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Food insecurity is an escalating issue in many African countries, driven by climate challenges that disrupt rainfall patterns, leading to droughts and floods affecting food production. Additionally, rural communities face limited energy access, often relying on unsustainable fossil fuels that add to climate issues. This study investigates the energy-food nexus in rural African areas. It examines how renewable energy integration can strengthen food security and resilience. The research highlights the link between energy access and food systems, focusing on how renewable energy can support sustainable farming and improve food production, storage and distribution in energy-limited regions. Without reliable energy, rural areas experience high postharvest losses, difficulty in food processing and weak agricultural value chains, resulting in intensified poverty and food scarcity. A systematic literature review was utilised by applying the descriptive design used to understand how rural areas in Africa are affected by energy. Data was extracted from ScienceDirect, focusing on the period between 2021 and 2024. Sustainable livelihood and capability approaches were adopted to analyse the extracted data thematically. These approaches are deemed suitable as they can be customised to analyse the assets that rural farmers have or lack and determine their capabilities and strategies used to manage challenges contributing to agricultural food production distress. The results suggest that integrating renewable energy can improve agricultural productivity, reduce food insecurity and enhance economic opportunities in rural areas. Other strategies identified include capacitating farmers and food growers, adopting alternative energy sources and availing finance to support the development of rural farming communities. Additionally, scalable and sustainable energy-food models are imperative in supporting agricultural activities in Africa’s rural areas. This research contributes to understanding the energy-food nexus, provides solutions to guide African rural resilient strategies, and offers evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders.

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Integrating Renewable Energy and Sustainable Food Systems: Examining the Energy-Food Nexus for Rural Resilience in African Countries

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Florah Sewela Modiba,
  • Collin Chikwira

摘要

Food insecurity is an escalating issue in many African countries, driven by climate challenges that disrupt rainfall patterns, leading to droughts and floods affecting food production. Additionally, rural communities face limited energy access, often relying on unsustainable fossil fuels that add to climate issues. This study investigates the energy-food nexus in rural African areas. It examines how renewable energy integration can strengthen food security and resilience. The research highlights the link between energy access and food systems, focusing on how renewable energy can support sustainable farming and improve food production, storage and distribution in energy-limited regions. Without reliable energy, rural areas experience high postharvest losses, difficulty in food processing and weak agricultural value chains, resulting in intensified poverty and food scarcity. A systematic literature review was utilised by applying the descriptive design used to understand how rural areas in Africa are affected by energy. Data was extracted from ScienceDirect, focusing on the period between 2021 and 2024. Sustainable livelihood and capability approaches were adopted to analyse the extracted data thematically. These approaches are deemed suitable as they can be customised to analyse the assets that rural farmers have or lack and determine their capabilities and strategies used to manage challenges contributing to agricultural food production distress. The results suggest that integrating renewable energy can improve agricultural productivity, reduce food insecurity and enhance economic opportunities in rural areas. Other strategies identified include capacitating farmers and food growers, adopting alternative energy sources and availing finance to support the development of rural farming communities. Additionally, scalable and sustainable energy-food models are imperative in supporting agricultural activities in Africa’s rural areas. This research contributes to understanding the energy-food nexus, provides solutions to guide African rural resilient strategies, and offers evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders.