Diversified Agri-food Production Systems for Nutritional Security

About this Research Topic

Background

Nutritional security and ecosystem sustainability are the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Globally ~ 2.3 billion people suffer from malnutrition. According to estimates by the World Bank, malnutrition globally costs ~ $ 3.5 trillion per year. On the other hand, the production and availability of staple food is the major emphasis for conventional farming in developing and underdeveloped countries for assured food security. These staple foods are high in carbohydrates and energy availability but low in nutritional value, such as concerning micronutrient, phytochemical, and vitamin contents. Apart from adequate food, there should be consistent access, availability, and affordability of foods and beverages that are nutrient-dense, promote well-being, and minimize diseases. From the experience of the recent COVID-19 crisis, the importance of adequate dietary habits has been emphasized globally since food nutrients are considered inherent sources of immunomodulation.

A diversified and resilient agri-food system can play a potential role to overcome or minimize malnutrition, especially for small and marginal farmers. Food and nutritional security are closely linked. Food insecurity negatively affects the diet quality which can lead to undernutrition, overweight, and obesity. Contemporary food production systems are unable to deliver nutritious, affordable, and sustainable diets. Current agri-food production systems have increased production output but have not made agriculture more nutritious and sustainable. Hence, farming practices that aim to produce nutritious diversified foods in addition to minimizing the negative environmental outcomes are the demand of today’s world. Thus, there is an urgent need to include micronutrient and secondary metabolite-rich food in our daily intake for balanced nutrition.

Nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions carry potential for alleviating nutritional deficiencies by farm diversification, integrating nutrient-rich foods including bio-fortified crops - such as vegetables (including leafy vegetables and edible herbs), fruits, livestock, fish, and mushrooms - and adopting dietary diversity at the household level. Despite the enormous positive outlooks, there are several challenges in the adoption of diversified farming. Diversified farming is a multiproduct-oriented production system that needs multi specialties and marketing and appropriate resources. Hence, the designing and development of diversified farming schemes are highly individualistic and location-specific with resource optimization and characterization. Thus, the promotion of farm diversification to maintain food quality with productivity improvement is a challenging issue for researchers, which needs to be addressed.

This Research Topic welcomes contributions spanning across the discipline related to sustainable agri-food systems covering integrated farming system development and farm diversification. Original research and review articles may explicitly cover nutritional security, balanced diet, the economics of systems and ecosystem services, and could have a specific focus on the following areas.

• Sustainable agri-food system for smallholders
• Cropping system diversification for nutritional security
• Integrated farming system for food and nutritional security
• Agronomic and genetic approaches to biofortification for nutrition-rich food
• Role of pulses and millets for nutrient supply to small farmers
• Enterprise diversification for a nutritious diet
• Role of underutilized/potential crops in nutrition and balanced diets
• Critical approaches for nutrition-sensitive food production system
• Soil health and nutrient density for regenerative farming
• Value addition/food-blending for a balanced diet

Keywords: Food and nutritional security, Diet diversification, One health concept, Integrated Farming systems, Phytochemical farming

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

  In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my Research Topic?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.