Nanobiotechnology for agricultural sustainability, and food and environmental safety

Abstract

Agricultural development has become a requisite to meet the food security of an increasing world population under changing climate for eliminating poverty and hunger. Recently, scientists recognized that human wellness and healthy life are going to face challenges in the near future because of the vulnerability of agriculture and nat-ural resources. It is due to imbalance and unnecessary use of synthetic agricultural inputs in traditional farming systems. Therefore, improved agricultural technology has to ensure, in traditional farming, safe agricultural produce and bringing down of environmental pollution. Recently, nanotechnology (NT) has been recognized as a promising next-generation technology in the field of agriculture. As an environment-friendly and economically viable tool, the potentiality of nanomaterials (NMs), such as nanosensors, nanopesticides, nanofertilizers, nanocarriers, nanochips, and nano-packaging, has shown great prospect in improving safe agricultural productivity and upholding of environmental safety. Because the use of NMs decreases imbalance and unconscious utilization of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, this minimizes the loss of nutrients and lead to improved agricultural productivity thru the smooth distribution of fertilizers and pesticides, and also improving water and nutrient effi-ciency. The current review concentrates on the utilization of NT for agricultural sustainability and environmental safety.