The global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation/ deforestation, and pollution significantly threaten food security and water resources. This Research Topic delves into the transformative potential role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in water-smart food production, addressing these multifaceted challenges.
The objective of this Research Topic is to investigate how agricultural practices incorporating NbS can address climate change, adapt to environmental shifts, protect biodiversity, enhance agricultural productivity, and support livelihoods. Some key aims include:
• Mitigate Climate Change: through exploring methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester soil carbon, and promote sustainable land use through NbS in agriculture.
• Adapt to Climate Change: by investing in how NbS can improve water management, optimize water use, and enhance resilience to climate extremes, including droughts, and floods.
• Biodiversity Protection and Lands Restoration: Examine the role of NbS in protecting biodiversity, restoring degraded lands fostering resilient agroecosystems and healthy soil for sustainable food production.
• Increasing Agricultural Production and Productivity: Assess how NbS can improve soil health, nutrient availability, pollination services, and pest control to boost agricultural production.
• Support Farmer Livelihoods: Explore the contribution of NbS to increase profitability, reduce input costs, and improve market access with a focus on smallholder farmers.
• Stakeholder Participation and Governance: Investigate strategies to foster effective stakeholder participation and inclusive governance in NbS implementation to include all relevant parties, involving farmers, scientists, policymakers, and local communities.
While the scope is open, potential research areas include:
• Reviving Riparian Zones: Restore riparian zones using native plants to improve water quality, increase infiltration, biodiversity support, and mitigate flood risks.
• Biodiverse Cover Crops: Integrate diverse plant species between cash crops to improve soil health, carbon sequestration potential, water retention, support diverse, healthy ecosystems, and potentially enhance pest control services.
• Regenerative Grazing: Implement rotational grazing practices to mimic natural patterns for climate mitigation and adaptation to improve habitat quality, and potentially increase livestock productivity while preserving natural resources.
• Agroforestry Systems: Integrate trees and shrubs into crop fields or livestock systems to improve soil health, water retention, and microclimate regulation while creating habitat for diverse species.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Implement a combination of biological, cultural, and physical pest control methods to reduce dependent on harmful pesticides, while simultaneously fostering biodiversity to enhance agricultural productivity.
• Conservation Agriculture: Minimize soil disturbance, maintain permanent soil cover, and diversify crop rotations to improve soil health, water infiltration, and nutrient cycling, leading to increased agricultural productivity and reduced erosion.
• Watershed Management: Implementing NbS strategies throughout a watershed, such as rainwater harvesting and wetland restoration, to improve water availability, regulate water flows, reduce erosion, and enhance biodiversity.
• Pollinator-Friendly Practices: Provide habitat for wild pollinators and minimizing pesticide use to support pollination services, increase crop yields, and enhance biodiversity, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient food system.
This Research Topic can address the following:
• Developing, refining, and/or testing economic models that capture the value of NbS, including their environmental, and socio-economic benefits.
• Investigating scaling-up potential successful NbS interventions and identifying strategies for overcoming barriers to wider adoption.
• Applying a multidisciplinary approach by enhancing local communities’ capacity to participate effectively in shared decision-making and adaptive governance.
• Promoting policy frameworks that incentivize and support the adoption of NbS by all relevant stakeholders including farmers, ensuring equitable access to natural resources and shared benefits.
Keywords:
nature-based solutions; climate change; water-smart food production;
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.
The global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation/ deforestation, and pollution significantly threaten food security and water resources. This Research Topic delves into the transformative potential role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in water-smart food production, addressing these multifaceted challenges.
The objective of this Research Topic is to investigate how agricultural practices incorporating NbS can address climate change, adapt to environmental shifts, protect biodiversity, enhance agricultural productivity, and support livelihoods. Some key aims include:
• Mitigate Climate Change: through exploring methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester soil carbon, and promote sustainable land use through NbS in agriculture.
• Adapt to Climate Change: by investing in how NbS can improve water management, optimize water use, and enhance resilience to climate extremes, including droughts, and floods.
• Biodiversity Protection and Lands Restoration: Examine the role of NbS in protecting biodiversity, restoring degraded lands fostering resilient agroecosystems and healthy soil for sustainable food production.
• Increasing Agricultural Production and Productivity: Assess how NbS can improve soil health, nutrient availability, pollination services, and pest control to boost agricultural production.
• Support Farmer Livelihoods: Explore the contribution of NbS to increase profitability, reduce input costs, and improve market access with a focus on smallholder farmers.
• Stakeholder Participation and Governance: Investigate strategies to foster effective stakeholder participation and inclusive governance in NbS implementation to include all relevant parties, involving farmers, scientists, policymakers, and local communities.
While the scope is open, potential research areas include:
• Reviving Riparian Zones: Restore riparian zones using native plants to improve water quality, increase infiltration, biodiversity support, and mitigate flood risks.
• Biodiverse Cover Crops: Integrate diverse plant species between cash crops to improve soil health, carbon sequestration potential, water retention, support diverse, healthy ecosystems, and potentially enhance pest control services.
• Regenerative Grazing: Implement rotational grazing practices to mimic natural patterns for climate mitigation and adaptation to improve habitat quality, and potentially increase livestock productivity while preserving natural resources.
• Agroforestry Systems: Integrate trees and shrubs into crop fields or livestock systems to improve soil health, water retention, and microclimate regulation while creating habitat for diverse species.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Implement a combination of biological, cultural, and physical pest control methods to reduce dependent on harmful pesticides, while simultaneously fostering biodiversity to enhance agricultural productivity.
• Conservation Agriculture: Minimize soil disturbance, maintain permanent soil cover, and diversify crop rotations to improve soil health, water infiltration, and nutrient cycling, leading to increased agricultural productivity and reduced erosion.
• Watershed Management: Implementing NbS strategies throughout a watershed, such as rainwater harvesting and wetland restoration, to improve water availability, regulate water flows, reduce erosion, and enhance biodiversity.
• Pollinator-Friendly Practices: Provide habitat for wild pollinators and minimizing pesticide use to support pollination services, increase crop yields, and enhance biodiversity, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient food system.
This Research Topic can address the following:
• Developing, refining, and/or testing economic models that capture the value of NbS, including their environmental, and socio-economic benefits.
• Investigating scaling-up potential successful NbS interventions and identifying strategies for overcoming barriers to wider adoption.
• Applying a multidisciplinary approach by enhancing local communities’ capacity to participate effectively in shared decision-making and adaptive governance.
• Promoting policy frameworks that incentivize and support the adoption of NbS by all relevant stakeholders including farmers, ensuring equitable access to natural resources and shared benefits.
Keywords:
nature-based solutions; climate change; water-smart food production;
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.