Resilient agricultural and food systems: The nexus of climate change, health, and nutrition in Africa

Africa’s agricultural and food systems stand at the intersection of profound climate, nutrition, and public health challenges. The continent’s predominantly rain-fed and smallholder-driven agriculture is acutely vulnerable to climate-induced shocks that undermine food availability and diet diversity. The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises identifies Africa as the global epicenter of acute food insecurity, where erratic rainfall, droughts, and conflicts precipitate recurrent crises. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2025), while hunger has declined in Asia and Latin America, the prevalence of undernourishment in Africa now exceeds 20%, alongside rising moderate and severe food insecurity affecting nearly 60% of the population. Climatic and socioeconomic stressors also compromise soil health and crop nutritional quality, threatening the four pillars of food and nutrition security—availability, access, utilization, and stability. These dynamics have intensified the double burden of malnutrition, with persistent undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coexisting with diet‑related noncommunicable diseases. Addressing this complexity requires nutritional transformation through equitable, climate-resilient, and sustainable diets that balance productivity, environmental stewardship, and human health.This Research Topic aims to advance interdisciplinary research at the nexus of agriculture, climate resilience, and nutrition in Africa to foster healthy, sustainable, and culturally appropriate diets. It seeks to connect agronomic innovation with measurable improvements in diet quality, nutrient adequacy, and health outcomes, directly contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing). By integrating findings from soil and crop science, food technology, nutrition epidemiology, and policy studies, this initiative intends to identify scalable pathways that strengthen food environments and nutritional resilience under accelerating climate pressures. Emphasizing “nutrition from the ground up,” this Research Topic encourages original contributions that explore how sustainable agricultural transformation can improve dietary patterns and long-term population health.To gather further insights into nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient food systems across Africa, we welcome contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• Climate-smart agronomy and crop diversification that support nutrient-dense, climate-resilient, and biodiverse food systems for sustainable diets.• Soil health, mineral translocation, and crop biochemistry, focusing on how soil and climate interactions influence micronutrient density and bioactive compounds in staple and indigenous foods.• Postharvest loss mitigation and low-energy food processing innovations that preserve nutrient quality, extend shelf life, and reduce food waste.• Food and nutrition security vulnerability mapping and household dietary resilience in relation to climate and livelihood shocks.• Dietary quality, nutrition epidemiology, and use of dietary diversity indicators and biomarkers in African populations.• Food-based and public health nutrition interventions, from biofortified crops to dietary diversification, for preventing stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and hidden hunger.• Food safety and contamination risks, including aflatoxins and mycotoxins, and their implications for nutritional quality and public health.• Governance, economics, and policy frameworks that align agribusiness development and sustainable food system transformation with national dietary and health goals.Article typesOriginal Research, Review, Systematic Review, Policy and Practice Reviews, and Perspective. Topic editors: Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin, Abimbola Arise, Isaac Oluwatayo, Ayodeji Kehinde Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83130/resilient-agricultural-and-food-systems-the-nexus-of-climate-change-health-and-nutrition-in-africa