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The agri-food system (AFS) plays a pivotal role in sustaining human societies, yet it faces multiple challenges. One of the most significant issues discussed in national and international forums is the adverse impact of climate change on global food production and security and alternative approaches to address the problem. This paper answers the research question: How has the recent research on agroecology and regenerative agriculture (RA) addressed the challenge of the relationship between agri-food system and climate change? We aim to present an overview on the potential contributions of agroecology and RA in transforming the AFS amidst climate change. A systematic literature review was conducted, selecting 54 articles published from 2018 to 2022. Agroecology and RA share notable similarities in terms of practices, benefits, and challenges, but they have gradually diverged in both their conceptual frameworks and the profiles of the actors involved. Our findings emphasize the relevance of agroecology and RA as part of transformative strategies for the agri-food system amid a changing climate. However, only a few articles explore both approaches in an integrated way. While these approaches may appear similar at first glance, a closer examination reveals distinct paths. RA focuses on enhancing resilience to climate change, advocating for improvements within the current agricultural model, while agroecology calls for a radical paradigm shift from conventional agricultural practices and emphasizes social justice alongside environmental sustainability. Despite the growing interest and recognition of both agroecology and RA in transforming the agri-food system, our review highlights a critical gap: a lack of comprehensive empirical evidence proving the effectiveness of these practices in mitigating climate change. This gap suggests the need for further research, whose focus is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the AFS, to strengthen the scientific foundation and broaden the applicability of both approaches.
Aguilar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.