The convergence of anthropogenic climate change and global food security demands represents one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Horticulture—encompassing fruit and vegetable production—is uniquely vulnerable to climatic perturbations due to the biological sensitivity of horticultural crops to temperature extremes, irregular precipitation, and shifting pest dynamics. Simultaneously, horticultural systems offer considerable potential for adaptation and mitigation through diversified, resource-efficient production models. This narrative review synthesises emerging evidence on climate-smart strategies for sustainable fruit and vegetable production, drawing on peer-reviewed literature and authoritative international reports published predominantly between 2000 and 2026. Literature searches were conducted using multiple academic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, AGRIS (the agricultural science and technology information database maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), CAB Abstracts, and the CGIAR research portal. The review examines the multidimensional impacts of climate change on horticultural systems and evaluates a suite of responses spanning crop genetic improvement, precision irrigation, soil carbon management, protected agriculture, agroforestry, digital technologies, and policy frameworks. Evidence indicates that no single strategy is sufficient; rather, transformative change requires integrated, context-specific combinations of adaptation and mitigation interventions supported by enabling policy environments. The review identifies key knowledge gaps and advocates for greater investment in transdisciplinary research, smallholder inclusion, and digital innovation to accelerate the transition to climate-smart horticulture globally.
Climate-smart agriculture has become an influential framework for aligning agricultural productivity, adaptation and greenhouse-gas mitigation, yet its practical meaning remains contested because no technology is intrinsically climate-smart across all places, scales and social groups. This critical narrative review examines how agroecological design, renewable-energy deployment and institutional arrangements can be integrated into coherent farming-system transitions rather than promoted as disconnected interventions. Literature published mainly from 2010 to 30 May 2026 was identified through accessible scholarly indexes, institutional repositories, official scientific assessments and citation chaining, and was appraised for methodological quality, contextual relevance, treatment of trade-offs and evidence of durable outcomes. The synthesis indicates that agroecological diversification can strengthen soil functions, water regulation, biodiversity and livelihood buffering, although benefits are strongly conditioned by system design, transition duration, labour and knowledge demands, and access to biomass and land. Renewable energy can lower fossil-energy dependence and expand irrigation, processing and cold-chain services, but solar irrigation may accelerate groundwater depletion and agrivoltaics may reproduce land and tenure conflicts unless deployment is governed through water accounting, crop-sensitive design and benefit-sharing. Institutional capacity is therefore constitutive of climate-smartness: secure resource rights, trusted advisory systems, climate information, farmer organisations, coordinated finance, accountable markets and cross-sector policy determine who can adopt, sustain and benefit from technical change. The strongest pathway is not a universal package but a context-specific portfolio in which ecological redesign reduces exposure and input dependence, energy infrastructure removes productive bottlenecks, and institutions manage externalities, distribution and learning. Evidence remains weakened by short trials, inconsistent indicators, adoption-selection bias and sparse long-term distributional assessment. Future work should prioritise multi-site longitudinal experiments, causal institutional evaluations, whole-system water and carbon accounting, and governance designs that explicitly test equity and rebound risks.
The impacts of global climate change on agricultural systems have become amongst the most significant challenges that we face as a species. Increasingly, global climate change is exerting additional pressures on food production, rural economic well-being, and natural resource availability. The present study has expanded and refined academic literature on how climate change has affected the global crop production system from 2021-2025. The goal of this research is to develop a credible, evidence-based assessment of how modern adaptation mechanisms can improve food security, promote sustainable economic growth, and protect the environment when climate change occurs. In this study, four adaptation pathways were explored as being interlinked with one another: (1) improvement of water resource management and irrigation practices; (2) breeding, production, and dissemination of climate resilient crop varieties; (3) use of digital and precision agriculture technologies; and (4) development of institutional and social capacity of farms. Additionally, by merging 4 of the above strategies, there is potential to improve crop growth due to drought and heat stress by 20-30% and reduce water and energy usage by 50% or beyond. A key finding from our study demonstrates that climate adaptation for agriculture must be viewed as a system-transforming approach, not just a set of technical solutions for agricultural drought and heat stress adaptation. It must also address ecosystem integrity, rural economy stability, and global food system resilience. This study adds to the developing literature regarding climate-smart agriculture through global and regional perspectives, especially focusing on Central Asia and Uzbekistan.
Agriculture in Haryana is central to regional food security and rural livelihoods, yet it faces increasing pressure from climate variability, groundwater depletion, declining soil quality, and resource-intensive farming practices. Increasing temperatures, erratic precipitation, and a propensity for severe weather are intensifying production risks while accelerating environmental degradation. Under these changing conditions, Climate-Aware Farming provides a practical pathway to improve productivity, enhance adaptability and minimize agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. This review evaluates climate-smart farming strategies suitable for rural Haryana by synthesizing scientific literature and policy initiatives. It examines the potential of crop diversification, conservation agriculture, residue management, agroforestry, combined cattle and crops systems, and efficient water and nutrient control to strengthen climate resilience and resource sustainability. The importance of soil organic carbon restoration, micro-irrigation technologies, weather-based agro-advisories, and climate-resilient crop varieties in improving adaptive capacity and input efficiency is also highlighted. State initiatives such as climate action planning, climate-smart village programs, crop residue management interventions, and promotion of water-efficient irrigation systems and agroforestry reflect growing institutional commitment toward climate-resilient agriculture. Adoption of Climate-Aware Farming practices offers multiple benefits, including increased resilience to climate shocks, better income stability, lower farming costs, and healthier soil.
As the planet faces unprecedented environmental and climatic pressures, regenerative agriculture offers a framework for radically rethinking how food is produced. In contrast to most industrial forms of farming that damage soils and increase greenhouse gas emissions, regenerative practices harness nature's processes to enhance soil health, promote biodiversity, and strengthen ecosystem functions that support resilient food systems. Building on practices such as cover cropping, diverse crop rotations, minimal tillage, and agroforestry, regenerative agriculture increases the capacity to sequester carbon in soils and resources. Not only does it improve water retention, but it also buffers agricultural landscapes against extreme weather events, which are essential pillars of climate resilience and sustainability. However, barriers to adoption, such as economic considerations, knowledge gaps between scientists and farmers on regenerative practices, and disconnected governance policies, need to be addressed via an integrated framework that reinforces linkages among science, efficiency, and evidence-based framing of incentives provided to growers (e.g., Marketplace providers), whilst ensuring informed policy support by decision makers towards scaling aligned, transformative outcomes across agrifood systems. This review consolidates the latest research on regenerative principles, climate mitigation and adaptation effectiveness. Its main goal is to critically assess current scientific understanding of regenerative agriculture, exploring opportunities and challenges for its adoption in developing countries such as Pakistan. Additionally, it integrates agronomic, socio-economic, and ecological perspectives, emphasizing regenerative agriculture as a key strategy for developing climate-resilient and sustainable food systems, rather than presenting it as a one-size-fits-all solution.
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) offers a pathway to improve agricultural productivity, resilience, and carbon sequestration in response to climate change. This study presents a systematic and integrative review of CSA practices and their implications for carbon sequestration in climate-vulnerable regions. The literature was retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus databases using the PRISMA guideline until March 2026, and quality appraisal through the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Further, the studies were bibliometrically analyzed using the Theory-Context-Methods (TCM) and Antecedents-Decisions-Outcomes (ADO) framework to map the thematic evolution, and critical research questions in the CSA literature. Results show that CSA research is rapidly expanding and that carbon sequestration, regenerative agriculture, and low emission agriculture are established thematic clusters. CSA consistently shows benefits for food security, farm income, and yield, alongside contributions to various Sustainable Development Goals. However, important knowledge and information gaps remain including the absence of empirical evidence in developed economies, limited longitudinal and experimental research, and a lack of attention to gender-equitable scaling strategies. By combining bibliometric and theory-based analysis, this review advances the understanding of CSA adoption and impact. It also highlights the need for context-specific policy incentives, strengthened extension services, and targeted interventions to address the financial and institutional barriers to a scaled-up, sustainable agricultural transition.
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