Ensuring sustainable, quality and healthy nutrition for humanity is one of the major challenges of our time. Growing populations, climate change, intensive and unsustainable farming and overall environmental degradation are reducing soil quality and crop yields. New, highly productive, resistant and nutritionally rich varieties will need to be bred. Current industrial methods of harvesting, processing and distribution contaminate food with a wide range of chemicals and are becoming hazardous to human health. Diet is not just a source of nutrients, but affects almost all human life functions. Epidemics of civilizational diseases caused by poor nutrition can significantly weaken society and overburden the health and social system. It is also a sad paradox that food is wasted and one third is thrown away. In the face of climate change and limited resources, it is also necessary to look more closely at the ethical issues of sustainable food production and consumption.
The main objective of the research programme is to bring together CAS institutes, universities and businesses in a wide range of areas, from food production and consumption to downstream social and health impacts. The programme has significant application potential, using the existing infrastructure of application laboratories to address new topical issues and challenges. Advice to the professional and lay public, the provision of expertise and advice, and collaboration with government, politicians, the media and professional organisations are integral parts of the programme.
The research programme refines long-term scenarios and short-term forecasts of climate change impacts on agriculture and communicates them to the public. It explores new ways of increasing soil organic matter. It also focuses on analysing the soil microbiome and understanding the environmental conditions that affect it. It develops and applies molecular genetic sequencing and editing methods to enhance the performance and resilience of crops and microorganisms. Program investigates the molecular mechanisms of biotic and abiotic stresses on plants to breed more resistant crops. It develops new methods of phenotyping photosynthetic organisms to accelerate and automate the selection of plants and microorganisms with desired traits. The research focuses on the impact of food on the gut microbiome, immune response and overall human health. It also deals with contamination of food, especially fish, with organic pollutants and microplastics. At the societal level, it investigates the role of subsistence farming for sustainable food production, food waste and ethical food consumption.