471–472.
35. Abdallah NA, Hamwieh A, Radwan K, Fouad N, Prakash C. Two decades of GMOs: How can modern biotechnology help meet SDGs? GM Crops Food. 2021;12(2):601–615.
36. Ahmad S, Wei X, Sheng Z, Hu P, Tang S. Advances in functional genomics and applications in crop improvement. Brief Funct Genomics. 2020;19(1):26–39.
37. Ahmad S, Tang L, Shahzad R, Mawia AM, Rao GS, Jamil S, et al. CRISPR-based crop improvements: A way forward to achieve zero hunger. J Agric Food Chem. 2021;69(30):8307–8323.
38. Adenle AA, De SH, Hefferon K, Wesseler JHH. Science, technology, and innovation for sustainable development goals: Insights from agriculture, health, environment, and energy. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2020.
39. Tilman D. The greening of the green revolution. Nature. 1998;396:211–212.
40. Kumar K, Gambhir G, Dass A, Tripathi AK, Singh A, Jha AK, et al. Genetically modified crops: Current status and future prospects. Planta. 2020;251:91.
41. Mackelprang R, Lemaux PG. Genetic engineering and editing of plants: An analysis of new and persisting questions. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2020;71:659–687.
42. Zafar K, Sedeek KEM, Rao GS, Khan MZ, Amin I, Kamel R, et al. Genome editing technologies for rice improvement: Progress, prospects, and safety concerns. Front Genome Ed. 2020;2:5.
43. Sun W, Wang H. Recent advances of genome editing and related technologies in China. Gene Ther. 2020;27:312–320.
44. Oerke EC. Estimated crop losses due to pathogens, animal pests, and weeds. In: Crop Production and Crop Protection. New York: Elsevier Science Publishing; 1994. p.535–97.
45. Voesenek LA, Bailey-Serres J. Flood adaptive traits and processes: An overview. New Phytol. 2015;206:57–73.
46. Flexas J, Carriquí M. Photosynthesis and photosynthetic efficiencies along the terrestrial plant’s phylogeny: Lessons for improving crop photosynthesis. Plant J. 2020;101:964–978.
47. Grassini P, Eskridge K, Cassman K. Distinguishing between yield advances and yield plateaus in historical crop production trends. Nat Commun. 2013;4:2918.
48. Vermeulen SJ, Campbell BM, Ingram JSI. Climate change and food systems. Annu Rev Environ Resour. 2012;37:195–222.
49. Sisay DL, Molla AY, Mulugeta DW. Risk induced farmers’ participation in agricultural innovations: Evidence from a field experiment in eastern Ethiopia. Dev Stud Res. 2019;6:106–117.

Maintaining the integrity of mother Earth is vital for the survival of life, economic prosperity, and other aspects. Global civilization cannot and should not ignore the planet’s deteriorating health as a result. The framework for building a better, more prosperous future for all is provided by the Sustainable development goals. The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were announced by the United Nations (UN) on September 25, 2015, with the aim of “transforming the globe” by 2030. Current and next technological developments can address every facet of food sustainability. Using early detection systems and smart farming are two examples of these solutions. Biotechnology has the potential to directly and indirectly contribute to the SDGs’ accomplishment. To achieve SDG-2, which aims to eradicate hunger by achieving food and nutritional security, improving essential nutrients, and promoting sustainable development, agricultural biotechnology, for instance, may be utilized to boost the production and nutritional content of agricultural products. In a comparable vein by guaranteeing healthy lifestyles and promoting well-being for everyone at all phases, biotechnology can be crucial in diagnosing, treating, and coping with epidemics or newly emerging diseases, restoring or improving ecosystems, and reaching SDG-3, which relates to outstanding health and well-being. This chapter outlines the difficulties of guaranteeing food security, some technical and scientific solutions that can address these issues, the specific socio-cultural, ecological, and local variables that exacerbate food insecurity, and the sustainable development goals of biotechnology that aim to achieve “Zero Hunger” by 2030.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Mutyasira V, Hoag D, Pendell D. The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by smallholder farmers in Ethiopian highlands: An integrative approach. Cogent Food Agric. 2018;4:155–439.
2. Läpple D, Kelley H. Understanding the uptake of organic farming: Accounting for heterogeneities among Irish farmers. Ecol Econ. 2013;88:11–19.
3. Lalani B, Dorward P, Holloway G, Wauters E. Smallholder farmers’ motivations for using Conservation Agriculture and the roles of yield, labour and soil fertility in decision making. Agric Syst. 2016;146:80–90.
4. Ajayi OC, Akinnifesi FK, Sileshi G, Chakeredza S. Adoption of renewable soil fertility replenishment technologies in the southern African region: Lessons learnt and the way forward. Nat Resour Forum. 2007;31:306–317.
5. Meijer SS, Catacutan D, Ajayi OC, Sileshi GW, Nieuwenhuis M. The role of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions in the uptake of agricultural and agroforestry innovations among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Agric Sustain. 2015;13:40–54.
6. Powlson DS, Stirling CM, Thierfelder C, White RP, Jat ML. Does conservation agriculture deliver climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration in tropical agro-ecosystems? Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2016;220:164–174.
7. Knowler D, Bradshaw B. Farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research. Food Policy. 2007;32:25–48.
8. Garibaldi LA, Carvalheiro LG, Vaissiere BE, Gemmill-Herren B, Hipolito J, Freitas BM. Mutually beneficial pollinator diversity and crop yield outcomes in small and large farms. Science. 2016;351:388–391.
9. Foguesatto CR, Borges JAR, Machado JAD. A review and some reflections on farmers’ adoption of sustainable agricultural practices worldwide. Sci Total Environ. 2020;729:138–831.
10. Béné C, Arthur R, Norbury H, Allison EH, Beveridge M, Bush S. Contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to food security and poverty reduction: assessing the current evidence. World Dev. 2016;79:177–196.
11. Asseng S, Ewert F, Martre P, Rötter RP, Lobell DB, Cammarano D. Rising temperatures reduce global wheat production. Nat Clim Chang. 2015;5:143–147.
12. Santeramo FG, Lamonaca E. Food loss–food waste–food security: a new research agenda. Sustainability. 2021;13:4642.
13. Anderson I, Robson B, Connolly M, Al-Yaman F, Bjertness E, King A. Indigenous and tribal peoples’ health (The Lancet–Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study. Lancet. 2016;388:131–157.
14. Santeramo FG, Lamonaca E. Evaluation of geographical label in consumers decision-making process: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food Res Int. 2020;131:108–995.
15. Santeramo FG, Lamonaca E. The effects of non-tariff measures on agri-food trade: a review and meta-analysis of empirical evidence. J Agric Econ. 2019;70:595–617.
16. Borges JAR, Lansink A, Emvalomatis G. Adoption of innovation in agriculture: A critical review of economic and psychological models. Int J Innov Sustain Dev. 2019;13:36–56.
17. Meschede C. The sustainable development goals in scientific literature: a bibliometric overview at the meta-level. Sustainability. 2020;12:4461.
18. Edwards-Jones G. Modelling farmer decision-making: Concepts, progress, and challenges. Anim Sci. 2006;82:783–790.
19. Rehman T, McKemey K, Yates C, Cooke R, Garforth C, Tranter R, Park J, Dorward P. Identifying and understanding factors influencing the uptake of new technologies on dairy farms in SW England using the theory of reasoned action. Agric Syst. 2007;94:281–293.
20. Siebrecht N. Sustainable agriculture and its implementation gap—overcoming obstacles to implementation. Sustainability. 2020;12:3853.
21. Blesh J, Hoey L, Jones AD, Friedmann H, Perfecto I. Development pathways toward “zero hunger.” World Dev. 2019;118:1–14.
22. Lapão MJC. The sustainable development goals and the community of Portuguese speaking countries (CPLP) in the post-COVID-19 era. Porto Biomed J. 2020;5:e102.
23. de Oca Munguia M, Pannell DJ, Llewellyn R. Understanding the Adoption of Innovations in Agriculture: A Review of Selected Conceptual Models. Agronomy. 2021;11:139.
24. Whitmee S, Rockström J, et al. Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch. Lancet. 2015;386:1973–2028.
25. Morais ME, Binotto F, Borges JAR. Identifying beliefs underlying successors’ intention to take over the farm. Land Use Policy. 2017;68:48–58.
26. Godfray HCJ, Beddington JR, Crute IR, Haddad L, Lawrence D, Muir JF, et al. Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science. 2010;327:812–818.
27. Matthew R, Smith SM. Impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on global human nutrition. Nat Clim Chang. 2018;8:834–837.
28. Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson Å, Chapin FS, Lambin EF, et al. Sustainable intensification of agriculture for human prosperity and global sustainability. Ambio. 2017;46:4–17.
29. Clinton N, Calderon J, Harold J, et al. A global geospatial ecosystem services estimate of urban agriculture. Earth’s Future. 2017;6:40–60.
30. Hira GS. Water management in northern states and the food security of India. J Crop Improv. 2009;23:136–157.
31. Nagarajan L, Tewari S, Padulosi S. Operationalizing the concept of farming system for nutrition through the promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Curr Sci. 2014;106:959–964.
32. Bhaskar V, Seshadri S, Balakrishnan R. Establishing integrated agriculture-nutrition programs to diversify household food and diets in rural India. Food Secur. 2017;5:981–999.
33. Pradhan A, Mishra M, Rout PK. Finger millet in tribal farming systems contributes to increased availability of nutritious food at household level: Insights from India. Agric Res. 2019;8:540–547.
34. Juma C. Preventing hunger: Biotechnology is key. Nature. 2011;479:471–472.
35. Abdallah NA, Hamwieh A, Radwan K, Fouad N, Prakash C. Two decades of GMOs: How can modern biotechnology help meet SDGs? GM Crops Food. 2021;12(2):601–615.
36. Ahmad S, Wei X, Sheng Z, Hu P, Tang S. Advances in functional genomics and applications in crop improvement. Brief Funct Genomics. 2020;19(1):26–39.
37. Ahmad S, Tang L, Shahzad R, Mawia AM, Rao GS, Jamil S, et al. CRISPR-based crop improvements: A way forward to achieve zero hunger. J Agric Food Chem. 2021;69(30):8307–8323.
38. Adenle AA, De SH, Hefferon K, Wesseler JHH. Science, technology, and innovation for sustainable development goals: Insights from agriculture, health, environment, and energy. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2020.
39. Tilman D. The greening of the green revolution. Nature. 1998;396:211–212.
40. Kumar K, Gambhir G, Dass A, Tripathi AK, Singh A, Jha AK, et al. Genetically modified crops: Current status and future prospects. Planta. 2020;251:91.
41. Mackelprang R, Lemaux PG. Genetic engineering and editing of plants: An analysis of new and persisting questions. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2020;71:659–687.
42. Zafar K, Sedeek KEM, Rao GS, Khan MZ, Amin I, Kamel R, et al. Genome editing technologies for rice improvement: Progress, prospects, and safety concerns. Front Genome Ed. 2020;2:5.
43. Sun W, Wang H. Recent advances of genome editing and related technologies in China. Gene Ther. 2020;27:312–320.
44. Oerke EC. Estimated crop losses due to pathogens, animal pests, and weeds. In: Crop Production and Crop Protection. New York: Elsevier Science Publishing; 1994. p.535–97.
45. Voesenek LA, Bailey-Serres J. Flood adaptive traits and processes: An overview. New Phytol. 2015;206:57–73.
46. Flexas J, Carriquí M. Photosynthesis and photosynthetic efficiencies along the terrestrial plant’s phylogeny: Lessons for improving crop photosynthesis. Plant J. 2020;101:964–978.
47. Grassini P, Eskridge K, Cassman K. Distinguishing between yield advances and yield plateaus in historical crop production trends. Nat Commun. 2013;4:2918.
48. Vermeulen SJ, Campbell BM, Ingram JSI. Climate change and food systems. Annu Rev Environ Resour. 2012;37:195–222.
49. Sisay DL, Molla AY, Mulugeta DW. Risk induced farmers’ participation in agricultural innovations: Evidence from a field experiment in eastern Ethiopia. Dev Stud Res. 2019;6:106–117.