It is expected that by 2050, the world’s population will have increased by one-third, with the highest increase occurring in developing countries; and with it, people’s needs for sustainable food and water as well. Nuclear technologies provide competitive and often unique solutions to help fight hunger and malnutrition, improve environmental sustainability and ensure that food is safe.
Currently, some 52% of the population in Africa lives in rural areas that are dependent on agriculture. But many agricultural production systems are fragile; some seriously deplete resources while others are vulnerable due to the weather. Water supplies to meet growing agricultural demands will be a major challenge in the future. Another will be the risk of the spread of diseases originating in animals, such as Avian Influenza. If we listen to Jacques Diouf, Director General FAO, as huge amounts of foodstuffs are moved around the globe, it is really important to maintain and guarantee the safety of the foods we eat.
Nuclear technologies can play a key role at all stages of the production of crops: breeding of harder plant varieties, maximizing farmers’ yield and stopping the growth of harmful organisms.
After crops are harvested, nuclear science and technology have a key role in improving food abundance and quality. For years, food irradiation has been used to improve food safety and increase the shelf life of produce. It does so by killing microorganisms and pests that cause illness and rot, all without leaving any residual radiation behind. Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General claims that the sterile insect technique involves “using radiation to sterilize male flies. It is a form of contraception for insects, which has proved highly successful in reducing, or even eliminating, certain insect pests in many countries”.
Meanwhile, analyzing the isotope composition of produce can authenticate a product’s origin and prevent food fraud, especially when it comes to highly valued foods, like coffee, crops or sugar cane. Similarly, watered-down or polluted foods, such as fresh vegetable oil that has been mixed with reused vegetable oil, can be monitored by measuring the isotope composition.
Treating the food with ionizing radiation eliminates microbes and prevents food poisoning. Irradiation can prevent the spread of pests, therefore facilitating cross-border trade.
There is also the SIT method, which was first developed in the USA and has been used for almost 50 years. In SIT, an environmentally friendly alternative to insecticides, male, laboratory-raised insects is sterilized with gamma radiation. The development of the sterile insect technique (SIT) is the most proven and common method where nuclear technology has been utilized to control or eliminate insects.
This technique has improved incomes for 18 000 producers, since these pesticide-free products, grown in developing countries, satisfy international food safety requirements, thereby increasing the access of rural agricultural communities to valuable export markets. For example, the use of SIT in Guatemala reduced the fruit fly population, which helped double earnings from the agricultural export of tomatoes, bell peppers and papaya, while providing badly needed new jobs. Since 2006, the insect pest control programme has generated benefits to farmers of more than $100 million and created thousands of rural jobs.
According to Yukiya Amano, this method “will help farmers produce larger crops of healthy fruit and vegetables and countries can increase their food exports”.
Namibia has a wealth of natural resources including uranium, zinc, lithium and copper, which are the primary sources of foreign exchange earnings. According to the World Nuclear Association, Namibia is the world’s fourth-largest producer of uranium oxide. In 2019 the government of Namibia stated that it plans to leverage its large uranium deposits, which constitute about 7 per cent of global reserves, to produce electricity from nuclear energy technology.
There is potential interest in the country’s nuclear power capacities, as Namibia is the world’s third-largest uranium producer. Namibia has significant uranium mines capable of providing 10% of the world’s mining output. Nowadays, the Namibian government has considered the development of nuclear power to complete the national energy mix and provide sufficient energy for national development. Therefore, the CNS (Center for Nuclear Science) was established. It researches radionuclides in science and technology which will play an important role in analyzing the nuclear fuel cycle for Namibia’s beneficiation. Also, the diverse applications of nuclear sciences ranging from medical, agricultural, and industrial to energy technology are studied.
Namibia aspires to be an industrialised country by 2030 and science and technology are the basis of industrialisation. According to the Namibian government, advances in medical sciences, agriculture, industrial technology and affordable and sustainable energy are key to Namibia’s economic development.
In 2019 farmers in Namibia had new crop varieties of cowpea and sorghum that were more tolerant to drought and pests, thanks to nuclear technology provided with the support of the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Traditional seed varieties met the needs of close to 700,000 agricultural households in northern Namibia, where drought and poor soil inhibited crop productivity. In response, the IAEA and the FAO supported Namibia through the transfer of technology and helped to build capabilities in plant breeding and water management.
In addition, nuclear technologies in Namibia can be actively used for the fishing industry, as will be discussed below.
Namibia’s exports of fish and seafood preparations were $25.64 million in 2020, according to the United Nations database on international trade. The 1,500 km coastline of Namibia is the beginning of the Bengal Current, one of the most productive oceanic zones in the world. The nutrient-rich waters of this large ecosystem supply fish and fish products to local and international markets. This sector is also an important source of employment in the country.
Fish products continue to make a significant contribution to Namibia’s exports, partly thanks to the country’s modern food safety system, established in cooperation with the IAEA and the FAO. This system uses nuclear technology to test the quality of food and water. The country uses nuclear methods to detect and measure pollutants in products, including heavy metals and mycotoxins. Every year since 2018, more than 300 samples received from shellfish and fishing companies are tested in the testing laboratory of the Namibian Standards Institution (NSI).
Performing radiation treatment of agricultural products can improve their quality, extend their shelf life and significantly increase exports. This technology doesn’t influence the taste of food products and is safe for the consumer which makes it a much-in-demand technology worldwide. Oceans are a vital source of food, and nuclear science and technology can help ensure that the abundant supply of food is high-quality and safe to consume. Nuclear techniques are also used to identify the extent and sources of pollution, thus enabling better protection of critical places of fish accumulation.
“The Namibian fish and aquaculture sector has a strong position in the national, regional and international markets. Now we have modern equipment, trained personnel and advanced capabilities. Therefore, fishing and aquaculture products can be certified at the national level with faster movement to meet demand, while maintaining the safety and quality of our products” – said Paloma Ellison, general director of the testing and inspection department of the NSI.
Nuclear science and technology play a key role in helping improve global access to a safe, secure, and high-quality food supply. Scientists and farmers are continually developing new ways to cultivate crops using nuclear technologies—technologies which have been proven safe and effective. Through these techniques and many others, nuclear science and technology can and do play a key role in providing humanity with safer, higher quality, and more bountiful food.
