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Increasingly the world’s food security has been dependent on a few crops. Out of 20,000 plant species which are the primary source for human nutritive elements in the world, less than 20 species now provide 90% of food consumed by the human population. The narrowing of the food basket with less number of staple crops led to a reduction in nutrient to calorie ratio in the present cereal-based diets, resulting in high levels of micronutrient and protein deficiencies, leading to reduced immunity and growth, stunting, mortality, poor cognitive development, learning ability and productivity.

The main reason for this narrowing of food basket is the diversion of farming systems towards market-oriented crops and monoculture systems, lack of awareness on the nutritional profile of different species and limited availability of planting materials of nutri-dense crops and varieties.

Some of the above megatrends aren't actually megatrends, strictly speaking. For example: conflict & crisis is surely an issue, but isn't a megatrend per se, it's just a generic statement that crisis has a role. A megatrend is a trend that is shaping a certain issue (old or new). For example, the tendency of conflicts to be more within states (either because of civil unrest, civil war or proxy war) rather than between countries (as country vs country direct conflict becomes too costly and politically unviable). This has an effect as poorer areas will be unable to benefit from new food production techniques or distribution and in general will find it hard to emerge from this, so any tech breakthrough won't be effective there - unless such breakthroughs are the means to reach stability. Just an example to show what I mean.