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News and Information
Think tank expert Mou Dai: The core issue of food security is to achieve soil ecological security
Author/Mou Dai
These issues are important links in ensuring food security. However, the most core issue of food security is still soil safety. Soil pollution is severe, and no matter what kind of seeds are used to obtain food, they are all contaminated food. Storing no amount of food is safe. Therefore, the core of food security is to obtain safe and reliable food on ecological land and store green ecological food.
Due to the long-term and extensive use of pesticides, the agricultural ecological environment in our country has deteriorated, resulting in excessive pesticide residues in agricultural products, making it difficult to increase agricultural production. In addition, industrial residues, chemical residues, household waste pollution, and excessive urbanization have caused pollution to the land. The soil is severely lacking in microorganisms and organic matter. To solve food security, it is necessary to first improve the soil and restore the necessary microorganisms and organic matter as soon as possible.
What can we rely on to solve soil pollution problems? Since the new era, the country has repeatedly emphasized the development of bio agriculture, which means relying on microorganisms to improve soil and achieve ecological green development. The development of bio agriculture relies on bio fertilizers, also known as microbial fertilizers, which take the life activities of microorganisms as the core to enable crops to obtain specific fertilizer effects. It is an important raw material for producing green food. Biological fertilizers have played an irreplaceable role in enhancing soil fertility, improving fertilizer utilization efficiency, inhibiting crop absorption of nitrate nitrogen, heavy metals, and pesticides, purifying and repairing soil, reducing crop diseases, and improving crop product quality and food safety.
In 2020, the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Strengthening the Protection and Utilization of Agricultural Germplasm Resources" strengthened the strategic core position of agricultural microbial germplasm resources from a policy perspective; The "14th Five Year Plan for National Agricultural Green Development" issued in 2021, which focuses on reducing and increasing the efficiency of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, emphasizes the importance of reducing and increasing the efficiency of chemical fertilizers; The 14th Five Year Plan for the Development of Bioeconomy, released in 2022, specifies the application of functional microorganisms and other biotechnologies in soil remediation, which is a re affirmation of microbial fertilizers at the national level; The "Promoting Agricultural Green Transformation and Green Development" released in 2023 emphasizes the continuous focus on reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, promoting pollution reduction at the source, and demonstrating the country's firm determination to protect agricultural microorganisms and promote green development; The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has released the "Action Plan for Chemical Fertilizer Reduction by 2025" and the "Action Plan for Chemical Pesticide Reduction by 2025", which clearly state the need to promote the use of green products such as microbial fertilizers and accelerate the use of biological alternatives for chemical prevention and control.
Especially General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to expand from traditional crops and livestock resources to richer biological resources, develop biotechnology and biotechnology industries, and obtain heat and protein from plants, animals, and microorganisms. This discourse highlights the important role of microorganisms in modern agriculture. To implement this statement, the State Council also issued the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Implementing the Great Food Concept and Building a Diversified Food Supply System, which also made special arrangements for relying on microbial cultivation to develop bio agriculture and explore new food resources. The CPC Central Committee also clearly proposed in the No. 1 central document and the 14th Five Year Plan for Bioeconomic Development and other documents to accelerate the green transformation of agriculture and promote the development of green production methods and bio economy. The decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council indicate that the country is providing a favorable policy environment and development conditions for vigorously promoting the development of the microbial industry.
The relevant departments of the country have followed up and deployed the implementation work, conducting pilot projects for microbial soil improvement in various provinces, autonomous regions and cities across the country, and implementing the major decision-making arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. Many provinces have included microbial soil improvement in their pilot implementation plans (such as Ningxia) and high standard farmland construction (such as Tongliao, Inner Mongolia). China has unique advantages in developing the microbial industry. Shandong Province and Guangdong Province have industrial scale advantages and markets in developing the microbial industry. Dongdaihe, Liaoning Province has the largest microbial enterprise in Asia, and its industrial advantages have formed spillover effects on neighboring provinces (such as Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia) and even southern provinces (such as Yunnan's tea industry). China should quickly leverage its advantages and vigorously promote the development of the microbial industry, Strengthening the foundation of food safety through soil improvement.
1、 What is microbial agent
Solving the issues of food security, agricultural industry security, and ecological security is a systematic natural recovery and transformation project, with a focus on addressing the root causes. The fundamental scientific method is to use microbial agents to fundamentally improve the quality of black soil, in order to completely solve the problem of addressing both the symptoms and root causes of food security, agricultural industry security, and ecological security. Microbial preparations are not fertilizers, but live microbial preparations. They do not contain the nutrients required for the growth and development of plants, animals, and marine organisms. Instead, they improve the living environment, promote growth, increase yields, and enhance the quality and ecological environment of agricultural, livestock, and seafood products through the life activities of microorganisms.
Microbial agents, as a new type of agricultural production tool, have gradually become an important force in promoting the green revolution in agriculture due to their natural, environmentally friendly, and efficient characteristics. Especially in ensuring food safety, its role is becoming increasingly prominent. Traditional agriculture relies on fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop yields and prevent pests and diseases. In order to achieve high yields and efficiency, excessive use of pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics for animal husbandry not only leads to a decline in soil quality, but also has serious impacts on crop and animal health and the environment, especially in terms of food safety hazards.
2、 Why use microbial agents
Microorganisms can fundamentally solve the problem of food safety management. In natural ecosystems, plants are producers, animals including humans are consumers, and microorganisms are decomposers. Animals, plants, and microorganisms are interconnected and indispensable, all of which are important links in the ecological cycle system and play a crucial role in agricultural ecosystems. Throughout history, humans have fully developed and utilized plants and animals, but they have not given enough attention to microorganisms. Nowadays, the extensive management relying on resource consumption has come to an end.
Microorganisms can solve the problem of excessive pesticide residues. According to the relevant report on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 3 million tons of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are applied to farmland in China every year, and the proportion of pesticide exceeding the standard in some areas reaches 80%. According to the World Health Organization report, about 20 million people worldwide suffer from foodborne diseases due to chemical pesticide residues or heavy metal pollution in fertilizers every year. More than 92 pesticides can cause cancer, 90% of insecticides can cause cancer, and residual pesticides are the cause of 40% -50% of childhood leukemia patients. Data shows that 0.03 grams of residual pesticides can cause brain development disorders in children before the age of 7. Symptoms such as almost complete breast maturation in girls around 12 years old and menstruation in girls around 9 years old caused by residual pesticides and hormone toxicity can be seen everywhere. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers tends to cause the nitrate content in vegetables to exceed the standard. The nitrite compounds formed by the combination of nitrite and ammonia are carcinogens. At present, four of the five cancers with high incidence rate are related to gastrointestinal digestion, which is closely related to the food quality problems caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers. In addition, long-term overuse of antibiotics not only results in residual antibiotics in animal bodies, but may also affect human health through the food chain, leading to a series of diseases and health risks.
Microorganisms can solve the problem of excessive drug residues. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, about 70% -80% of antibiotics are used in animal husbandry worldwide. In China, the 2018 food safety inspection data released by the Ministry of Agriculture showed that about 6% of meat and aquatic products had antibiotic residue problems. According to the 2019 China Food and Drug Regulatory Yearbook, approximately 13.6% of poultry meat samples and 15.2% of aquatic product samples circulating in the market contain varying degrees of antibiotic residues. Consuming animal products containing antibiotic residues has become a major global public health hazard. The spread of antibiotic resistance not only increases the difficulty of disease treatment, but also has long-term adverse effects on the human immune system and intestinal health. According to WHO statistics, the number of deaths caused by antibiotic resistance worldwide each year has exceeded 700000, and this number is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, MRSA causes approximately 320000 hospitalizations and around 10000 deaths annually, and antibiotic residues in the food chain are one of the important pathways leading to MRSA transmission. According to research by the European Food Safety Authority, about 60% of drug-resistant E. coli enter the human body through animal products. The CDC report in the United States states that drug-resistant E. coli causes over 70000 serious infections annually, with a mortality rate as high as 20%.
Microorganisms can solve the problem of heavy metal chemical pollution in soil. The latest experimental results indicate that microorganisms can solve the problem of heavy metal chemical pollution in soil and achieve the reclamation of abandoned land. Microbial inoculum is a biological agent composed of a variety of beneficial microbial communities. By reducing the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it can improve soil quality, inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, improve the nutritional quality of agricultural products, and even repair heavy metal pollution in soil. Liaoning Deshen Microbial Technology Co., Ltd., the largest microbial inoculum R&D and production enterprise in Huludao City, and the relevant scientific researchers of the Institute of Soil Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, selected 10 mu of land as the experimental field in Huludao Zinc Plant and the surrounding soil heavy metal pollution area where crops cannot be planted (the case of the Central Environmental Protection Supervision). With corn as the main repair plant, it uses two items: "small molecule organic carbon to promote corn to enrich heavy metals" and "plant endophyte to strengthen and block the transfer of heavy metals to corn grains" Core technology, Improve the enrichment efficiency of heavy metals in soil by 2-3 times for corn roots, stems, and leaves, which not only repairs soil that cannot be cultivated, but also ensures that the heavy metal content in harvested corn kernels meets national food and feed standards.
Microorganisms can solve the problem of soil salinization. Liaoning Deshen Microbial Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Newegg Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Heilongjiang Deruitong Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. conducted an improvement experiment on 10 acres of saline alkali land in Gucheng Village, Anguang Town. Using a comprehensive improvement method, the soil structure was changed and plant derived organic matter (non mineral organic matter) was increased by using soil carbon frame amendments (organic matter content of 40% -83%); Supplement a large amount of microbial agents for improving saline alkali land, and use Deshen soil amendment to regulate soil pH and supplement soil microbial diversity; Microorganisms combined with soil carbon framework amendments will quickly form soil aggregates; At the same time, combined with liquid organic calcium protein, liquid organic calcium protein can provide carbon and nitrogen sources for microorganisms and is also a beneficial bacterial food for various beneficial bacteria. Liquid organic calcium protein contains organic matter ≥ 40%, peptide protein ≥ 20%, and chelated calcium ≥ 3%. It also has the ability to restore soil nutrient balance, regulate acid and salt, eliminate soil obstacles, and peptides can repair plant cells to protect roots.
Microorganisms can improve the quality and yield increment of animals and plants. The latest experiment shows that the application of self-developed microbial agents in the Kalama Rice Experimental Base in Liaozhong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province has reduced fertilizer usage by 30% and increased yield by nearly 20%. During the survey, a sugar beet farmer in Inner Mongolia said that he only learned about this microbial agent. He experimented with spraying it twice (in May and July) on sugar beets and found that the yield increased by more than 40% compared to last year. The experimental results of rice cultivation in multiple areas (such as the 17000 mu experimental field in Wuchang County, Heilongjiang Province) also indicate that the use of microbial agents in rice not only improves its taste but also increases yield by more than 300 pounds per mu, with an investment cost of about 100 yuan per mu for microbial agents. In addition, microbial agents as alternatives to antibiotics have been proven to effectively improve animal health, enhance immunity, promote digestion and absorption, and ensure food safety and consumer health from multiple aspects. In addition, Liaoning Deshen Technology Co., Ltd. uses microbial agents to experimentally grow various vegetables, feed livestock, poultry, aquatic products (such as fish and sea cucumber), and ensure that the quality of the ingredients meets national green standards. This eco-friendly farming technology and microbial products will allow consumers to taste pure ecological ingredients. The use of microbial agents in aquaculture not only improves the safety of aquaculture products, but also becomes an important means to solve a series of problems such as environmental pollution in aquaculture (such as manure and excrement), which can directly convert animal manure into organic fertilizer.
Food safety has become one of the key factors affecting human health, threatening the lives of the public and the sustainable development of society. Microbial agents, as a safe and reliable ecological agriculture technology, play an important role in the growth of various agricultural crops. Microbial agents are widely used in fields such as crop growth regulation, organic fertilizers, rice production, and farmers' income increase. Meanwhile, with the increasing awareness of environmental protection among consumers and changes in the supply and demand relationship in agriculture, the market demand for microbial agents will continue to steadily rise. With people's high demands for agricultural production environment and food quality, the market for microbial agents is gradually being valued. Microbial products, due to their natural, effective, and sustainable characteristics, are gradually becoming one of the key ways to solve food safety issues from the source.
At present, the big health industry has become the world's largest emerging industry. With economic development and the global trend of microbial health popularization, consumers' demand for microbial health products will continue to increase. According to industry surveys and statistics, the global microbial agent market capacity has exceeded 20 billion US dollars, and is expected to reach 40 billion US dollars by 2025. According to statistics, as of the end of November 2020, the annual production of microbial fertilizers in China has reached 30 million tons, with an annual output value of 40 billion yuan and a cumulative application area of over 500 million acres (vegetables, fruit trees, sugarcane, Chinese herbal medicine, tobacco, grains, tea, etc.).
According to relevant reports, as of the end of August 2024, the number of registered microbial fertilizer enterprises with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in China exceeded 3600, and the total number of registered microbial fertilizer products reached 10958. Among them, microbial agents accounted for the most (53.74%), followed by bio organic fertilizers (30.13%), and compound microbial fertilizers accounted for the least proportion (16.13%). Among them, the functional categories are microbial agents (5266), bio organic fertilizers (3302), and compound microbial fertilizers (1767). The main form of the product is powder (45.18%), followed by granules (33.69%), and liquid accounts for 21.13%. The development trend of effective bacterial strains in related products is towards compound multi effect types, which are widely used in fields such as cereals, fibers, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, tea industry, aquaculture, etc. The application of microbial fertilizers is becoming increasingly widespread, surpassing traditional crops and expanding to environmental protection and ecological restoration, improving and optimizing soil structure, purifying water quality, and playing an irreplaceable role in building ecological and food security.
From the current international application scenarios, countries such as China, the United States, and Europe are the main users and producers of microbial agents in the market. The US government issued the Executive Order on Promoting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation to Achieve a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure US Bioeconomy in 2022, emphasizing the application and innovation of biotechnology in the agricultural sector, providing policy support and direction guidance for the development of agricultural microbiology technology. According to the World Trade Journal, organic food sales in the United States will exceed $60 billion in 2022, indicating enormous market potential. The European Green Deal, issued by the European Commission in 2020, emphasizes the significant reduction and lowering of the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and antibiotics, as well as the promotion of the release of bioactive substances such as microorganisms into the market.
As of the end of 2023, statistics show that the top five countries for microbial fertilizer patents worldwide are China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Russia. China leads with a 59.8% share, followed closely by Japan with 7.4%. At present, microbial fertilizer products in China are divided into three categories, namely microbial agents, composite microbial fertilizers, and bio organic fertilizers. The dosage forms of domestic biological fertilizer products are still mainly powder and granules. Due to the convenience of transportation and storage, the development of liquid dosage forms has been slow. However, in recent years, Liaoning Deshen Microbial Technology Co., Ltd., the largest microbial agent enterprise in Asia located in Huludao, Liaoning Province, is mainly engaged in the production of liquid dosage forms.
From the perspective of economic benefits, the driving role of health product consumption in the overall development of the national economy is becoming increasingly prominent, and the share of the microbial health industry in the national economy is steadily increasing. However, due to the long-term influence of traditional agriculture, agricultural growers lack a deep understanding of microorganisms, and even relevant agricultural departments are not very familiar with the role of microorganisms. Therefore, relevant departments at all levels of government must increase their attention to microbial technology from a strategic perspective, strengthen the popularization and promotion of agricultural microorganisms, enhance the basic and applied research of agricultural microorganisms, and quickly introduce relevant support policies to encourage the application and demonstration of microbial technology in the agricultural field. They can also optimize subsidy mechanisms based on market conditions to incentivize farmers' enthusiasm for using microbial fertilizers, strengthen policy support orientation, and increase demonstration and promotion efforts; Encourage exploration, innovation, and exploration of new microbial resources, especially through the deep integration of intelligent sensors, intelligent control equipment, and AI intelligent technology, to achieve intelligence, precision, efficiency, and quality of agricultural microbial fertilizers, accelerate the promotion and application of microbial technology in China, and accelerate the cultivation of high-end microbial talents. This is one of the key measures to promote the sustainable development of bioeconomy and ecological agriculture, and also the foundation for ensuring food safety.
(Author: Mou Dai, senior think tank expert, doctoral supervisor, researcher at Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, and curator at Liaoning Provincial Government Museum of Culture and History)