REVIEW article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Climate-Smart Food Systems
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1580516
This article is part of the Research TopicFood Systems, Spatial Modelling, And PlanningView all 6 articles
Climate-smart food systems: Integrating adaptation and mitigation strategies for sustainable Agriculture in South Africa
Provisionally accepted
- University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa
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Climate change presents significant challenges to food security, particularly in vulnerable regions like South Africa. This review examines climate-smart food systems (CSFS) as an integrated approach to enhancing agricultural resilience, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring sustainable food production. Introduction: The agricultural sector must simultaneously adapt to shifting climatic conditions and reduce its environmental impact. Methods: This study synthesizes current literature on adaptation strategies, such as drought-resistant crops, precision agriculture, and agroecological practices, alongside mitigation efforts, including carbon sequestration, emissions reductions in livestock, and circular food systems. Results: Findings highlight key barriers to CSFS implementation, including financial constraints, inadequate technical support, and fragmented policies. Policy interventions, multi-stakeholder collaborations, and emerging technologies are crucial in overcoming these challenges. Discussion: Strengthening governance, financial mechanisms, and knowledgesharing platforms is essential for the widespread adoption of climate-smart strategies. Conclusion: By aligning adaptation, mitigation, and policy efforts, South Africa can foster a resilient agricultural sector that supports food security and sustainable development in the face of climate change.
Keywords: Climate-Smart Food Systems, climate-resilient agriculture, adaptation strategies, mitigation policies, Sustainable food production, South Africa
Received: 27 Feb 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mudzielwana. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rudzani Mudzielwana, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa
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