AUTHOR=Naicker Merishca , Naidoo Denver , Slotow Rob , Ngidi Mjabuliseni Simon C. 

TITLE=Exploring the effect of climate change on food supply chains in Africa: a systematic review with a focus on South Africa

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1604839

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1604839

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionThe food supply chain is a complex system encompassing multiple elements and stakeholders, spanning agricultural production to consumption, and is shaped by factors such as trade policies, food safety regulations, transportation logistics, labor availability, and global health crises. Addressing potential disruptions in food supply chains requires a keen focus on food availability, spanning production, distribution, and trade, emphasizing the urgency of proactive adaptation measures. The interconnection of food systems with geopolitical and environmental factors requires extensive adaptation strategies. Smallholder farmers are vulnerable to the effects of climate change as they depend on rain-fed agriculture, are exposed to climate variability, have limited access to markets and may lack technical knowledge, this negatively affects their overall income and participation in the food supply chain. Effective responses require collaboration among stakeholders at various levels to ensure the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the face of climate change. Understanding the complex interplay between climate change and the food supply chain is important for developing effective strategies to mitigate risks, enhance adaptation, and promote sustainability.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted across three databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, to assess the impact of climate change on the food supply chain of smallholder farmers, focusing on livelihoods, food security, resilience, and adaptation strategies. The search included studies published in English from 1993 to 2023, employing Boolean operators to refine results with key terms such as “Climate,” “Change,” “Food Supply Chain,” “Smallholder Farmers,” and “Adaptation Strategies.” The initial search yielded 20,889 articles, which were screened for relevance based on their titles and abstracts. This process resulted in the exclusion of 10,585 articles from the study. The full texts of the remaining 10,304 articles were then reviewed. After the full-text screening process, 143 peer-reviewed studies were included in the study. The quality of each study was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Inventory (JBI) checklist, ensuring rigorous standards for bias reduction. The assessment followed PRISMA guidelines to enhance transparency and replicability. Data was imported into NVivo 12 for thematic analysis, identifying key themes pertaining to agricultural production, food safety, distribution, and resilience. This methodical approach provided a comprehensive overview of the impacts of climate change on smallholder farmers’ food supply chains.ResultsNvivo12 was used for the screening process. After inputting the articles into NVivo 12, a manual review was conducted to check for any remaining duplicates. The files were imported into NVivo 12, and then sorted by tile and author to bring potential duplicates next to each other. Thereafter the coding feature was used to tag the duplicates. A manual verification was then conducted, as NVivo does not allow for the automatic deletion of duplicates. The duplicates were then grouped and confirmed. Thereafter they were manually deleted from the project file. 26 articles from Web of Science, 20 from Scopus, and 97 from Google Scholar, totalling 143 articles were used in the systematic review. The production-to-consumption processes of the food supply chain are significantly affected by climate change. The shifts in temperature and rainfall influence the yields, quality, and harvest timing of crops. The extent of crop damage due to extreme weather events causes shortages and price hikes. Consumer demand, food safety, affordability, availability, and nutritional value are all impacted by the effects of climate change, which negatively affects the overall well-being of households. To overcome the challenges brought upon by this change in weather conditions, adaptation strategies which are actions taken to adjust the impacts of climate change and reduce the vulnerability to make farmers resilient are implemented. These include altered farming practices and water management. Mitigation strategies are also implemented, this is done to prevent or reduce causes of climate change. This consists of improving energy efficiency, reforesting and lowering greenhouse gases. These adaptation strategies vary depending on the region due to different climate conditions and land tenure. To adapt to the changes in the environment effectively throughout the supply chain, especially in crop production, the active laws and policies need to be reviewed.DiscussionOverall, climate change disrupts food systems and exacerbates food insecurity, necessitating coordinated efforts such as the promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), providing access to financial services, Climate information systems, strengthening of food security programs and policies such as policies that promote agroecologic approaches to encourage the smallholder farmers to work with the ecosystems, market access, integration of climate and agricultural policy and trade policies and sustainable land policies to ensure sustainability and resilience, particularly in vulnerable regions. The multifaceted and urgent nature of the impact of climate change on food supply chains in Africa, notably South Africa, necessitates comprehensive attention and proactive measures to mitigate and adapt to the challenges posed. Effective responses require collaborative efforts among stakeholders at various levels to ensure the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the face of climatic uncertainty.