14 June 2025 · 1 min read
Systematic review of sustainable agricultural practices and food security
Dr Gamel Abdul-Nasser Salifu of the Department of Economics and Applied Mathematics published 'Synergies and trade-offs of sustainable agricultural practices for improved food security in a developing country: a systematic review' in Cogent Food & Agriculture. The review screened about 1,000 articles, of which 120 met the selection criteria, and maps six research fields.
Authors: Gamel Abdul- Nasser Salifu
Synergies and trade-offs of sustainable agricultural practices for improved food security in a developing country: a systematic review
New approaches are needed to anchor a deeper understanding of the synergies between agriculture, the economy, and the environment in the post-pandemic era. However, there is still little research on the empirical contribution of agriculture to sustainable development goals (SDGs). Drawing on studies published in different geographic contexts, the paper demonstrates how the transformative power of agricultural synergies can be mobilized to achieve the SDGs. From an initial review of 1000 articles in scientific databases, 120 studies met the selection criteria. The studies were selected based on results of a screening tool. The analysis revealed that six principal research fields are relevant for understanding the drivers of sustainable agriculture. These areas include; efficiency of land use practices (25%), climate adaptation in agriculture (18%), land use changes (29%), farmer behavior and decisions (11%), peri-urban and urban farming (11%), and land policy (3%). These areas were directly or indirectly related to all the SDGs. Seven out of the 17 SDGs showed the greatest synergy with agriculture, while SDG 7 (affordable clean energy) exhibited a trade-off. Contributions made here have wide applicability for mobilizing and implementation of SDGs in emerging economies, where the agricultural sector represents more than 60% of employment.