Special Issue "Food Systems Transformation and the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 July 2021).

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Frans Swanepoel
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Guest Editor
FSNet-Africa Principal Investigator and Director, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Dr. Stefano Marras
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Guest Editor
FAO Consultant, and Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow-designate, FSNet-Africa, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Dr. Simeon Ehui
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Guest Editor
Regional Director, Sustainable Development for Africa, The World Bank
Prof. Dr. Lise Korsten
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Co-Director, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Prof. Dr. Manfred Max Bergman
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chair of Social Research and Methodology, Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, Petersgraben 11, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Interests: empirical research on society and economy; leadership; industry initiatives; sustainable consumption; mobility; corporate responsibility
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the interconnectedness of global sustainability challenges, and how shocks and interventions in one system have far-reaching impacts on others. It has also reaffirmed the need for systems thinking and approaches to solve complex challenges. The pandemic has exposed the inadequacies prevalent in the global food system, highlighting the glaring inequalities in food system resilience across regions. These inefficiencies are particularly salient in African food systems, where the pandemic’s ripple effects have significantly affected two dimensions: food supply chains and food security.

Much research has focused on understanding global food systems. However, little attention has been paid to the particularities of and within the African context. One critical challenge has been a limited contextual and comprehensive conceptualisation of the African food system and how it is similar to and different from other global systems. This Special Issue addresses key aspects of African food systems, specifically in the COVID-19 context.

Amid the pandemic, there are important questions to ask about the robustness and sustainability of African food systems. Looking ahead, it is necessary to reflect on how food systems need to change if the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the food systems are to be achieved. Key sustainability challenges such as climate change, gender equality, and nutrition will be addressed in the Special Issue as critical elements in achieving interrelated SDGs.

The Special Issue includes a focus on partnerships and policy to achieve sustainable food systems transformation, with a focus on key policy considerations ahead of the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit.

The Special Issue will accept theoretical and empirical research papers. Studies employing qualitative methods, quantitative methods, and mixed-methods research will be considered.

Prof. Dr. Frans Swanepoel
Dr. Stefano Marras
Dr. Simeon Ehui
Prof. Dr. Lise Korsten
Prof. Dr. Manfred Max Bergman
Guest Editors

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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • Africa
  • food systems
  • climate-smart agriculture
  • nutrition-sensitive agriculture
  • COVID-19
  • gender
  • food security
  • SDGs

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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Article
Evaluating Factors Affecting Performance of Land Reform Beneficiaries in South Africa
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9325; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169325 - 19 Aug 2021
Viewed by 254
Abstract
The ability of farmers to operate redistributed farms in a profitable and sustainable manner is crucial for both successful integration into agricultural value chains and sustainable production systems. The performance of redistributed farms is becoming increasingly important as the number of redistributed farms [...] Read more.
The ability of farmers to operate redistributed farms in a profitable and sustainable manner is crucial for both successful integration into agricultural value chains and sustainable production systems. The performance of redistributed farms is becoming increasingly important as the number of redistributed farms increases in light of correcting previous anomalies in land ownership in South Africa while ensuring continued food security. Although much has been done to assess the impact of land reform on macro variables, little has been done to unpack factors associated with the success of redistributed farms. Using a sample of 1956 redistributed farms across the nine provinces of South Africa, the current study employs an ordinary least square regression as well as a generalised logistic regression model to identify factors associated with the success (measured by net farm income and probability to operate at commercially viable scale) of the sampled farms. The results show that infrastructure, support (both technical and financial), and type of market used are significantly associated with the performance of redistributed farms. In addition, the results reveal disparities in performance across provinces and across gender categories. The study provides valuable insight to programme managers on the factors that needs to be enhanced in order to increase the odds of success for redistributed farms. Full article
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Article
Enhancing the Glopan Food Systems Framework by Integrating Gender: Relevance for Women in African Agriculture
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8564; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158564 - 31 Jul 2021
Viewed by 410
Abstract
Globally, gender inequalities constrain food security, with women often disproportionately affected. Women play a fundamental role in household food and nutrition security. The multiple roles women play in various areas of the food system are not always recognised. This oversight emerges from an [...] Read more.
Globally, gender inequalities constrain food security, with women often disproportionately affected. Women play a fundamental role in household food and nutrition security. The multiple roles women play in various areas of the food system are not always recognised. This oversight emerges from an overemphasis on one aspect of the food system, without considering how this area might affect or be affected by another aspect. This study aimed to draw on international commitments and treaties using content analysis to enhance the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Security food systems framework by integrating a gender perspective. The study found that generally, there is a consensus on specific actions that can be taken to advance gender equality at specific stages of the food system. However, governance and social systems constraints that are not necessarily part of the food system, but have a significant bearing on men and women’s capacity to effectively participate in the food system, need to be addressed. While the proposed conceptual framework has some limitations, it offers a foundation on which researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders can begin conceptualising the interconnectedness of gender barriers in the food system. Full article
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Review

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Review
Guiding Nutritious Food Choices and Diets along Food Systems
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9501; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179501 - 24 Aug 2021
Viewed by 247
Abstract
Poor diets are responsible for more of the global burden of disease than sex, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco combined. Without good health, food security, and nutrition, development is unsustainable. How food is grown, distributed, processed, marketed, and sold determines which foods are available, [...] Read more.
Poor diets are responsible for more of the global burden of disease than sex, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco combined. Without good health, food security, and nutrition, development is unsustainable. How food is grown, distributed, processed, marketed, and sold determines which foods are available, affordable, and acceptable within the local cultural context. These factors guide food choices, influencing the quality of people’s diets, and hence they play a vital part in health. The food system is complex and is neither nutrition nor health driven. Good nutrition and human health are not seen as important supply chain outcomes, diminishing between the different processes and actors in the chain. This is in contrast to the environmental and labour concerns now also perceived as supply chain issues. Although food loss and waste is now appreciated as key to sustainable food supply chains, the critical role on nutrition security remains obscure. In a free market dispensation, the trade-offs between agricultural production and income generation versus nutrient delivery from farm to fork needs to be addressed. Investment and incentivised initiatives are needed to foster diverse food production, preservation, distribution and influence consumers’ behaviour and consumption. The decisions made at any stage of the food supply chain have implications on consumer choices, dietary patterns, and nutritional outcomes. Leveraging the entire food system is an underused policy response to the growing problem of unhealthy diets. Full article
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Review
Policy Considerations for African Food Systems: Towards the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9018; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169018 - 12 Aug 2021
Viewed by 321
Abstract
Achieving food and nutrition security and ending hunger is a complex and multi-faceted global challenge, which requires urgent attention, particularly in Africa. To eliminate hunger, the continent needs to transition to new sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems that deliver nutritious food and [...] Read more.
Achieving food and nutrition security and ending hunger is a complex and multi-faceted global challenge, which requires urgent attention, particularly in Africa. To eliminate hunger, the continent needs to transition to new sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems that deliver nutritious food and a healthy planet for all. This paper discusses challenges and opportunities highlighted during the “Food Systems Transformation to Address the SDGs” session convened by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and partners at the 8th World Sustainability Forum (WSF2020) held in September 2020. The paper reflects on how African food systems need to change to achieve the food systems related and interconnected the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also presents issues for consideration at the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit. Key considerations include (i) the realization that nutrition insecurity is not food insecurity, (ii) the need for Africa to actualize its potential, (iii) the need to demystify policy development processes; (iv) the need to invest in better measurements and indicators; and (v) the need to create nature-based climate-smart solutions Full article
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