Overview of Nanotechnology in Food Security and Agriculture: Introduction, Current Status, and Concerns

The rapid advancement of nanotechnology is transforming the conventional spheres of food and agriculture, particularly in bringing novel forms of intelligent packaging, dynamic nanodetectors, pesticides, and fertilizers. Numerous innovative nanostructures have been developed to address food safety, quality, productivity, and environmental monitoring. This chapter reviews the most up-to-date developments in the field of nanotechnology, focusing on the recently conducted research in food and agriculture that poses the most significant challenges and has the greatest promise. The toxicological principles and risk evaluation of these novel food and agricultural items with embedded nanomaterials are addressed. The emphasis is placed on biologically derived and nature-inspired nanomaterials that the authors suggest can be used for sustainable development. There is no question that issues surrounding high-performance, low-toxicity nanomaterials must be solved for the proactive advancement and use of nanotechnology in agriculture. There is also a need for policies and laws regarding the use and abuse of nanostructures for their creation, processing, use, and destruction. Other steps should be taken to improve the knowledge and attitude of the public toward modern nanotechnology-based food and agricultural products. In conclusion, the development of nanotechnology offers an abundance of benefits as well as great changes for the food and agriculture industry. Developing agriculture is fundamental for economic development in both low-income and high-income countries. Agriculture faces the twin challenges of modernizing innovation as well as maintaining environmental sustainability while catering to a growing global population. Recently, nanotechnology has attracted greater interest for augmenting the effectiveness of agricultural inputs as well as providing solutions to issues pertaining to food security and productivity, thereby enhancing safety measures in food and aiding in the protection of the environment. In contemporary literature, there is insufficient evidence documenting the correlation modern agricultural practices have with environmental degradation and pollution of ecosystems and land. This article delves into the progress made in agrochemicals focusing on nanotechnology in recent years, which has greatly improved plant growth, crop yields, soil remediation, and pollution of the environment. Adoption of bio-nano agrochemicals like nanopesticides, nanofertilizers, nanoformulations, and nanosensors has enhanced efficiency and sustainability of conventional agricultural practices. We highlight further recently introduced nanocomposite agrochemicals that claim to solve the critical challenges of food packaging and sustainability of agriculture. However, there is little to no research on the migration of these new composites into food products and environmental concerns, posing a need for more investigation. In its entirety, this review will serve as a prelude to future scholars to understand and maximize the potential of nanomaterials toward achieving food security and sustainable agriculture.