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Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Agriculture Sustainability
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Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Agriculture Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2025) | Viewed by 1543

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Paramu Mafongoya

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa
Interests: integrated soil fertility management; integrated natural resource management; biofuels and renewable energy; sustainable livelihoods and food security; climate change adaptation and mitigation; indigenous knowledge systems and natural resource management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ecological agriculture places a premium on ecosystem health, biodiversity, and farmer well-being, striving to minimize environmental harm while conserving natural resources. However, the sustainability of ecological agriculture is influenced by climate change, encompassing aspects such as growing conditions, water availability, pest dynamics, soil health, biodiversity, farmer adaptation, and others.

This upcoming Special Issue, entitled "Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Agriculture Sustainability", will delve into critical areas such as climate change adaptation, its impact on agricultural productivity, and the resilience of agroecosystems. Our focus will encompass a broad spectrum of topics, including agroecosystem productivity, food security, poverty alleviation, and the mitigation potential within various agricultural activities such as livestock, fisheries, and forestry.

Through rigorous examination, we aim to elucidate the interconnectedness between climate change and ecological agriculture sustainability. This Special Issue will provide valuable insights into strategies that aim to address climate impacts, enhance agricultural resilience, and promote sustainability across diverse agricultural sectors.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Climate change impacts on agricultural systems
  • Adaptation strategies in agriculture
  • Agroecosystem resilience
  • Biodiversity in sustainable agriculture
  • Technology for climate-smart agriculture
  • Successful climate change mitigation in agriculture
  • Economic implications of climate change on agriculture
  • Policy frameworks for sustainable agriculture

Prof. Dr. Paramu Mafongoya
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adaptation mitigation
  • resilience
  • adaptive capacity
  • climate mitigation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 12151 KiB  
Article
Predicting Climate Change Impacts on Sub-Tropical Fruit Suitability Using MaxEnt: A Regional Study from Southern Türkiye
by Mehmet Özgür Çelik, Osman Orhan and Mehmet Ali Kurt
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5487; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125487 - 14 Jun 2025
Viewed by 411
Abstract
This study, conducted in Mersin, a Mediterranean sub-tropical area, examined the potential of avocado and pitaya to thrive under current and future climate conditions. Researchers utilized climate and soil data, initially selecting 14 parameters (mean annual temperature, mean minimum temperature of the coldest [...] Read more.
This study, conducted in Mersin, a Mediterranean sub-tropical area, examined the potential of avocado and pitaya to thrive under current and future climate conditions. Researchers utilized climate and soil data, initially selecting 14 parameters (mean annual temperature, mean minimum temperature of the coldest month, mean maximum temperature of the warmest month, mean annual precipitation, soil texture, soil depth, land use capability, soil pH, soil organic carbon, soil salinity, land cover, elevation, slope, and groundwater level) for analysis, which were narrowed down to 12 after correlation analysis. The potential distributions were projected using the MaxEnt model for current and future scenarios. Three global climate models—HadGEM3-GC31-LL, MPI-ESM1-2-HR, and GFDL-ESM4—were utilized under the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. Under SSP2-4.5, an average increase of 1.32%, 1.95%, and 4.02% in the “S1” class is expected. For SSP5-8.5, average gains of 1.33%, 1.58%, and 0.77% are projected. In Pitaya, the “S1” class in SSP2-4.5 is expected to increase by 0.96% compared to the first model and decrease by 7.06% and 5.71% compared to the other models, respectively. Under SSP5-8.5, the changes are determined to be 1.49%, −7.27%, and −7.28%, respectively. Our findings indicate that climate change poses a significant threat to the region; however, the application demonstrates that agricultural activities can remain sustainable despite climate change impacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Agriculture Sustainability)
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21 pages, 479 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Climate Change on the Agricultural Sector in SADC Countries
by Phetole Donald Semosa
Sustainability 2025, 17(11), 5177; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115177 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 329
Abstract
Agriculture is a key sector for economic growth, food security, and rural livelihoods within the member nations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). However, the agricultural systems throughout the SADC regions face serious threats from climate change, which is seen through temperature [...] Read more.
Agriculture is a key sector for economic growth, food security, and rural livelihoods within the member nations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). However, the agricultural systems throughout the SADC regions face serious threats from climate change, which is seen through temperature rises, irregular rainfall patterns, and the rising frequency of droughts. The study examines the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity in four SADC countries: South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. It also assesses the impact of institutional structures, policy initiatives, and technological advancements in enhancing agricultural resilience to climate change. The Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PARDL) model was employed to assess short and long run impact of climate change on agricultural productivity. The findings reveal that precipitation significantly increases agricultural productivity in the long run, but not in the short run. In addition, governance inefficiencies, which are measured by control of corruption index have negative long run impacts on agricultural productivity. The estimated speed of adjustment (ECT: −0.9557) demonstrated a strong long run equilibrium relationship, indicating that agricultural productivity converges to its long run trend regardless of short run fluctuations. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide essential knowledge to assist policymakers, researchers, and development agencies in the creation of evidence-based policies aimed at improving agricultural resilience to climate change across SADC member countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Agriculture Sustainability)
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13 pages, 933 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Plausibility of Inoculated Cowpeas as a Climate Adaptation Strategy for Namibian Smallholder Farmers
by Livia Rasche, Johannes Katjana, Kerstin Jantke, David Uchezuba and Uwe A. Schneider
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 4041; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094041 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 344
Abstract
Increased cultivation of cowpeas is a possible adaptation option for Namibian farmers under changing climatic conditions. Using inoculated cowpeas can potentially double the yields under favorable climate conditions. But is such a potentially beneficial agricultural adaptation technique likely to be adopted? We surveyed [...] Read more.
Increased cultivation of cowpeas is a possible adaptation option for Namibian farmers under changing climatic conditions. Using inoculated cowpeas can potentially double the yields under favorable climate conditions. But is such a potentially beneficial agricultural adaptation technique likely to be adopted? We surveyed 90 cowpea farmers from 30 villages in the Kavango region of northern Namibia on their households and farms, access to institutions and services, food consumption and preferences, and perceptions of climate change. Our survey reveals that smallholder farmers will not readily adopt the new technology. At most, about 50% of farmers can be convinced by new information to change their agricultural activities. When specifically asked about their willingness to grow inoculated cowpeas, almost all farmers responded that they would be willing to do so. However, the farmers are reluctant to allocate more land for cowpea cultivation, mainly because harvesting is very time and labor-intensive. The study shows that technology assessments should be conducted in combination with socio-economic assessments to realistically assess the potential success of proposed adaptation measures, as the extent to which a new technology may be adopted is an essential indicator for justifying funding of new technologies or adaptation programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Impacts on Ecological Agriculture Sustainability)
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