Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices for Sustainable Food Systems and Rural Sustainable Livelihoods Nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Conceptual Review and Analytical Framework

Africa's smallholding agriculture is susceptible to changing climate. The interaction between several biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural and political stressors increases smallholder farmers' vulnerability, thereby, limiting their adaptive capacity. Whereas changing climate is acknowledged as a significant problem with a detrimental effect on sustainable livelihoods, agriculture and food systems at large, farmers' engagement with climate-smart agriculture practices and interventions is alluded to increase the region's smallholders' adaptive capacity, reduce greenhouse gasses emission and increase agriculture productivity and yields to promote sustainable food systems outcomes. This paper examines three distinct but fundamentally interconnected schools of thought that have developed somewhat independently, i.e. (1) climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation, (2) climate-smart agriculture practices (CSA) for sustainable food systems, and (3) sustainable rural livelihood to conceptualize a framework which illustrates the relationship between these three themes. The framework also elucidates how vulnerabilities are outcomes of multiple livelihood stressors, and adaptive capacity reflects access to assets and capital, while sustainable food system outcomes represent the livelihood outcome from engagement with CSA practices. Further, the framework shows the relationship between the supposedly sustainable food system outcomes and how they rebound to reinforce smallholders' adaptive capacity or increase vulnerabilities to multiple livelihood stressors. The framework will serve as a guide or checklist on which elements to consider when exploring the relationship between climate change impact, vulnerabilities, and adaptation with CSA practices for sustainable food systems outcomes. This framework will guide empirical studies that seek to understand the trade-offs and synergies among various dimensions and pillars of sustainable food system outcomes when farmers use CSA. In the long term, this framework will deepen our understanding of the place-based and context-specific CSA practices and policies required to make our food systems more resilient, equitable, and sustainable.