Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary approach that aims to address the challenges posed by climate change on agricultural systems, with a particular focus on enhancing soil health, resilience to agroecosystems from abiotic and biotic stress, and promoting sustainable crop production. Agriculture faces unique challenges in arid and semi-arid regions, such as the increased frequency of extreme weather events that threaten global food security and the overall well-being of humans and the ecosystem. Therefore, CSA approaches are recognized as the critical and urgent need for commercial agriculture that adapts to changing climatic conditions and contributes to global climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

One key aspect of CSA is promoting soil health, which involves adopting practices that improve soil structure, fertility, and water retention. Healthy soils act as a natural buffer against climate extremes, enhancing the resilience of crops to adverse climatic conditions. CSA also promotes the development of crop varieties resilient to abiotic and biotic stress (extreme or harsh weather or other challenging environments) through advanced breeding techniques and biotechnology. Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions; however, it also has the potential to sequester carbon through practices like agroforestry and conservation agriculture. Additionally, integrating agroecological principles into CSA that contribute to beneficial ecosystem services such as cover cropping, conservation tillage, livestock integration, crop diversification, and integrated pest and nutrient management are crucial aspects of building resilient agricultural systems.

Recent advances in agricultural science and technology have provided new tools for implementing CSA. Precision farming, data-driven decision-making, agriculture based on data science approaches like machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the use of remote sensing technologies can enable farmers to optimize resource use and respond effectively to changing climate conditions. Despite these advancements, challenges persist in ensuring the widespread adoption of CSA practices. Limited access to technology, financial constraints, and the need for supportive policies are still impeding the adoption of CSA in large commercial farms. Addressing these challenges is essential to realizing the full potential of CSA in enhancing agricultural sustainability.

Food security is a paramount concern, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where the impacts of climate change are pronounced. CSA not only contributes to increased crop yields and improved resilience but also promotes sustainable farming systems that safeguard food production in the long term. By enhancing the adaptive capacity of agriculture to climate change, CSA plays a crucial role in ensuring food security for growing populations. Implementing CSA practices in these areas not only helps farmers the current challenges but also prepares them for future uncertainties.

Climate-smart agriculture indicates a holistic approach that can strengthen food and agricultural production systems in arid and semi-arid environments. By focusing on ecosystem health, resilience, and sustainability, CSA contributes to climate change mitigation efforts and bolsters future food security. However, overcoming barriers to adoption remains crucial for the widespread success of CSA practices.

Recognizing the significance of agriculture in semi-arid and arid climates underscore the importance of investigating sustainable practices to ensure the resilience of global food systems. Our Research Topic will, therefore, document existing knowledge to help growers in the adaptive decision-making process and pioneer future agricultural research. In the face of escalating climate change and burgeoning global food demands, it is imperative to transform agricultural practices towards climate-smart and sustainable methods. Different biotic and abiotic stressors challenge growers to adopt sustainable agricultural tools and techniques, especially in arid and semi-arid climates.

The theme of this Research Topic will revolve around multi-and cross-disciplinary science, including climate-smart agricultural technologies, improved understanding of soil and plant interactions, and adoption of modern technologies for natural resource conservation aiming at sustainable development goals. Our collection seeks articles to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, uniting research from climate-smart agronomy, plant-soil-microbe interactions, irrigation technologies, and precision nutrient management. It will explore innovative techniques and strategies aligned with precision agriculture, regenerative farming, and sustainable agriculture to optimize agricultural production in arid and semi-arid environments. In addition, it will address challenges faced by farmers, resource constraints, policy implications, and socioeconomic factors that influence the adoption of climate-smart practices.

This Research Topic will serve as a platform for exchanging knowledge, practical solutions, and transformative ideas to safeguard sustainable agriculture's future in a changing climate. Despite recent advances in agricultural science and technologies, challenges from unpredictable weather patterns, water scarcity, and soil health degradation remain consistent threats to sustainable farming. Commercial crop production is further impeded by resource inefficiency, overreliance on chemical inputs, and inadequate resource management. To overcome these challenges, stakeholders can rely on precision agriculture technologies that can optimize resource use, while agroecological approaches can enhance climate resilience. Cover cropping and organic amendments may contribute to soil health while switching to regenerative farming can promote sustainable crop production. Recent breakthroughs, including using artificial intelligence for precision farming, soil health conservation, and irrigation technologies that improve water-use-efficiencies, are promising and showing significant outcomes. Currently, most national administrations have championed the climate-smart agriculture movement, prioritizing sustainable practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Focused on innovation, conservation, and equitable rural development, their approach emphasizes carbon sequestration, precision farming, and support for resilient agroecosystems.

To address current research needs and recent scientific advances in the arena of climate-smart agriculture and foster sustainable crop production for the benefit of commercial agriculture and global food security, we are requesting scientific manuscripts on the following topics:

1. Climate-smart Agriculture: Climate-resilient crop production, low greenhouse gas emission agronomic strategies, implementation and impact of innovative natural and agricultural ecosystems, modelling climate impacts on crop growth and development, and advanced cropping systems for ecological benefits such as improved biodiversity, soil conservation, and reduced environmental impact. Any relevant research that contributes to beneficial ecosystem services and promotes a climate-smart, sustainable, and resilient farming system.

2. Plant-Soil Interactions: Role of soil microbiota in promoting plant health and resilience against environmental stresses, strategies to enhance beneficial microbial communities through the use of cover crops, organic amendments, and biofertilizers, aiming to improve soil structure, nutrient cycling, and overall soil health; approached enhancing carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Precision Nutrient and Irrigation Management: Precision nutrient and irrigation systems, sensor technologies, remote sensing-based irrigation scheduling, deficit irrigation, and data analytics to enhance nutrient and water-use efficiency; smart irrigation techniques to boost the adoption of drip and sprinkler systems to maximize water savings.

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Frontiers in Agronomy

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