Over the past several decades, both China and Africa have implemented various agricultural and food policy initiatives that have had significant impacts on national and global food systems. However, they now face new challenges that include different forms of malnutrition, such as micronutrient deficiency, overweight and obesity. Moreover, there are emerging challenges related to the degradation and depletion of natural resources, as well as the effects of climate change. Equally importantly, food systems in both China and Africa are now confronted with more frequent and intense weather events, such as droughts, floods, cyclones, and heatwaves. Plant and animal diseases and pests, including zoonic diseases like COVID-19 and Avian Flu, pose additional threats. Manmade regional conflicts and distorted global trade and markets further complicate the already complex food systems.
To effectively address these existing and emerging challenges, it is essential to reconsider technologies, food and agricultural policies. Comparative studies between China and Africa, based on their respective lessons and experiences, can provide valuable insights for developing appropriate strategies. Rethinking food and agricultural policies and developing new technologies and practices will help guide efforts to address these challenges and build more resilient and sustainable food systems.
We are therefore organizing a special issue of Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (FASE, http://journal.hep.com.cn/fase) entitled “Food Systems Transformation in China and Africa”. As a rapidly developing interdisciplinary subject, food systems transformation demands holistic research from multiple disciplines.
The special issue invites submission of original and innovative papers as well as reviews and opinion pieces relevant to food systems transformation such as:
1. Agricultural and food policies
2. Trade and value chains
3. Diet, nutrition, and health
4. Environmental resources and sustainability
5. Emerging technologies and practices
6. Climate resilience
7. Gender equity, youth incentive, and smallholders
8. Rural finance, ICTs, social protection, and insurance.
and all other relevant topics.
FASE collects innovative papers that advance the understanding of scientific, technological/engineering, socio-economic, institutional/policy, and management factors that drive current and future agricultural productivity and sustainability globally. It is an open-access journal published quarterly with no page charges. The Editor-in-Chief of FASE is Academician Prof. Qixin Sun, based at China Agricultural University. The associate Editors-in-Chief comprise Hans Lambers from the University of Western Australia, Shenggen Fan and Yaofeng Zhao from China Agricultural University, Oene Oenema from Wageningen University and Research, William J. Davies from Lancaster University, and Peter Vitousek from Stanford University. All submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed by experts of international standing.
In view of your international standing as a research scientist, we cordially invite you to write a review or research paper for this special issue related to one of the topics listed above with a due day of June 1st, 2024. We look forward to receiving a positive response and a one-page abstract from you before you start to draft the article. Please submit your manuscripts through the FASE online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fase and marked the “Special Issue: Food Systems Transformation in China and Africa” in your letter or manuscript. The editors will strive to complete the first review process within 1–2 weeks and give you a quick response.
Guest Editors
Shenggen Fan
Dean, Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy
Chair Professor, China Agricultural University
s.fan@cau.edu.cn
College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Jingjing Wang
Assistant Professor, China Agricultural University
College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China