The sustainable agri-food system is an important sector recognized for promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on food security, resource conservation and climate change mitigation. However, the increasing food loss and waste (FLW) along the supply chains has continued to hinder these goals. This study evaluates the trend of FLW research from 1975 to 2022 and how it promotes the achievement of resource and environmental sustainability in agri-food systems. The salient research themes and hotspots that are of interest to researchers were identified. Bibliometric and network analyses were carried out on scholarly research articles from the Scopus database using bibliometrix and VOSviewer. Furthermore, the content analysis was conducted on the selected highly influential articles containing relevant data to understand the role of FLW in promoting sustainable agri-food systems. The results showed disaggregate and unbalanced research distribution on the impacts of FLW among the countries, with China and the United States having the highest contributions. The identified major research themes relating to sustainable agri-food systems are food waste and sustainable systems, food waste management and food waste impact assessment. Moreover, the circular economy was found to be a relatively new approach being explored in agri-food systems to promote FLW reduction and ensure sustainability of resource use. This study highlights the critical role of the impact of FLW in addressing the grand challenge of food security, resource use efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Extreme climate change events are major causes of devastating impacts on socioeconomic well-being and ecosystem damage. Therefore, understanding the performance of appropriate climate models representing local climate characteristics is critical for future projections. Thus, this study analyses the performance of 24 GCMs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phases 5 and 6 (CMIP5 and 6) and their multi-model ensembles in simulating climate variables including average rainfall, maximum (Tmax), and minimum (Tmin) temperatures at annual and seasonal scales over the Chungcheong region of South Korea from 1975 to 2015. A trend analysis was conducted to estimate the future trends in climate variables in the 2060s (2021–2060) and 2080s (2061–2100). Inverse distance weighting and quantile delta mapping were applied to bias-correct the GCM data. Further, six major evaluating indices comprising temporal and spatial performance assessments were used, after which a comprehensive GCM ranking was applied. The results showed that CMIP6 models performed better in simulating rainfall, Tmax, and Tmin at both temporal and spatial scales. For CMIP5, the top three performing models were GISS, ACCESS1-3, and MRI-CGCM3 for rain; CanESM2, GISS, and MPI-ESM-L-R for Tmax; and GFDL, MRI-CGCM3, and CanESM2 for Tmin. However, the top three performing models in the CMIP6 were MRI-ESM2-0, BCC_CSM, and GFDL for rain; MIROC6, BCC_CSM, and MRI-ESM2-0 for Tmax, and GFDL, MPI_ESM_HR, and MRI-ESM2-0 for Tmin. The multi-model ensembles (an average of the top three GCMs) performed better in simulating rain and Tmin for both CMIP5 and CMIP6 compared with multi-model ensembles (an average of all the GCMs), which only performed slightly better in simulating Tmax. The trend analysis of future projection indicates an increase in rain, Tmax, and Tmin; however, with distinct changes under similar radiative forcing levels in both CMIP5 and CMIP6 models. The projections under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 increase more than the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for most climate conditions but are more pronounced, especially for rain, under RCP8.5 than SSP5-8.5 in the far future (2080s). This study provides insightful findings on selecting appropriate GCMs to generate reliable climate projections for local climate conditions in the Chungcheong region of South Korea.

Effective water governance is essential for sustainable development amidst water scarcity challenges in semi-arid regions like Esmeraldas Province, which has substantial agrotourism potential. Yet, fragmented governance and chronic water shortages threaten its viability. Using a mixed-method approach, this study analyzed how sustainable water governance can support agrotourism development in Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. This study combined policy gaps analysis, stakeholder surveys (policymakers, farmers, community leaders, and tourism operators), and water availability using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) from 1980 to 2022. The results revealed a lack of policy regulation and water infrastructure as the major governance gaps that need more intervention. The survey respondents indicated that water is mainly used for domestic and economic activities and the conservation of natural ecosystems. The SPEI revealed a significant drought trend falling below −3, with severe drought years coinciding with many crop losses and a fall in tourism. This study highlights the interconnection between water governance and agrotourism in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, proposing a strategic framework that incorporates adaptive governance principles and inclusive participation mechanisms, emphasizing targeted capacity building to strengthen water management practices and enhance the Sustainable Development Goals for agrotourism resilience.