No-till farming practices have several important economic, environmental, and health benefits. It can conserve soil organic carbon, improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, reduce labor and agricultural input costs, and reduce particulate matter from tilling the soil. However, this method means crop residue is left in the field, rotting and breeding fungi. This fungus can produce mycotoxins, which are toxic and carcinogenic chemicals for next year’s crops.
These mycotoxins not only cause economic losses to farmers, but also cause many harmful health effects to humans and animals. Aflatoxin, the most toxic of all known mycotoxins, causes liver cancer in humans and other animals and is thought to be associated with immune system dysfunction and growth defects. Fungi that produce aflatoxin and other mycotoxins are known to overwinter in crop residue left in fields, increasing the risk of mycotoxins the following season.
“Given these concerns, farmers need to carefully calculate the balance between ecological, health and economic factors when choosing the right tillage system for their crops,” Wu said. Ta. “This is simultaneously a public health, agricultural science, and livelihoods and economics calculation.”
If a farmer’s produce exceeds the consumable mycotoxin limit, the produce cannot be sold for human or animal consumption, as more than 100 countries around the world have regulations regarding acceptable levels of mycotoxins. Further complicating the issue, mycotoxins are expected to become a greater risk in the future due to the effects of climate change.
“The ultimate goal of agriculture is to feed humans, so food safety must be considered from a one-health approach that connects human health, animal health, and the environment,” Wu said. said.
Wu added that new agricultural practices integrated with the circular economy are showing the way forward. This means focusing on the sustainability of food systems while improving access to safe, sufficient, healthy and nutritious food for the world’s growing population.
Wu’s additional co-author was undergraduate Rubaiyat Raman.
A new post-MSU study shows how some agricultural practices affect food safety and health and was first published in MSU Today.
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