The role of climate-smart agriculture in strengthening South Africa’s food system and climate response
Mashford Zenda, Happy Mathew Tirivangasi, Adrino MazendaPurpose
This study systematically synthesises recent evidence on the implementation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in South Africa and its relationship with food security and climate response. It examines how CSA practices relate to the four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilisation and stability, while assessing their documented contributions to climate adaptation, mitigation co-benefits and the factors constraining adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
The review followed the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and institutional repositories were searched using database-specific combinations of terms relating to CSA, food security, climate change and South Africa. Eligible studies were published in English between 2018 and 2025 and examined CSA practices in South Africa in relation to food security and/or climate outcomes. Thirty studies were identified. Primary empirical studies constituted the main units of analysis, while review studies were used for contextual comparison. Data on CSA practices, research methods, geographical coverage and reported outcomes were analysed through thematic synthesis and descriptive mapping.
Findings
CSA implementation in South Africa is diverse, context-specific and uneven across provinces and farming systems. Common practices include crop diversification, conservation agriculture, organic soil management, water-saving interventions, agroforestry and integrated crop–livestock systems. These practices were associated with more stable yields, improved soil conditions, higher farm incomes, greater dietary diversity and stronger resilience to climate shocks. Adaptation evidence was more consistent than mitigation evidence, which was largely inferred from reduced synthetic inputs, improved soil carbon, nutrient recycling and ecosystem restoration. Adoption remained constrained by weak extension services, insecure land tenure, limited finance, labour and knowledge gaps, gender inequalities and youth disengagement.
Research limitations/implications
The evidence base is methodologically uneven, geographically concentrated and dominated by cross-sectional studies. Future research should employ longitudinal and robust impact-evaluation designs, standardise food-security and climate indicators, directly quantify mitigation outcomes and expand coverage in underrepresented provinces.
Practical implications
Scaling CSA requires decentralised extension services, context-specific training, improved access to finance and climate information, targeted support for women and young farmers, and stronger coordination across agricultural, land, food-security and climate-policy domains.
Originality/value
This study provides a South Africa-focused synthesis integrating CSA practice typologies, the four dimensions of food security, adaptation and mitigation evidence, and institutional barriers within a single analytical framework. It distinguishes well-supported benefits from more tentative claims and identifies the conditions necessary for equitable and sustainable CSA implementation.