At the United Nations Food System Summit this past September, nutrition was identified as a key action area deserving renewed focus as the world continues its pursuit of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. While Zero Hunger is still a primary objective, focusing on this end alone is not enough. Now, as the world prepares for the Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G), convened by the Government of Japan from 7 to 8 December, this critical challenge for billions is the focus of intense discussion and commitment for action.

For over three decades, developmental neurobiologist John L. R. Rubenstein has been a leader in research on the forebrain, the seat of higher-order brain functions. The Nina Ireland Distinguished Professor in Child Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Rubenstein has identified transcription factor (TF) genes, transcriptional and signaling pathways, and more recently, TF networks that control regional and cell-type specification in the developing cerebral cortex and basal ganglia.

Healthy soils lay at the foundations of agricultural development, healthy and nutritious food production, and essential ecosystem services, which are crucial to our basic survival as well as our planet’s sustainable future. With this year’s theme "Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity", World Soils Day 2021 aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management.

Iron is an irreplaceable component of proteins and enzyme systems required for life. This need for iron is a well-characterized evolutionary mechanism for genetic selection. However, there is limited consideration of how iron bioavailability, initially determined by planetary accretion but fluctuating considerably at global scale over geological time frames, has shaped the biosphere.

While enough food is produced to feed everyone 1.5 times over, poor diets continue to hold the world back from reaching its full potential. The Covid-19 pandemic has set back the fight yet further. This year’s Nutrition for Growth Summit, held in Tokyo this week, provided a platform from which to accelerate global progress towards ending malnutrition.

From lentils to chickpeas, borlotti beans to black eyed peas, pulses are many, varied and very nutritious! The Pulses: nutritious seeds for a sustainable future recipe book has more than 30 recipes prepared by some of the most prestigious chefs in the world. The book begins by explaining why pulses are such an important food: they are packed with protein, fibre and micronutrients, have a low carbon footprint and are generally low-cost and accessible.

Paleontologists always seek the most complete reconstruction of their beloved study objects, e.g., dinosaurs, mammals, or extinct invertebrates like the ammonites. The latter are representatives of the cephalopods that populated the oceans for more than 340 My. Among modern cephalopods only Nautilus shares an external shell with ammonites, while the majority of modern cephalopods evolved an internal and often reduced shell.

In our end-of-year episode, we’re focusing on all things innovative in the world of agriculture. We hear from agro-preneurs in Australia, Africa and Asia who are using cutting-edge technologies and exploring new solutions to common problems. Nurture.farm describes their platform designed to help farmers achieve sustainability; Eden Green Technology shows us how to grow more food with less land, water and energy; and Hello Tractor is here to meet your farming equipment needs.

ICRISAT’s standing as an important partner in Zimbabwe’s efforts to build resilient food and nutrition systems was reaffirmed by the Government, donors and development partners in various meetings with ICRISAT staff Dr Rebbie Harawa, Regional Director – Eastern and Southern Africa, and Ms Anita Pirani, Director – Business Development, during their recent visit to the country.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has killed millions of children in less-developed countries for at least the last three decades—roughly 2 million annually in the early 1990s alone (1⇓⇓–4). Although the number is declining, it was estimated to be 266,200 (4) at the start of the millennium. The consumption of the genetically modified rice variety known as Golden Rice (GR) offers a potent and cost-effective strategy to combat VAD.