Climate Change Disrupts Food Systems in Africa, Exacerbating Food Insecurity

Strategic Insights -

Climate change is disrupting food systems in Africa, particularly in South Africa, exacerbating food insecurity and necessitating coordinated efforts to mitigate and adapt to the challenges posed. A systematic review of 143 peer-reviewed studies has highlighted the multifaceted and urgent nature of the impact of climate change on food supply chains in Africa. The research emphasizes the importance of proactive measures to ensure the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the face of climatic uncertainty.

Key Takeaways:

  • Smallholder farmers in Africa are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, with limited access to markets, technical knowledge, and income, negatively affecting their overall participation in the food supply chain.
  • Climate change disrupts the production-to-consumption processes of the food supply chain, affecting yields, quality, and harvest timing of crops, and leading to shortages and price hikes.
  • Adaptation strategies, such as altered farming practices and water management, are essential to overcome the challenges brought upon by climate change, while mitigation strategies, such as improving energy efficiency, reforesting, and lowering greenhouse gases, can prevent or reduce causes of climate change.
  • The active laws and policies need to be reviewed to adapt to changes in the environment throughout the supply chain, particularly in crop production.
  • Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a crucial approach to promote, providing access to financial services, climate information systems, strengthening of food security programs, and policies that promote agroecologic approaches to encourage smallholder farmers to work with ecosystems.
  • The integration of climate and agricultural policy, trade policies, and sustainable land policies is necessary to ensure sustainability and resilience in vulnerable regions.

Statistics:

  • 20,889 articles were screened for relevance based on their titles and abstracts, with 10,585 articles excluded from the study.
  • 143 peer-reviewed studies were included in the study to assess the impact of climate change on the food supply chain of smallholder farmers.
  • 26 articles from Web of Science, 20 from Scopus, and 97 from Google Scholar were used in the systematic review.
  • The production-to-consumption processes of the food supply chain are significantly affected by climate change, with shifts in temperature and rainfall influencing crop yields, quality, and harvest timing.
  • Extreme weather events cause crop damage, leading to shortages and price hikes, affecting consumer demand, food safety, affordability, availability, and nutritional value.

Sources:

  • Exploring the effect of climate change on food supply chains in Africa: a systematic review with a focus on South Africa. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2025,9.
  • Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, published by Frontiers Media S.A.
  • NewsRx. New Climate Change Study Findings Reported from University of KwaZulu-Natal (Exploring the effect of climate change on food supply chains in Africa: a systematic review with a focus on South Africa). Global Warming Focus. September 1, 2025; p 334.