Citation: Kioumarsi, H., Alidoust, M., El Hage, M. (2025). Tomorrow’s Table: Food Systems in the Era of Climate Change. Springer Nature Communities. https://go.nature.com/4fISd5M

Abstract

Food system sustainability in the era of climate change constitutes one of the critical concerns for humanity. The planet’s food systems are threatened by climate change, intensified by greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production, and food waste. The present article aimed to establish the relationship between climate change and food systems and explore alternative ways of sustaining food production and consumption. The review emphasized the implication of climate change on agricultural production, livestock and fisheries, and food security. It also evaluated the potential of climate-smart agriculture, regenerative farms, and a circular bioeconomy to develop future climate-resilient food systems for the growing population.

Keywords: Climate change; Food systems; Food security; Sustainable agriculture

Introduction

Food systems comprise multiple processes, including production, processing, distribution, marketing, consumption, and waste recycling, linked to food production. They constitute one of the most significant economic sectors because they are worth billions of dollars and provide sustenance to billions of people. However, climate change continues to threaten all stages of food production, starting with agricultural production of food crops and livestock. Climate change has escalated in the last 250 years, following the onset of the industrial revolution, and has intensified in the past century, with temperatures rising by several degrees globally, threatening agricultural production.

Further, the food system is responsible for almost a third of greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic activities, making it critical to make it climate-smart and a carbon sink. Further, the world’s population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 and will require more food than ever before. Therefore, the present review aimed to demonstrate the implication of climate change on food systems and how the latter could adapt to the former.

Climate Change and Agricultural Production

Agricultural production is highly susceptible to climate change as it is influenced by climate variability, which affects grain filling, production, and transpiration. Further, water scarcity resulting from prolonged droughts or other extreme weather events influences agricultural production negatively. Further, agricultural production and multiple processes are disrupted by climate change through its implication on the distribution of invasive pests and diseases.

Further, heatwaves and floods influence food production and security in various ways, disrupting the continuous supply of food items. For example, drought stress impedes germination and inhibits crop physiology while also reducing the moisture content of the soil. Similarly, heat stresses hinder the successful pollination of food crops, decreasing both their quantity and quality. Contrarily, floods destroy crops and the nutrient content of the topsoil, affecting future agricultural production. Agricultural production processes are highly susceptible to climate change, which exerts more pressure on developing countries to adapt.

Livestock and Animal Production

Climate change impacts farm animals’ production, breeding, and health, as animals are particularly vulnerable to heat stress, affecting their performance, reproduction rate, and overall wellbeing. Further, climate change influences the quality and supply of roughage and fodder, which are essential for livestock production. Further, animals require steady access to roughage and fodder to maintain their production performance.

Climate change influences livestock farming in relation to the prevalence of infectious diseases and parasites by exposing animals to new pathogens and vectors with no natural immunity. Further, livestock farming contributes to climate change, primarily through enteric fermentation and methane emissions from animal waste. Sustainable livestock production can be achieved through improved breeding practices, nutritional management, and the latest technologies to reduce enteric fermentation and methane emissions from animal waste.

Fisheries and Aquatic Food Systems

Fisheries and aquaculture are necessary since they provide food for many people, especially those living in coastal areas. Nonetheless, climate change affects fisheries and aquaculture by affecting fish migration and feeding areas. Moreover, changes in seawater temperature affect shellfish production and endanger the coral reefs, which play a critical role in the reproduction of aquatic species. Also, fisheries found in coastal freshwater ecosystems are susceptible to the rising of the sea level and changes in the inflows of freshwater.

Further, inland fisheries and aquaculture, particularly freshwater fish farming, are susceptible to climate change through the prevalence of diseases and poor water quality. Further, sustainable freshwater aquaculture is critical to future food security as it is more resilient to the anticipated impacts of climate change as these food systems are designed to operate in tandem with the local environment.

Food Supply Chains and Food Security

Climate change influences food supply chains, from transporting food items from producers to processors and retailers and storing food, impacting food security. Extreme weather events disrupt the distribution of food items, causing losses to stakeholders. Further, disrupted food supply chains affect communities in terms of their access to food. Further, climate change influences the power supply, thereby indirectly impacting the food supply chain and security. For example, electricity is vital in cold chain storage, which maintains the appropriate food storage temperature.

Climate change will impact future food security by influencing the availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability of food supplies. However, the influence of climate change on food security will be different for diverse populations, with the poor being the most vulnerable. This is because the poor and their communities lack the adaptive capacity, and they have to allocate a large proportion of their income to acquiring food, while the rich can adjust their diets in response to the changing climate. Further, food waste constitutes a significant threat to future food security as it is a colossal waste of resources and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Approximately a third of food produced is wasted during production, processing, storage, and distribution, and it is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions as it ends up in landfill sites, generating methane in the process. Therefore, it is critical to address the issue of food waste to ensure future food security while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions that augment climate change.

Building Climate-Resilient Food Systems

To construct food systems that can withstand the effects of climate change, there is need to not only adapt them to climate change but also reduce greenhouse gases produced by the food systems. To achieve such an approach, Climate-Smart Agriculture is a method that promotes climate-resilient agriculture while still minimizing the potential of agriculture to contribute to climate change. Various techniques of Climate-Smart Agriculture can be employed to help build effective climate-resilient food systems such as conservation agriculture, irrigation, and any other methods that contribute to successful and effective agriculture in terms of its resilience to climate change.

Moreover, precision farming can help reach climate resilience in food systems because it relies on the use of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, satellites, drones, and IoT. Furthermore, regenerative agriculture is a concept that seeks to improve degraded soils while having high yields. The techniques that can be used to help realize regenerative agriculture include crop rotation, encouraging minimum disturbance of soil, and so on. In addition, a type of biocircular economy eliminates waste and helps to use waste biomass more efficiently. Biocircular economy is a system thinking approach that advocates sustainability in agricultural production and leads to the production of various types of products, including energy, feed, and fertilizers from waste. It allows reducing the quantity of produced waste, which results in lower levels of methane emission from the processes of waste decomposition.

Sustainable Diets and Consumer Responsibility

By making informed food decisions, consumers can support sustainable agriculture, for instance by choosing a plant-based diet and reducing food waste. Sustainable diets, which are defined as diets with little environmental impact while being nutritionally adequate, represent the intersection between eating more plant foods while also minimizing food waste. Sustainable diets which involve eating more plant-based foods while also reducing food waste will result in a sustainable food system that is healthy for both consumers and the environment. Sustainability diet that highlights the consumption of plant foods with the inclusion of more fruits and vegetables leads to the reduction in the incidence of a range of diseases like diabetes and heart diseases. In addition, meat is a good source of iron and essential nutrient therefore it should be eaten in moderation.

Future Perspectives

The food system is the responsibility of agricultural scientists, public policy makers, economists, environmental scientists, engineers, doctors, and more. Agricultural scientists can contribute towards sustainable agriculture and lessen the effect of agriculture on the ecosystem through genetic engineering which allows for the creation of crops that are both immune to diseases and to the effects of climate change, they are also beneficial in the process of food production itself. In addition, other technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence will allow for precision agriculture to be employed in farming without having adverse consequences on the environment. Nonetheless, policies and investments in infrastructure have to be introduced and implemented so that it is the case.

Conclusion

Climate change has become one of the most dangerous threats to the world’s food systems, affecting all stages, from production to consumption. At the same time, the food system constitutes one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. The present review highlighted the implication of climate change in agricultural production, livestock and fisheries, and food security. The future research on genetic technologies, precision agriculture, and climate-smart livestock production holds the key to sustainable food systems.

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