ABSTRACT Small‐scale fisheries and aquaculture constitute critical pillars of food security, livelihoods, and rural economies across East Africa, yet persistent gendered inequalities continue to constrain both equity and sectoral performance. This study provides a synthesis of empirical evidence from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to examine how structural, institutional, and socio‐cultural processes reproduce gender disparities across fisheries and aquaculture value chains. Drawing on a narrative review of peer reviewed and grey literature published between 2015 and 2025, the analysis applies the Harvard Analytical Framework (HAF) to interrogate four interrelated dimensions: Division of labour, access to and control over productive resources, influencing institutional and normative factors, and gender integration within project cycles. The findings indicate that gender inequalities are most pronounced in asset ownership, decision making authority, and benefit distribution rather than participation alone. Women remain concentrated in labour intensive and lower value post‐harvest activities, while men dominate harvesting, aquaculture production, licensing systems, and leadership positions within co management institutions. Across the three countries, men retain control over the majority of productive assets, including boats, fishing gear, land, and aquaculture infrastructure, while women's access to credit, extension services, and modern technologies remains constrained. These disparities are reinforced by inheritance regimes, gender norms, and male dominated governance structures that shape access to resources and control over income. Development interventions frequently expand women's participation without addressing underlying structural constraints, thereby contributing to the reproduction of institutional inequalities. By linking structural analysis to policy relevant pathways, the study argues that inclusive blue economy development requires tenure reform, gender responsive financing mechanisms, institutional restructuring, and sustained normative change. The review positions gender equity as a governance and productivity imperative and provides an evidence based foundation for advancing resilient and inclusive fisheries and aquaculture systems in East Africa.

Abstract. Fatimah FZN, Mulyanto D. 2025. Wild plants knowledge and local disaster mitigation in West Java deforested highland, Indonesia. Asian J For 9: 418-427. Communities in disaster-prone mountainous areas often face limited access to stable food and health resources, making wild plants an essential safety net during emergencies. This study aims to identify the diversity, utilization, and role of wild plants in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the mountainous areas of West Java, Indonesia. A total of 26 informants were selected purposively according to the established criteria. They were individuals actively involved in wild plant collection and in small-scale domestication. Data were obtained through ethnobotanical surveys, free-listing interviews, and free walking. These data were then analyzed using Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Sørensen's Similarity Coefficient (SSC) to ensure methodological rigor. The study recorded 87 species of wild plants that serve as sources of food, medicine, and multifunctional plants. In crisis situations, wild plants contribute to the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. This strengthens their role as a community-based DRR strategy. However, a limitation identified in the study area was the lack of use of carbohydrate-rich tubers and long-term preservation techniques. This gap may weaken the community's self-resilience as households would become overly dependent on external assistance when access to food supplies is disrupted. Nevertheless, the domestication of 19 wild plant species in home gardens represents another DRR-relevant adaptive strategy. It can maintain food security and easily accessible medicine at minimal cost, time, and risk. Thus, these findings confirm that knowledge and practices of wild plant utilization are an important part of community-based DRR and play a vital role in strengthening forest-based resilience strategies in disaster-prone areas.

Abstract Background: Diversity in the diet is recommended by public health nutritionists for promoting an optimal diet, and it also reflects the three pillars of food security: availability, utilization, and accessibility. In India, there are a very limited number of studies focusing on dietary diversity. Objectives: The present study was conducted to study dietary diversity (through adequate dietary diversity [ADD] score) and its determinants among the adult population (20–59 years) of the Agra district. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2023 and December 2023 in the field practice area attached to urban health training center under the department of community medicine. A validated questionnaire of diet diversity by Food and Agriculture Organization was utilized for the calculation of dietary diversity score (DDS), which also included information about sociodemographic variables. Data Analysis was performed using Epi Info™, version 7.2. and Jamovi software Version 2.4.14. Results: The mean dietary diversity score (DDS) for the study population from the nine food groups was 4.07 ± 0.95. Only 34% of respondents had ADD, i.e., score more than 5. The most common food groups consumed by the participants were oils and fats (100%), followed by starchy staples (99.5%) and other fruits and vegetables (70%). SES, education, and occupation have a significant association with ADD. Conclusion: The findings of this study emphasize the need for targeted public health interventions and policies to improve dietary diversity, particularly among lower socioeconomic groups, to ensure better nutrition and health outcomes.

This research paper examines the critical intersection of climate change and food security, with a specific focus on policy responses within the world's most climate-vulnerable regions as of 2025. As anthropogenic climate change transitions from a projected risk to an active driver of systemic instability, regions such as the Sahel, South Asia, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face unprecedented threats to the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilisation, and stability. Utilising a multi-dimensional qualitative framework and comparative policy analysis, the study evaluates the efficacy of contemporary interventions, including Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), anticipatory cash transfers, and weather-indexed insurance. The findings reveal a significant "policy-implementation gap," where technological solutions are often stymied by socio-economic fragility and a lack of decentralised climate finance. Results indicate that while anticipatory actions have successfully mitigated immediate hunger, long-term resilience is undermined by declining crop nutritional density—driven by elevated $CO_2$ levels—and nationalistic trade policies such as export bans. The paper argues that current reactive aid models must be replaced by a paradigm of anticipatory governance and regional cooperation. It concludes by outlining practical implications for a nutrition-sensitive agricultural shift and for reforming global financial mechanisms, such as the loss and damage fund. Ultimately, the study asserts that global food stability in an era of environmental volatility depends on integrating biophysical adaptation with equitable socio-economic policy to bridge the resilience divide.

Background: Import tariffs are widely used in developing countries to manage food systems; however, their effects on the core pillars of food security under real-world shocks and institutional constraints remain debated.Purpose: To evaluate how higher versus lower (including zero) import tariffs on major foods influence food availability, access, and stability, and to draw implications for diet quality (utilization).Design/methodology/approach: A PRISMA-guided systematic literature review of Scopus-indexed, English-language journal articles (2020–2024). Twenty-five studies that met the predefined quality and relevance criteria were synthesized using a theory-driven narrative approach that describes how tariff settings shape trade and price channels, and, in turn, food security outcomes. Export restrictions are treated as exogenous stability shocks.Findings/Results: Lower tariffs generally expand market-level availability, reduce consumer prices, and dampen routine domestic volatility through import diversification. Benefits are uneven without producer upgrading and fragile during global shocks. Utilization improves when barriers to nutrient-dense foods are removed; however, openness can accelerate ultra-processed food penetration without strong nutrition governance. The effects are conditioned by logistics performance, domestic competition and pass-through, governance quality, policy space, and commodity mix.Conclusion: The most food-secure configuration is calibrated openness: liberalize where social welfare rises, pair reforms with farmer adjustment and productivity support, strengthen logistics and competition, preserve nutrition policy space, and operate a rules-based stability architecture.Originality/value (State of the art): Provides an up-to-date, developing-country synthesis that centers import tariffs, integrates utilization and governance into the trade–food security nexus, and translates evidence into operational policy guidance. Keywords: developing countries, food security, import tariffs, nutrition, trade liberalization.

Climate change presents a severe and escalating threat to global food security, with its impacts amplified in arid and semi-arid regions (ASARs) due to their intrinsic environmental fragility and high socio-economic vulnerability. This article examines the complex nexus of climate change and food security within ASARs, employing a socio-ecological systems framework to analyze how rising temperatures, erratic precipitation, and increased extreme weather events compromise the four pillars of food security: Availability, Access, Utilization, and Stability. Biophysically, these changes accelerate desertification, deplete vital water resources, and drive significant declines in crop and livestock productivity. Socio-economically, the impacts trigger livelihood instability, exacerbate market and price volatility, and contribute to forced migration and resource conflict.To build resilience, the paper details a portfolio of essential adaptation strategies, emphasizing integrated water management (e.g., drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting), the adoption of climate-resilient agriculture (e.g., drought-tolerant crops and agro-forestry), and critical policy, institutional, and financial interventions (e.g., early warning systems, social safety nets, and index-based insurance). The conclusion stresses the urgent need for coherent, multi-scalar governance and targeted future research to ensure sustainable food systems and safeguard the livelihoods of vulnerable populations facing a rapidly changing climate.

Abstract The production of livestock sector is one of the main pillars of food security in Egypt. However, it faces economic and structural challenges that affect its efficiency and economic value. The research problem is represented by the existence of several challenges facing the livestock production sector in Egypt, the most important of which is the increasing rates of population growth at rates exceeding the rates of growth in livestock production, accompanied by the low value of investment allocations for this sector, which led to the emergence of a food gap in animal products, the value of which amounted to about 8.862 billion dollars during the research period, compared to the value of this gap in Saudi Arabia, which amounted to about 1.18 billion dollars. The research aims to analyze and measure the impact of several economic factors on the worth of livestock produce over the years 1990 to 2023, using the Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The Outcomes of the cointegration test demonstrated a long (term) equilibrium The association between the elements, with the Correction of errors parameter rreaching -0.826, indicating that approximately 82.6% of short (term) imbalances are corrected within approximately one year and two months, reflecting the stability and explanatory power of the model The results showed that both the Feed Production and the number of agricultural workers had a significant and direct influence on The worth of production of livestock, with a 1% rise in both leading to a 3.051% and 2.956% rise in animal production, respectively. In contrast, agricultural loans had an inverse and significant influence of -0.755%, indicating that they were not appropriately directed towards productive animal activities. Foreign direct investment also had a negative impact of -0.215%, and mechanical technology had a negative impact of -1.403%. Chemical technology and government support had no significant impact. In light of these results, we recommend restructuring agricultural lending policies and directing them towards actual animal production activities. We also recommend monitoring disbursement and utilization mechanisms to ensure the desired developmental impact, enhance human capacity, and promote agricultural integration. We also recommend adopting modern standard models in formulating evidence-based agricultural policies.

Abstract. Nasution J, Pasaribu N, Silalahi M, Harahap RH. 2025. Ethnogastronomy of bubur pedas of the Malay community in North Sumatra, Indonesia and its contribution to local food security. Asian J Ethnobiol 8: 312-323. The majority of Indonesian traditional foods are undocumented and endangered due to globalization and shifting diets. Bubur pedas ('spiced' or 'spicy porridge'), a Ramadan dish of the Malay community in North Sumatra, Indonesia, with over a century of history, is also at risk of of being forgotten or losing its prominence due to demographic change and cultural assimilation. Therefore, this study applied an ethnogastronomic method to determine key species’ ingredients in bubur pedas and the contribution to local food security. Fieldwork was conducted from January to December 2023 in six historical Malay Sultanate areas, namely Medan, Langkat, Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai, Batubara, and Tanjungbalai. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participatory observations, and plant identification with 27 key informants. In total, 76 plant species from 33 families were documented, with leaves as the most common ingredient (45%). The results showed a strong correlation between Use Value (UV) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), with 12 key species identified using the Relative Importance (RI) Index. The primary ingredients, determined based on high RI indices, were Allium cepa, Arachis hypogaea, Coriandrum sativum, Cocos nucifera, Curcuma longa, Cuminum cyminum, Daucus carota, Etlingera elatior, Ipomoea batatas, Manihot esculenta, Oryza sativa, and Solanum tuberosum. Mapping the results onto FAO’s food security pillars showed that bubur pedas contributes to species availability, easy access through markets and household gardens, nutritional and medicinal value, as well as seasonal resilience. The study highlighted the role of Malay culinary heritage in sustaining culturally embedded, ecologically resilient food practices.

Drift in the consumption of particular foods in a setting affects the pillars of food security. To avert the drift that results in adverse nutritional outcomes, there is a need to assess the consumption of highly consumed foods in a particular area for an evidence-based approach to policy formulation. This study was undertaken to determine access to food, own food production, market access, and consumption patterns of foods, as well as the diversity of highly consumed foods in rural areas of Western Kenya. The study employed a cross-sectional design incorporating purposive and multi-stage simple random sampling and was analyzed using Python software. The data was presented in tables and charts. From the results, 53.6% often have no food, 44.8% sometimes consume smaller meals, 43.8% sometimes were worried about food, 40% complained about the limited variety of food, and 39.3% sometimes consume fewer meals. Further, 81.2% of the respondents rely on farming for food, and 59.4% of the respondents access the market on foot, 26.6% by motorcycle, and 14.1% by bicycle. In addition, vegetables and grains were consumed an average of more than five times a week. The study shows the drift of food pillars with the diversity of vegetables, but not on grains. To address the drift, there is a need to improve the access and diversity of foods. The improved diversity of grains will compliment already existing diversified vegetables resulting into a good health outcome.

A wide range of sheep production systems exist in and around urban areas of West Africa to meet the growing demand for sheep meat. In southern Benin, sheep farming is increasingly transitioning from traditional practices to more intensive systems. However, the diversity of these intensification pathways and their implications for food security and sustainability remain poorly understood. This study explored these trajectories through a detailed characterization of 100 sheep farms across urban and peri‑urban areas, examining their implication regarding food security and sustainability. Using factorial analysis of mixed data (FAMD) and hierarchical classification of principal components (HCPC), we identified three distinct sheep farm types, differentiated by enclosure type, type of fattening unit, herd structure (proportion of rams), and fattening duration. Urban farms predominantly adopted intensive, market-oriented ram fattening systems with high input use, while peri‑urban farms kept breeding herds with stronger crop–livestock integration. These systems represent distinct pathways of agricultural intensification, namely labor-intensive and capital-intensive approaches, that ensure a consistent supply of sheep meat to urban markets, enhance household incomes, and contribute to the four pillars of food security: availability, access, stability, and utilization. Nonetheless, these systems pose environmental challenges, particularly in terms of limited manure recycling. Policy priorities should therefore focus on promoting local fodder production, strengthening crop–livestock integration, and incorporating manure management into urban waste strategies. A comprehensive sustainability assessment is needed to quantify environmental impacts and guide interventions that align productivity gains with sustainable resource use.

Air pollution is an escalating global challenge with profound implications for agricultural production and food security. This review explores the impacts of deteriorating air quality on global crop yields and food security, emphasizing both direct physiological effects on plants and broader environmental interactions. Key pollutants such as ground-level ozone (O3), fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) reduce crop yield and quality. They have been shown to inhibit plant growth, potentially by affecting germination, morphology, photosynthesis, and enzyme activity. PAH contamination, for example, can negatively affect soil microbial communities essential for soil health, nutrient cycling and organic matter decomposition. They persist and accumulate in food products through the food chain, raising concerns about food safety. The review synthesizes evidence demonstrating how air pollution undermines the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability by reducing crop yields, elevating food prices, and compromising nutritional quality. The consequences are disproportionately severe in low- and middle-income countries, where regulatory and infrastructural limitations exacerbate vulnerability. This study examines mitigation strategies, including emission control technologies, green infrastructure, and precision agriculture, while stressing the importance of community-level interventions and real-time air quality monitoring through IoT and satellite systems. Integrated policy responses are urgently needed to bridge the gap between environmental regulation and agricultural sustainability. Notably, international cooperation and targeted investments in multidisciplinary research are essential to develop pollution-resilient crop systems and inform adaptive policy frameworks. This review identifies critical knowledge gaps regarding pollutant interactions under field conditions and calls for long-term, region-specific studies to assess cumulative impacts. Ultimately, addressing air pollution is not only vital for ecosystem health, but also for achieving global food security and sustainable development in a rapidly changing environment.

Bangladesh is highly prone to recurrent flooding that disrupts all four pillars of food security. This study aimed to explore the effect of household food insecurity on the underweight status of women in flood-affected areas of Bangladesh, which remains underexplored. This is a cross-sectional analysis. This study was conducted in eight sub-districts (upazilas) across eight districts in Bangladesh that experience severe to moderate river flooding, flash floods and substantial tidal surges. A total of 532 women participated in the study. The inclusion criteria for participation were as follows: (1) being at least 18 years of age, (2) residing in the household for at least 1 year and (3) having experienced limited food access in the 4 weeks before data collection due to flood-related constraints. Household food insecurity was measured using the U.S. Agency for International Development Household Food Insecurity Access Scale questionnaire. An underweight status was evaluated through anthropometric measurements of women. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) were estimated using robust log-linear models. Moderate food insecurity was the most common (58.3%) among the participants. The prevalence of underweight was the highest (52.1%) in the severely food-insecure group and decreased significantly with improved food security. Severe household food insecurity was strongly associated with a higher prevalence of underweight individuals (aPR = 4.12; 95% CI, 1.60 to 10.60). An underweight status was also prevalent in women from moderately food-insecure households (aPR = 1.75; 95% CI, 0.68 to 4.55). This study reveals a significant association between household food insecurity and underweight status, highlighting the major challenges faced by women living in flood-prone areas of Bangladesh. These findings emphasise the urgent need to address household food insecurity to improve nutritional outcomes for women in vulnerable communities.

Food security is a strategic component in strengthening national resilience, particularly in addressing complex and multidimensional non-military threats. In the Indonesian context, food security is closely linked to social stability, national security, and sustainable development. This study aims to analyze the concept of food self-sufficiency as a pillar of Indonesian national resilience from a defense management perspective. The method used is a qualitative descriptive approach with a literature review approach, utilizing various sources such as academic journals, government policy documents, and reports from related institutions. The results of the study indicate that Indonesia has not yet fully achieved food self-sufficiency, marked by the continued high dependence on imports of strategic food commodities such as wheat, soybeans, and beef. Furthermore, national programs such as the food estate program have not been running optimally due to technical issues, governance, and weak cross-sectoral coordination. The analysis also reveals that the six pillars of food security developed by the FAO—availability, access, utilization, stability, sustainability, and governance—have not been fully integrated effectively into national policies. From a defense management perspective, achieving food self-sufficiency requires a systematic strategy, encompassing long-term planning based on risk analysis, cross-ministerial and private sector organization, integrated implementation supported by modern agricultural technology, and adaptive oversight capable of responding to the dynamics of climate change and global markets. This approach not only strengthens the agricultural sector but also strengthens the nation's defense capacity against non-military threats such as food crises, natural disasters, and economic instability. Therefore, food self-sufficiency must be positioned as an integral part of a sustainable and resilient national defense system, capable of supporting national independence while safeguarding national sovereignty amid increasingly complex global challenges.

IntroductionReconciling food security with economic development amid rapid industrialization and urbanization presents a critical global challenge. This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of grain production and its spatial interaction with economic development in Jiangsu Province, China—an economically advanced region exemplifying this tension.MethodsWe integrate the Gini coefficient, concentration index, standard deviational ellipse, spatial exploratory analysis (global/local Moran's I), and a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) to quantify spatial differentiation patterns and spillover effects.Results(1) Pronounced spatial polarization emerged: Northern Jiangsu consolidated as a High-High grain production cluster, while Southern Jiangsu evolved into a Low-Low cluster. The spatial divergence between economic and grain production centroids expanded to 125.4 km. (2) Spatial econometrics confirmed localized suppression of grain output by economic development, alongside positive spillovers to neighboring regions—validating core-periphery complementarity. Urbanization drove sown area contraction via labor migration and cropland conversion. (3) Cultivated land endowment and rural labor were fundamental pillars of food security. Industrial restructuring indirectly enhanced production through land efficiency gains.DiscussionThe findings validate core-periphery theory and reveal complex spatial spillovers. Policy prescriptions include: spatial governance mechanisms coordinating regional specialization; industrial feedback systems reinvesting economic gains into agriculture; a Technology-Driven Resource Breakthrough strategy; and institutional safeguards for cropland. This establishes a replicable paradigm for food security-economic growth synergies in developing economies.

BackgroundIn Africa, where climatic unpredictability exacerbates food shortages and raises health risks, food security and climate change are crucial determinants influencing health outcomes. The present research investigates the significant relationship among food security, health outcomes, and climate change in African nations, and provides policy recommendations for sustainable development. Specifically, while considering the effect of climate change, the study examines how the pillars of food security proportionately affect the corresponding dimensions of health outcomes using a regional-based panel analysis.MethodThe study utilized a strongly-balanced panel times series data consisting of 45 counties which are sub-divided into the various regions in Africa (Northern, Eastern, Central, Western and Southern) from 2010 to 2022. Taking into account potential issues of residual cross-sectional correlations and slope heterogeneity in panel data settings, the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimation method is executed. The robustness of the AMG outcomes is further examined using Common Correlated Mean Group approach (CCEMG).FindingsResults from the study reveals a clear relationship where food security and health outcome are positively linked in the aggregated, Central, and Western African regional panels whereas the vice versa is evidenced in Northern, Eastern and Southern Africa. Further, the respective food security pillars (food utility, accessibility, availability and utility) were evidenced to have diverse effects on health outcome dimensions (life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality, infectious disease and burden disease rates) across the regional panels in Africa, while climate change consistently worsened health outcomes and its respective dimensions among all utilized regional panels of African countries.ConclusionThe study highlights the need for region-specific food security strategies in Africa, integrating robust climate adaptation measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on health. These insights are essential for guiding policy-makers towards sustainable solutions that address both food security and health vulnerabilities.

This study examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the implementation of smart farming to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point 2: Zero Hunger in Indonesia. Using a qualitative literature review approach, this research highlights AI’s contribution to improving agricultural production efficiency, optimizing resource management, and strengthening national food security. Various technologies such as automated irrigation systems, sensor-based pest and disease detection, accurate weather forecasting, and real-time data-driven food distribution are presented as potential solutions to reduce import dependency, increase crop yields, and stabilize food prices. AI also plays a vital role in supporting the four main pillars of food security: availability, utilization, accessibility, and stability. However, the implementation of AI cannot be effective without strong policy support from the government, adequate digital infrastructure, as well as continuous education and training for farmers to enable independent technology adoption. This study emphasizes that digital transformation through the integration of AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) is not merely a technical solution but also a strategic approach to building an agricultural system that is responsive to climate change, population growth, and food distribution challenges. Furthermore, this implementation is expected to open new economic opportunities in the agricultural sector through cost efficiency and increased value creation. In conclusion, AI-based smart farming becomes a driving force for modern agriculture that is inclusive, adaptive, and sustainable for Indonesia's future

Household food availability is one of the main pillars of food security, which is greatly influenced by socioeconomic conditions, especially in wetland agricultural areas with ecological and infrastructure limitations. This study examines household food availability levels and identifies key socioeconomic determinants among farming households in Karias Dalam Village, Banjang Subdistrict, Hulu Sungai Utara Regency, an area characterized by wetland agroecosystems with significant ecological and infrastructural limitations. Employing a cross-sectional analytical survey design, data were collected from 42 farming households selected through simple random sampling from a population of 280 households. Quantitative descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression (α = 5%) were applied to assess food availability measured in kcal/capita/day and its relationship with household income, mothers’ nutritional knowledge, and family size. The findings reveal that farming households operate at moderate food availability levels, averaging 1,462 kcal/capita/day which is a substantial deficit of 39% below the national recommended dietary allowance of 2,400 kcal. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrates that household income, mothers’ nutritional knowledge, and family size simultaneously exert significant effects on food availability (F = 10.847, p < 0.001), with these factors collectively explaining 46.1% of the variance (R² = 0.461). Specifically, income and nutritional knowledge demonstrate positive associations, while larger family size negatively impacts per capita food availability. These results underscore the urgent need for integrated policy interventions combining income diversification, maternal nutrition education, and family planning support to enhance food security in wetland agricultural communities. The study contributes empirical evidence for context-specific food security strategies in Indonesia’s marginalized wetland ecosystems.

Stunting—defined by the World Health Organization as a height-for-age z-score < −2 SD—signals chronic undernutrition that impairs both physical and cognitive development. This study investigates how the three pillars of food security (availability, access, utilization) influence stunting prevention efforts in the Bondowoso Regency, East Java, Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey of 113 mothers of stunted children (0–59 months) was analysed with Structural Equation Modelling using Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM). The model reveals significant positive paths from food security pillars to composite stunting prevention behaviours (β = 0.18–0.86, p < 0.05), with availability emerging as the strongest predictor. These findings highlight food security as a lever for reducing the local stunting prevalence (local 32% vs. national 24.4%) and provide evidence for community-based nutrition programmes in similar agrarian districts. Strengthening food security is therefore essential to safeguarding child well-being in vulnerable Indonesian communities.

IntroductionThis study examines the resilience of the agrifood systems amid geopolitical tensions with a primary focus on the Ukraine-Russia war and its increased effects on global food security, climate change, and post-pandemic recovery. The study explores different resilience elements, scenarios, and behaviors of agrifood systems, highlighting how geopolitical conflicts disrupt resource availability and economic stability. Further, it explores the existing Resource Nexus and its influence on sustainable food and nutrition security amid geopolitical tension. Much research focuses on agrifood systems' resilience in the context of climate change and pandemics, repeatedly overlooking the impacts of geopolitical tensions and related policies enacted for sustainable food security.MethodsFocused on geopolitical tension as an influence on food security, 76 articles were systematically reviewed to identify key resilience elements and scenarios enacted based on countries' development, discovered major vulnerability indicators, and Resource Nexus of agrifood systems.ResultsThis review leads to the identification of four key resilience scenarios of the agrifood system amid geopolitical tensions: fragility reduction, robustness building, adaptive strategies, and transformative change over time. In general, the reduction of agrifood system fragility was more prevalent compared to the other three scenarios. There was a decline in the agrifood system's performance due to the existence of some policies that increased the system's instability over time. The study further identifies that the impact of enacted resilience policies on sustainable food security is not uniform. It often influences positive or negative outcomes depending on its feedback nature at different operational levels of the agrifood system. During geopolitical tensions, food, energy, and finance are the most affected sectors, followed by other interconnected resources such as land, water, food (LWF), and water, energy, and food (WEF).DiscussionIn the presence of effective policies and scenarios, the agrifood system experiences improved resilience and sustainability that contribute to the beneficial relationship between resources, and all pillars of food security.

A meta-ethnography to determine critical constructs of nutrition security