Dr. Matthew Chidozie Ogwu is an environmental scientist and Assistant Professor of Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Seoul National University, with research training spanning microbial ecology, environmental toxicology, biodiversity conservation, and food–environment interactions. His scholarship focuses on contaminant pathways in food systems, soil and water quality, exposure assessment, and human health risks, with particular emphasis on trace metals, agro-food contamination, and sustainability in the Global South. Dr. Ogwu has an extensive publication record, including numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, edited volumes, and scholarly books with leading publishers. He has led and collaborated on funded research projects across North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, integrating scientific evidence with regulatory and policy perspectives. His interdisciplinary work advances resilient, safe, and sustainable food systems through applied research, risk assessment, and evidence-based mitigation strategies.Dr. Sylvester C. Izah is a public health and environmental microbiology scholar at Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Nigeria, where he also serves as Assistant Director of Academic Planning, Research, and Innovations. He holds dual Ph.D. degrees in Public Health and in Applied Microbiology and Environmental Health, along with an M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology and a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Niger Delta University, Nigeria. He is a licensed environmental health specialist in Nigeria. Dr. Izah's research centers on environmental contaminants and their implications for food safety, human health, and sustainable food systems. His expertise includes heavy metal contamination of soil, water, and food matrices; exposure pathways and toxicological risk assessment; environmental microbiology; sanitation and waste management; and One Health–based sustainability frameworks. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications and edited or contributed to books with leading publishers bringing a strong global perspective to this volume.Dr. Alves holds his degree in Agronomy from the College of Agricultural Sciences of Pará, Brasil; Master's degree in plant physiology by Federal University of Viçosa Minas Gerais, Brasil; and Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from Cornell University, Ithaca-NY, USA. He has served as Visiting-Scientist in the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Cali, Colombia, acting as Coordinator of the Cassava Biotechnology Network for Latin America and the Caribbean. As Senior Scientist at Embrapa-Labex-USA in Genetic Resources, he has also worked at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, ARS / USDA, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Since 1987 he has been Scientist at Embrapa Cassava & Fruits, , where he is currently cassava team leader and international affairs supervisor. His agronomy experience emphasizes cassava physiology, working on abiotic stresses tolerance (particularly drought), biotechnology (molecular markers, tissue culture and cryopreservation), pre-breeding and cassava genetic resources preservation.