Currently, there are approximately one billion people who are facing daily food shortages, and more than two billion people would be added to the category by 2050. Therefore, among the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, sustainable development in agriculture, which targets to achieve “Zero hunger”, is considered as a crucial goal. The global agricultural system is under the threat of numerous challenges including natural resource limitations, climate change, and environmental contamination. Nanomaterials have been widely applied in our everyday life and are changing the entire society. In the agricultural sector, nanomaterials can be used to produce nano-fertilizers. Conventional mineral fertilizers suffer substantially from low nutrient uptake efficiency leading to high losses and adverse effects on the environment. The use of nano-fertilizers not only reduces nutrient loss (minimize agricultural inputs or overcome the limitation of natural resources) but also increases the resistance and resilience of plants against pests. Unfavourable abiotic conditions can lead to an increase in their yield and quality.

Nanomaterials can also be used as pesticides and herbicides with enhanced toxicity and sensitivity but not damage soil and water. Moreover, nanomaterials have been also used as carriers/deliver of pesticides and herbicides to control their release leading to an increase in their efficiency as well as allowing lower doses to be used. The development of nanosensors made of nanomaterials to measure and monitor the entire agricultural environments, such as soil conditions, toxicity, nutrient deficiency, and diseases would help to assure plant health and product quality. Numerous nanomaterials have been used to protect the environment directly through the removal of pollutants existing in soil and water or indirectly through the production of renewable energy. However, the increasing use of nanomaterials, with uncertainties and irregularities in size, shape, and chemical composition can cause several adverse impacts on the environment as well as the ecology system. If not used carefully, nanomaterials can affect the life cycle of living systems present in the environment and/or accumulate in the environmental system (which may pose both short-term and long-term effects) and/or increase the pollution level of air, water, and soil.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together original research articles and review articles highlighting the wide application of nanomaterials for sustainable development in agriculture.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Advanced synthesis of nanomaterials with smart properties and multifunction
• Nano-fertilizers for sustainable development in agriculture
• Nano-pesticides for sustainable development in agriculture
• Nano-herbicides for sustainable development in agriculture
• Nano-carriers/nano-delivers of pesticides and herbicides for sustainable development in agriculture
• Nano-sensors for the sustainable development of high-tech agricultural farms
• Application of nanomaterials for environmental remediation in agriculture
• Safety assessment of nanomaterials used in agriculture with a special focus on the environment