Food system resilience is the capacity over time of a food system to provide sufficient, appropriate and accessible food to all (i.e., food security) in the face of various and unpredictable biophysical, social, or economic disturbances (Tendall et al., 2015; Schipanski et al., 2016; Harris and Spiegel, 2019). In the context of overlapping and accelerating crises, including climate destabilization, increasing global food insecurity, existing and predicted pandemics, escalating rates of chronic illness, the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the risks to future economic disruptions and social instability, it is essential that all states and regions plan and build greater food system resilience and disaster preparedness capacity to proactively prepare and methodically respond to shocks and thus ensure the basic food and nutrition needs of their citizens (Harris and Spiegel, 2019; Duvat et al., 2021; Hasegawa et al., 2021; IPCC, 2022; Fanzo, 2021; Zurek et al., 2022). The degree to which agri-food systems become resilient and equitable will have a profound influence on the ability of global society to adapt to climate change, respond to future crises, and ensure social stability (Agyemang and Kwofie 2021; Sampson et al. 2021; Rockström et al., 2020; Rosenzweig et al., 2020; Queiroz et al., 2021; Watts et al., 2021). The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, along with the increasingly frequent and severe weather events of the last 50 years (UN 2021; NOAA 2023), have highlighted the need for a deeper understanding of the theories, case studies, and principles and practices used in creating food system resilience, and integrating these strategies with disaster preparedness and response planning to promote food security and well-being in times of acute crises (Hecht et al. 2019; Béné 2020; Blay-Palmer et al. 2021; Perdana et al. 2022).

This Special Research Topic on Food System Resilience, Disaster Preparedness & Response responds to the need on the part of scholars, city, state and regional planners, and NGO and agency leaders to have access to the current state of the science and best practices in the overlapping fields of sustainable food system planning and development, and disaster preparedness and emergency response.

This Research Topic is appropriate for the Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems Section on Institutions, Social Moments and Governance due to the significant role that food system planning, governance and public and private institutions play in developing food system resilience and equity and in preparing for and responding to future disasters.

The agri-food system, as an essential component of society and the economy, comprises many interdependent components, including farming, agri-business, trade, distribution, food retail and consumption. As witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, disruption in one component can have significant ripple effects that impact the entire agri-food system resulting in increased rates of food insecurity, malnutrition and hunger. Governments, private foundations, producers, NGOs and other stakeholders have been innovating during the pandemic, and in response to severe weather events, adapting their normal practices to ensure the continued availability of food during crises. As not all countries or regions have the same theoretical knowledge, resources, planning capacity or infrastructure necessary to respond to significant and repeated disruptions effectively, taking stock of these recent innovations in anticipation of future disasters is critical (Béné 2020; Bene and Devereux 2023). Moreover, the lack of coordination between key stakeholders in different components of the food system has been shown to lead to significant inefficiencies, negatively impacting the resilience of food systems to disruption resulting in food security, hunger and malnutrition in the midst of crises.

The objective of this Special Research Topic is to address the challenges faced by food systems in the context of natural and human caused disasters by collecting available evidence, theory and practice falling at the intersecting fields of food system resilience and disaster preparedness. Specifically, we encourage researchers to contribute their knowledge, insights and case studies in the following areas:
• Principles and practices of food system resilience and disaster preparedness
• Critical points of vulnerability of food systems to natural and human-caused disasters
• The impact of disasters on different components of the food system, including production, manufacturing, retail, and consumption and food security
• The social and economic costs and benefits of enhancing food system resilience and disaster preparedness
• The role of government, civil society, and private businesses in disaster preparedness, response and recovery
• Public and private sector collaborations (e.g. state government and agencies, private industry and Department of Defense) for enhancing food system resilience and disaster response
• Socio-demographic factors (e.g. poverty, food insecurity, geography) influencing disaster preparedness and response
• Food system resilience innovations during COVID-19 or other natural or human-caused disasters
• Innovative models of food system governance and/or institutions enhancing food system resilience
• Indicators and metrics for assessing food system resilience and disaster preparedness
• Integrated city, county or regional planning and implementation strategies for building enhanced awareness, communications, functional redundancy, response capacity, etc. to enhance the resilience of food systems in the face of natural and human caused disasters
• Purchasing local food supplies to support regional agriculture and food security in the context of disaster preparedness and response (i.e., triangulation)
• Overcoming the costs of building functional redundancies in state, regional and local food systems
• Sustainable agri-food systems planning and development initiatives working in collaboration with emergency management agencies at the city, county, state or regional level
• The intersection of food system resilience and other sustainable development goals, such as reducing food waste, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture
• Levels of household preparedness and factors influencing disaster preparedness and response at the household level

We invite contributions from diverse disciplinary perspectives, including environmental science, food science, sociology, economics, urban and regional planning, political economy, law and public policy. We encourage submission of original research, case studies, and theoretical analyses that address the objectives outlined above. We encourage submission on any of the following Article Types , including original research, reviews, syntheses, perspectives/opinion, community case studies and methodological submissions.

Please be aware that a manuscript summary is mandatory for this particular collection, and completion of this cover sheet should be submitted alongside manuscript submission (as supplementary file).

In conclusion, this Special Research Topic on Food System Resilience, Disaster Preparedness, and Response is essential for understanding the challenges faced by food systems and identifying strategies for enhancing their resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of effective disaster preparedness and management in the food system. This special issue can provide insights into this critical topic and contribute to the development of more resilient and sustainable food systems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: food system resilience, food systems, Sustainable Development Goals, disaster preparedness, adaptation, food security, sustainable food systems, transformation, global environmental change

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.