Understanding micronutrients provision in a changing global food system

微量营养素缺乏或“隐性饥饿”影响着全球一半到三分之一的人口，其中有四种营养素长期短缺；铁、锌、碘和维生素a。气候变化预计将降低全球作物中微量营养素的浓度，并影响作物产量。也有人提出微量营养素缺乏与肥胖之间存在联系；“饥饿-肥胖”悖论意味着植物质量的降低可能会加剧肥胖率。由于气候以外的变化，包括人口统计、饮食转变和陆基气候变化减缓措施，粮食系统正面临压力。迄今为止，粮食安全政策和研究主要侧重于提供足够的卡路里。虽然这在减少营养不足方面取得了成功，但由于COVID大流行而出现了一些挫折，隐性饥饿的负担一直在增加。在这种复杂的情况下，了解我们食物中微量营养素可用性的当前流动或预测其在未来情景下的变化是具有挑战性的。虽然已经研究了气候变化对作物微量营养素浓度的影响，并且存在一些全球粮食系统研究，但考虑到贸易和经济因素，尚未研究国家一级微量营养素供应减少对营养不良的影响。在这项博士研究中，你将描述全球各国从农场到餐桌的微量营养素供应现状，强调各国之间粮食安全和健康成果的不平等。主要研究问题：-量化当今食品系统中微量营养素的生产、供应（包括通过国际贸易）和消费方式，以及这在区域间的差异。-将对作物微量营养素对气候变化的响应的理解纳入全球粮食系统预测，并探索其对人类营养和土地利用的影响。-了解实现营养粮食安全对全球土地利用的影响，以及气候变化对其的影响。-调查干预措施（如替代饮食轨迹、粮食/作物强化）如何在不损害自然资本的情况下满足未来全球变化下的营养和微量营养素需求。该方法将结合会计和全球粮食系统建模。你将运行情景，看看营养食品安全如何受到气候变化和其他社会政治变化的影响。这项研究将增进对食物系统中微量营养素是如何生产、供应和消费的理解，以及未来全球变化在恶化或改善相关缺乏方面的作用。

Micronutrient deficiency, or 'hidden hunger', affects between a half and a third of the global population, with four nutrients in chronically short supply; iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A. Climate change is expected to reduce the concentration of micronutrients in crops across the globe, as well as impact crop yields. A link between micronutrient deficiency and obesity has also been suggested; the 'hunger-obesity' paradox implies reductions in plant quality could exacerbate obesity rates. The food system is under pressure due to changes beyond climate, including population demography, dietary transitions, and land-based climate change mitigation measures.To date, the food security policy and research has been predominantly on providing sufficient calories. While this has been successful in reducing undernutrition, with some set-backs due to the COVID pandemic, the burden of hidden hunger has been increasing. Within this complex picture it is challenging to understand current flows of micronutrient availability in our food or to project how this would change under future scenarios. While the impact of climate change on crop micronutrient concentration has been studied and some global food system studies exist, the malnutrition effects of reduced micronutrient availability at the country level, considering trade and economics, has not been researched. In this PhD research you will describe the current state of micronutrient supply from farm to fork for the countries of the globe, highlighting inequalities in food security and health outcomes between countries. Key research questions:- Quantify how micronutrients are produced, supplied (including via international trade) and consumed in the food system today, and how this varies regionally.- Integrate understanding of crop micronutrient responses to climate change into global food system projections, and to explore the consequences for human nutrition and land use. - Understand the impact of achieving nutritional food security on global land use, and how this is affected by climate change. - Investigate how interventions (like alternative dietary trajectories, food/crop fortification) can meet nutritional and micronutrient needs under future global change without compromising natural capital. The methodology will be a combination of accounting and global food system modelling. You will run scenarios looking at how nutritional food security is impacted by climate change and other social-political changes. The research will improve understanding of how micronutrients are produced, supplied and consumed in the food system, and the role future global changes will have in worsening or improving associated deficiencies.