Microbiome
Soils
Soil microbiomes are among the most genetically diverse communities on earth, driving nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and plant health.
Plants & animals
In crops, livestock, and fisheries, microbial communities shape productivity, disease resistance, and feed efficiency, connecting farm and human health.
Food safety
From food processing to pesticide management, microbiomes shape what happens to our food before and after we eat it.
Agrifood systems
Biofertilizers, biopesticides and probiotics on the market require regulation, quality assurance and proper uptake. This is a bioeconomy priority.
In agrifood systems, the microbiome is both a resource and an indicator of soil and ecosystem health. Microbiome-based products such as biofertilizers and biopesticides offer lower-impact alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals, while fermentation-based innovations continue to expand what bioeconomy can produce. Research in this field is advancing rapidly, opening new opportunities for sustainable agrifood systems transformation.
FAO's work
FAO monitors developments in microbiome science across soils, food safety, and agrifood systems, and produces technical reviews to identify knowledge gaps and inform policy. Through the informal FAO Microbiome Working Group and the International Sustainable Bioeconomy Working Group, FAO facilitated dialogue between scientists, regulators, and policymakers, and developed studies on the topic. FAO also assesses how substances such as pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, and microplastics interact with the gut microbiome, feeding directly into food safety risk assessment frameworks.
Related content
- The microbiome: our unseen ally in agrifood systems transformation
- Four new reports highlight importance of the microbiome for food safety, soils and nutrition
- Microbiomes, a food safety perspective
- The soil microbiome: a game changer for food and agriculture
- The impact of pesticide residues on the gut microbiome and human health
- The impact of microplastics on the gut microbiome and health
- The impact of veterinary drug residues on the gut microbiome and human health