Responses of African food systems to climate change: A systematic review of concepts, methods, and evidence

Abstract

Context

African food systems are highly vulnerable to external shocks, especially climate change, yet remain central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Research on the intersection of food systems and climate change in Africa is fragmented and lacks coherence in conceptual frameworks and measurement approaches.

Objective

This study systematically reviews the peer-reviewed literature in life sciences, biomedicine and economics to assess how African food systems are conceptualized in the context of climate change, evaluate the methods used to study climate impacts, and synthesize empirical findings related to food security, nutrition, social welfare, and environmental sustainability.

Methods

We systematically review 56 peer-reviewed studies published between 2007 and 2024. Studies were selected using PRISMA guidelines and analyzed using thematic synthesis grounded in food systems and systems theory. We categorize conceptual approaches and assess methodological and empirical patterns across the selected literature.

Results and conclusions

Two conceptual models dominate. Complete models integrate environmental, social, and institutional linkages to capture systemic feedbacks and governance structures, while partial models focus on localized adaptation processes and actor interactions. The choice of the approach depends on the research objectives, data availability, and analytical scale. Most studies use qualitative or cross-sectional methods, limiting quantification of resilience or actor-level trade-offs—such as tensions between producers and consumers or between food security and environmental sustainability. Armed conflict or informal resource extraction are rarely integrated into climate–food system models despite their growing importance. Future research is recommended to employ hybrid, data-driven frameworks that link actor-specific dynamics with system-level feedbacks, operationalize resilience metrics, and assess the coherence of climate and food policies across all geographical and analytical scales.

Significance

The African Union's “Decade of Action” (2021−2030) calls for science-policy efforts to address persistent development challenges through a food-systems lens. This review contributes to scientific progress and policy formulation by providing an actionable conceptual framework, synthesizing existing evidence, identifying research gaps, and proposing a future research agenda focused on resilience measurement, policy alignment, and integrated modeling of climate, conflict, and food-system interactions.