About ‘Atoms4Food’

• Genesis: Jointly launched by IAEA and FAO at the 2023 World Food Forum in Rome (Italy).
• Purpose:  
  • To provide countries with tailored solutions by harnessing the advantages of nuclear techniques along with other advanced technologies to enhance agricultural and livestock productivity, reduce food losses, etc. 
  • To help countries boost food security and to tackle growing hunger. 
    • Nearly 600 million people are projected to be chronically undernourished by 2030 (FAO).
    • By 2050 the world’s population will have increased by one-third, mostly in developing countries (UN).

Nuclear Technologies for agriculture

• Irradiation technique: Extends shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects.
• Fallout radionuclide (FRN) technique: Analyzes soil radionuclide concentrations to measure erosion patterns.
• Cosmic-ray neutron sensor (CRNS) technology: Measures soil moisture over large areas by detecting cosmic ray neutrons reflected from soil.
• Radioimmunoassay (RIA) technology: Detects hormone levels in animals enabling precise timing for artificial insemination.
• Sterile insect technique (SIT): Controls pests by releasing sterilized insects to mate with wild populations. 
• Other technologies: Nitrogen-15 to measure nitrogen fixation in roots; isotropic tracing techniques for crop nutrition and water management; etc.