Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025
05:26
A Venturi Effect Can Help Cure Our Trees
Published on: October 1, 2013
17.9K
Transforming food systems with trees and forests
Amy Ickowitz1, Stepha McMullin2, Todd Rosenstock3
1Center for International Forestry Research, Situ Gede, Bogor, Indonesia.
The Lancet. Planetary Health
|July 9, 2022
Summary
Trees and forests are vital for a sustainable global food system, offering nutritious food, ecosystem services, and climate change mitigation. Integrating trees into food systems can improve diets and environmental health.
Area of Science:
- Agroecology
- Forestry
- Sustainable Food Systems
Background:
- The current global food system is inadequate, failing to provide sufficient nutrition and harming the environment.
- Unsustainable resource depletion and environmental degradation are linked to food production methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the essential role of trees and forests in addressing global food system challenges.
- To recommend strategies for integrating trees and forests into sustainable food systems for improved nutrition and environmental health.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of current contributions of trees and forests to the food system.
- Development of recommendations for policy and investment shifts.
Main Results:
- Trees and forests provide nutrient-rich foods, enhance food security through income generation, and offer crucial ecosystem services.
- Forests contribute to biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration.
- Resilience in food systems is strengthened by the presence and integration of trees.
Conclusions:
- Trees and forests are indispensable for transforming food systems towards healthy diets and environmental sustainability.
- Key strategies include scaling up tree-based food production, shifting investments to nutrient-dense foods, and integrating nutrition into conservation programs.
- Further action is required to fully realize the potential of trees and forests in global food system transformation.
Related Concept Videos
02:23The Soil Ecosystem
21.6K
Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:
21.6K
01:43Sustainable Development
13.5K
As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
13.5K
02:11The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
40.4K
Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
40.4K
00:46Trophic Efficiency
21.3K
Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.
21.3K
00:37First Law of Thermodynamics
63.3K
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This can be demonstrated within a classic food web where light energy from the sun is harnessed as radiant energy by plants, converted into chemical energy, and stored as complex carbohydrates. The vegetation is then consumed by animals and during the digestion process, the sugars release energy as heat. The sugars also produce chemical energy that either gets used up doing work, stored in...
63.3K
02:35Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
21.0K
Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the...
21.0K