This Research Topic is an invite only collection, please only submit if you’ve been contacted by a member of the editorial team or conference organiser.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a holistic approach that aims to increase agricultural productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It recognizes the contributions of the agriculture sector to climate change, the need to adapt global farming practices to shifting environmental conditions, and the challenge of ensuring food security for a growing population. Fifteen years after the concept of CSA was coined, crisis have further developed, knowledge about sustainable agricultural practices have improved, and newer concepts have emerged, such as regenerative agriculture, agroecology, and sustainable food systems.

The 6th edition of the Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Conference will spark science-based, innovation-driven, and action-oriented dialogues to generate lessons from these last fifteen years. Taking place from the 5th to 7th November 2025 in Brasília, Brazil, this conference aims to bring scientists, policymakers, civil society organizations, investors, and businesses together to shape the future of food and agriculture ahead of COP30, also to be held in Brazil in 2025. These stakeholders will be encouraged to forge collaboration and commitments to accelerate action towards more resilient and climate-neutral food systems.

By publishing the articles presented in the Global CSA conference in a special issue of the Frontiers Sustainable Food Systems journal, the aim is to:

- Amplify and consolidate the knowledge that will be shared during the conference and that will set the basis for dialogue and decision making.

- Spotlight groundbreaking research in six different topics: (1) plant nutrition and soil health, (2) next-generation crops, (3) sustainable livestock, (4) synergies with planetary boundaries, (5) policies and institutions, and (6) finance and business.

- Provide science-based evidence that can facilitate commitments from and collaboration between scientists, policymakers, civil society organizations, investors, and businesses for real life impact on global food systems.

- Inform global discussions and shape the agenda for evidence-based policy-making and implementation towards more resilient, productive, and climate-neutral food and agriculture systems.

The articles that will be part of this journal will have already been presented at the Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Conference 2025. Therefore, they will all fit under the conference themes of Plant Nutrition & Soil Health, Next-Generation Crops, Sustainable Livestock, Synergies with Planetary Boundaries, Policies & Institutions, and Finance & Business.

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Generating lessons from 15 years of Climate-Smart Agriculture: New frontiers for research and action