HARNESSING NANOTECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL FOR GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY: A REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1004-4834Keywords:
Nanotechnology, Food security and Sustainable solutionAbstract
The challenge of food security, which is the reliable access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food, is disturbing globally in this 21st century, especially due to rapid population growth, climate change, and low agricultural productivity. Traditional approaches alone are insufficient to sustainably meet projected food demand increases by 2050. As a result of the bottleneck, the need for researchers and industries to explore innovative technologies, like nanotechnology, the manipulation and application of materials at the nanometer scale (1–100 nm), where unique physicochemical properties allow new functions unattainable by bulk materials, to transform the agricultural and food systems in ways that enhance productivity, improve safety, reduce waste, and ensure equity in food access. Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation and application of materials at the nanometer scale (1–100 nm), where unique physicochemical properties allow new functions unattainable by bulk materials. Nanotechnology is emerging as a transformative tool in global food security, offering innovative solutions to agricultural challenges and improving food quality, safety, shelf life, and nutritional value. By manipulating materials at the nanoscale, unique physicochemical properties can be exploited to enhance food processing, preservation, packaging, and quality monitoring. This review examines the role of nanotechnology in both agricultural and food industrial sectors, how it can be harnessed, the concerns, and future prospects.
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