Energy transition effects on food security amidst climate change and progress toward sustainable development goals

Abstract

• The global energy transition impacts food security in developing countries. Renewable energy improves agricultural productivity but creates trade-offs like land and water competition. • Agri-voltaic systems enhance crop yields and energy efficiency. They help balance food and energy production, reducing fossil fuel dependency. • Renewable energy projects can increase food prices in vulnerable regions. Financial incentives, social protection, education, and public-private partnerships to make renewable energy adoption more accessible and affordable for farmers. • Renewable energy can reduce agriculture’s operational costs but high initial investments limit smallholder farmers. The study recommends subsidies, training, and financial support to help farmers adopt renewable energy while ensuring food security is maintained. • There is an eminent need for an interdisciplinary approach to understanding energy transitions’ impacts on food security and long-term sustainability. Transitioning to net-zero societies affects how energy is produced and consumed, with consequences for food security. Through a systematic review of 43 peer-reviewed studies that follow the PRISMA protocol, results reveal that renewable energy can enhance agricultural productivity by reducing operational costs, increasing efficiency in irrigation and processing, and providing reliable access to energy. However, challenges exist, including competition for land and water resources between renewable energy projects and food production, high upfront costs of clean energy technologies, limited access to credit facilities, and institutional bottlenecks. To overcome these challenges, recommended policies include offering subsidies and financial incentives to make clean energy more affordable for farmers, as well as providing education and training to support the adoption of sustainable practices. Furthermore, promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial to stimulate investment in renewable energy infrastructure. Moreover, these policies must be designed for specific national circumstances. High-income or upper-middle-income countries can deploy capital-intensive agrivoltaic and biogas technologies via concessional finance. In contrast, low-income settings should prioritize low-cost, decentralized solar pumps and off-grid dryers to build farmer confidence and trust. Countries with stronger regulatory frameworks and secure land tenure systems are better equipped to support large-scale renewable energy projects. At the same time, regions with weaker governance tend to benefit most from community-owned mini-grids. The mapping of policy options onto economic, institutional, and agro-ecological dimensions provides a nuanced, context-sensitive framework to guide equitable and effective energy transitions in diverse agricultural landscapes.

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