Bigger Crops, Fewer Nutrients: What It Means for Sustainable Agriculture
- Communications
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
A new scientific study presented at the Society for Experimental Biology warns that rising CO₂ levels and higher temperatures aren’t only changing crop growth—they’re also undermining nutritional value. While plants like kale and spinach may grow larger under climate stress, they contain fewer minerals, proteins, and antioxidants, posing serious health risks—especially in regions where nutrient deficiencies are already widespread.
Study Highlights
Faster growth under climate stress: Elevated CO₂ and warmer conditions can boost biomass while diluting essential nutrients.
Declining food quality: Key antioxidants and proteins drop in staple leafy greens, with implications for immunity, chronic disease, and malnutrition.
Global health concern: This shift from quantity toward weakened quality amplifies existing vulnerabilities in communities struggling with nutritional stress.
"These nutritional declines exacerbate the global crisis of malnutrition and hidden hunger, threatening the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2), which aims to end hunger and ensure food security. Addressing these challenges requires further research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovative approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of eCO2 on crop physiology and nutritional content while maximising agricultural sustainability." — Ekele, J.U. et al. (2025).
Why It Matters for SAN’s Mission
At the Sustainable Agriculture Network, we champion food systems that are healthy, equitable, and climate resilient. This study underscores the evolving urgency behind our work—with climate impacts threatening not just how much we grow, but what we grow for human health.
Our Sustainable Agriculture Framework (SAF) supports farmers with integrated solutions that balance health, biodiversity, climate and livelihoods—all vital for safeguarding both yield and nutrition into the future.
A Call for Nutrition-Focused, Climate-Smart Farming
This research reinforces why integrated strategies matter:
Beyond yield: Emphasize nutrient density, not just crop volume.
Holistic climate adaptation: Adopt practices like agroforestry, cover cropping, biofertilizers, and organic amendments to nurture soil health and nutritional outcomes.
Biodiversity protection: Preserve soil microbiome and farmer–ecosystem interactions that support both resilience and food quality.
It aligns with our 2025–2030 Strategy to strategically advance climate smart, biodiverse and equitable agriculture across SAN’s global network.
What We’re Doing—and What You Can Do
Supporting farmers: Through field-based support, training, and certification, SAN partners help smallholders and larger operations adopt nutrient- and biodiversity-minded practices.
Promoting innovation: Emergent climate-smart tools, soil-focused interventions, and ecological pest management align with our sustainability goals.
Amplifying awareness: We're integrating nutrition quality into SAN certifications and farm-level support protocols.
We encourage our network partners, policymakers, and funders to prioritize both the quantity and the quality of food in climate adaptation strategies. Healthy soils, diversified systems, and climate-resilient farming that protects nutritional value—these are the foundations of our future.
In Summary
As climate change presses forward, unchecked growth in crop biomass may hide a dangerous decline in nutritional value. The challenge we face isn’t just about feeding people—it’s about nourishing them. By anchoring sustainable practices in agriculture that support both health and ecosystem integrity, SAN continues to bridge scientific insight with practical action—ensuring resilient, equitable, and nutritious food systems for all.
Read more:
Ekele, J.U., Webster, R., Perez de Heredia, F. et al. Current impacts of elevated CO2 on crop nutritional quality: a review using wheat as a case study. Stress Biology 5, 34 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44154-025-00217-w
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