Call for papers for a special issue on Sustainable Food Systems

Southern Africa faces many modern challenges in the creation of a sustainable food system. Non-communicable diseases (e.g. obesity, diabetes), the post-COVID era, load shedding, urbanisation, fuel price increases, population growth, climate change and an increasing life expectancy are just a few of the challenges that put increasing pressure on our food systems. Despite food sustainability being of key interest to all, and that collaborators and core outcomes – such as improved nutrition, sustainable agricultural production systems, and improved food system governance – have already been identified to transition towards a sustainable food system, research from the different fields of study is still fragmented. To make diets healthier and food systems more sustainable, we need a platform where the southern African science community can share expertise and data to develop effective tools, strategies, opportunities and interventions, adapted to different contexts and population groups. A sustainable food system can help southern Africa to achieve substantial progress on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The aim of this special issue is to investigate the importance of local food systems to stimulate the production of healthy, safe and sustainable food resources.

We invite review and research articles on all aspects of modernised food production (e.g. the contribution to climate change), and provision and consumption across the food system in different food environments, including: food availability; food production; food choice behaviour; nutrition, dietary quality and health; food safety and wastage; food security (e.g. mathematical modelling, the importance of climate change and water effects); farming of indigenous crops; and sustainability of commercial farming. In order to be considered, submissions from countries outside South Africa must show relevance or application beyond an immediate local context – they must have clear relevance or application more broadly on the continent. 

Guest Editor
Professor Annchen Mielmann
North-West University, Potchefstroom
Annchen.Mielmann@nwu.ac.za

Deadline for submissions extended: 30 June 2024Expected publication date: mid-2025

 

Before you submit your article, please ensure that:

• You have read and followed the SAJS Guidelines to Authors https://www.sajs.co.za/guidelines-authors to ensure the process proceeds as smoothly as possible
• Your article complies with the criteria of originality and accessibility for non-specialists
• Your references follow the Vancouver referencing style. Read our instructions here: https://www.sajs.co.za/guidelines-authors#references. Examples can be found here: https://www.sajs.co.za/vancouver-referencing-style
• ALL authors and co-authors have signed the publishing agreement. It can be found here: https://bit.ly/30Kg4t9
• You have included in your cover letter the names and email addresses of three possible reviewers to review your article

To submit your article:

1. Go to https://www.sajs.co.za/about/submissions and follow the instructions for submission.
2. In 'Step 1: Start', under 'Section', please select either 'Sustainable Food Systems Research Article' or 'Sustainable Food Systems Review Article', as applicable, as the article type.
3. Complete the 'Submission Requirements' checklist
4. Under 'Comments for the Editor', please indicate that your submission is for consideration for the special issue on ‘Sustainable Food Systems’.
5. Follow the remaining steps for submission.

To be considered for the ‘Sustainable Food Systems’ issue of the South African Journal of Science, your submission must be received by 30 June 2024.

For assistance with the submission process, please contact the Online Publishing Systems Administrator, Nadia Grobler, at nadiag@assaf.org.za