Land degradation is a major threat to sub-Saharan Africa rangelands, which are crucial for livestock farming and the livelihood of millions of people in the region. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the causes and effects of land degradation, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of different mitigation strategies. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we identified, screened, and analyzed 25 peer-reviewed articles published before 30 June 2024 using Scopus. The review highlights key factors that drive land degradation, such as soil erosion, drought, deforestation, and climate change, as well as socio-economic factors like poverty, land tenure issues, population pressure, and economic instability. These factors have serious implications, as land degradation can lead to poor quality of forage, an increased incidence of diseases, higher mortality rates among livestock, and a significant decline in livestock productivity. The socio-economic consequences of this degradation are significant, leading to reduced household income, increased poverty, and heightened food insecurity. Furthermore, the review assesses various mitigation strategies and concludes that practices such as rotational grazing and soil conservation techniques demonstrate high effectiveness, while agroforestry practices show only moderate success. An integrated approach that combines environmental, economic, and policy measures is crucial to addressing the complex challenge of land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. Strengthening land tenure, improving economic stability, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices are essential steps toward improving the health of rangelands, increasing livestock productivity, and supporting the resilience and well-being of rural communities.

Climate change poses a significant threat to the sustainability of global agri-food systems. Arid and semi-arid regions are most vulnerable, where water scarcity and erratic weather patterns already challenge agricultural productivity. Therefore, understanding the climate challenges and the adaptive measures being implemented is essential to ensure long-term agricultural sustainability. The study aims to outline the current state of knowledge regarding the challenges and adaptive measures of agri-food systems in arid and semi-arid regions to climate change risks through a systematic review. The selection of articles followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, ultimately including 16 articles that met the study criteria out of the 238 articles initially identified in the Scopus database. Findings show that studies from China and the USA were the dominant case study countries. The identified effective adaptation strategies include strategic irrigation, crop diversification, and the use of heat-tolerant crop varieties. While simulation modeling is the predominant method used to assess climate impacts, the study highlights gaps in field experiments and household surveys that are essential for a comprehensive understanding of agri-food system resilience. Context-specific adaptation measures, regional collaboration, and integrated approaches such as the water-energy-food nexus are important to enhance the sustainability and resilience of agri-food systems under climate change. The findings offer critical insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners aiming to mitigate the adverse effects of climate variability and ensure food security in vulnerable regions.

The need for sustainable farming practices has brought attention to biofertilizers to improve soil quality and boost crop yield while minimizing environmental impacts. This study explores the potential integration of biofertilizers within push–pull cropping systems, an agroecological approach that utilizes companion cropping to repel and attract pests. This review focuses on how biofertilizers could optimize plant–microbe interactions, promoting nutrient uptake, pest control, and soil health. Key biofertilizers, including nitrogen-fixing, phosphate-solubilizing, and potassium-solubilizing bacteria, improve nutrient availability, which leads to higher crop yields and resilience. They also enhance soil water retention and drought tolerance, which are crucial under changing climate conditions. Biofertilizers support beneficial microbial communities, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides while fostering disease suppression and stress tolerance in crops. Their effectiveness can be significantly increased when biofertilizers are integrated with push–pull technology (PPT). However, challenges remain, such as inconsistent biofertilizer performance and the complexity of microbial interactions. Overcoming these challenges necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to refining production and application techniques. This study emphasizes the need to investigate biofertilizer-mediated plant–microbiome dynamics further to unlock their full potential. It concludes that future research should focus on the synergies between biofertilizers and agroecological systems to enhance food security and environmental sustainability. This work advances our understanding of optimizing biofertilizers in sustainable farming practices, particularly within the PPT framework.

A systematic engagement strategy was used to identify contextual factors that prevent farmers from accepting the in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) technique. The purpose of the qualitative study is to assess farmers’ knowledge and attitudes about the technique, as well as their adoption and perceptions thereof. A total of 48 knowledge, attitude, perception, and adoption questionnaires were used to gather information. The gathered data was used to determine whether farmers had made an informed choice. The results show that less than a third (27%) made an informed choice while 89.6% had a positive attitude. The overall reflection of excellent knowledge (75%) about the technique was high among farmers aged 41 and over and amounted to 55.6%. According to the survey results, farmers over the age of 45 years (75%), women (56.2%), farmers with a high school certificate (62.5%), and those who are unemployed, continue to adopt the technique (56.2%). According to the binary logistic regression model, increasing household family size had a significant negative impact on adoption (p < 0.05), whereas farmers with high school certificates and crop-livestock households had a significant positive impact (p < 0.01). Most farmers (56.3%) agreed that there was a lack of training, and that more attention is needed on issues such as lack of rainfall (63.3%) and technology taking up more land, which reduce farmers’ crop population and yield (52%). Farmers’ narratives about anticipated interventions, such as intercropping training and timely drought warning services, should increase their adoption. This study focuses on farmers’ specific technology adoption needs, offering another perspective on how achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of zero hunger and climate action necessitates a decentralized approach.

Maize is a major food crop in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and its productivity is affected by climate change-adaptive sustainable management practices. A 2-year field study (2019/20 and 2020/21 growing seasons) was carried out to evaluate the effect of sunn hemp (Crotalaria junceaL.) living mulch management on maize (Zea maysL.) production. Three sunn hemp planting periods were simultaneous with maize planting (P1), V15 maize growth stage (P2), and R1 maize growth stage (P3) and three densities 16.1 plants m⁻²(D1-low), 32.1 plants m⁻²(D2-medium), and 48.1 plants m⁻²(D3-high). The intercrop components were planted in a split-plot treatment arrangement as an additive series with three replications and laid out in a randomized complete block design under the in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) technique. The growing season conditions revealed significant differences in rainfall distribution. Therefore, the planting period had highly significant (p< 0.001) effects on sunn hemp biomass, with an LSD value of 610.2 kg ha⁻¹, showing that the highest was obtained in P2 (2636.7 kg ha⁻¹) compared to P3 (811.3 kg ha⁻¹). However, the P3 treatment resulted in maize grain yield penalty, with yields as follows: P3 (2775.2 kg ha⁻¹), sole maize (3263.8 kg ha⁻¹), P2 (3281.9 kg ha⁻¹), and P1 (3287.8 kg ha⁻¹). P2 yielded a significantly (p< 0.05) high-income equivalent ratio of 2.09, indicating a 109% advantage for increasing farmers' income by integrating sunn hemp under the no-till area of IRWH. P1 and P2 sunn hemp planting periods are viable options for smallholder farmers in summer rainfall regions to improve economic benefits.