Five Ways Nuclear Science Helps Protect Our Crops

By Monika Shifotoka

Plants provide 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe, yet up to 40% of crops are lost each year to pests and diseases, threatening global food security and increasing hunger worldwide. 

Through the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture the IAEA and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) support countries in applying nuclear science to protect plants more effectively, sustainably and safely. From controlling insect pests to developing resilient crops, nuclear techniques are playing a growing role in safeguarding global food systems.

To mark the International Day of Plant Health, we look at  five ways nuclear science is protecting our crops: 

1. Controlling Insect Pests

Invasive and destructive insect pests can devastate crops and spread rapidly across borders. Globally, pests are responsible for a significant share of annual crop losses. Nuclear science offers an effective alternative to chemical pesticides through the sterile insect technique, which controls pest populations without harming people or the environment. 

Scientists use radiation to sterilize insects, which are then released into the field to mate the wild. When they mate, no offspring are produced, causing pest populations to decline over time.