About this Research Topic

Background

Food systems are both a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and are strongly impacted by climate change and weather extremes. Solutions to deliver net-zero food systems, therefore, need to take climate impacts, adaptation, and resilience into account in order to ensure they are appropriate in a changing climate and do not conflict with adaptation goals. In a similar way, adaptation options for the food system must consider potential trade-offs, consequences, and synergies with net-zero and other objectives such as the Sustainable Development Goals. Solutions for net-zero, climate-resilient food systems will therefore require systematic, interdisciplinary approaches across academia, governments, business, NGOs, and the public.

In this Research Topic, we aim to showcase a collection of original articles, reviews, and perspectives covering cutting edge science and thought leadership towards the goal of net-zero, climate-resilient food systems, from farm to fork and across all space and time scales from field to globe and from hours to decades ahead. This Research Topic will highlight research gaps and outline priorities for future work in this area. It will include a detailed analysis of food systems in the current climate as well as future forecasted changes, outlining the impact of these changes to both policymakers and stakeholders.

Topics to be covered include but are not limited to the following:

• Application of climate and related science to deliver solutions and services for net-zero food systems, from the use of weather and climate data and fundamental climate science, through to theoretical frameworks and concepts, co-designed climate services and solutions for industry actors, policy considerations, and applied research.
• Papers that cover aspects of both net-zero and climate-resilient food systems are particularly encouraged – for example considering climate impacts on net-zero goals; or how actions to meet net-zero targets might complement climate adaptation.
• We welcome submissions considering all aspects of food system activities (production, transport/trade, storage, processing/packaging, wholesaling/retailing, consumption and disposal/re-use), food system outcomes, and the actors across the whole food chain.
• Studies considering individual food system aspects are welcome; those considering the “missing middle” of the food chain between production and retail, and those taking a full systems view are particularly encouraged.
• Inclusive, interdisciplinary approaches across academic disciplines (including, but not limited to: climate and environmental sciences, health, food sciences, social, economic, and political sciences), governments, business, NGOs, and the public are encouraged.

Keywords: food systems, climate resilience, climate change, net zero, solutions, climate services, weather and climate, NGOs, SDGs, climate impacts, climate mitigation

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.

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