General Statement

Fragile economies are confronted by acute, often overlapping, challenges in safeguarding food security for their populations. These environments are typically characterized by socio-political instability, active conflict or post-conflict legacies, weak governance, severely limited infrastructure, pervasive market inefficiencies, and extreme vulnerability to climate and global economic shocks. In such contexts, fostering resilience within food systems and their constituent supply chains is paramount for survival, recovery, and preventing deeper humanitarian crises. Resilience here refers specifically to the capacity of food systems and agribusinesses in fragile settings to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and transform in the face of diverse and often profound shocks and stressors, while striving to maintain essential functions and ensure continued food availability, access, and utilization for vulnerable populations.

This special issue of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review (IFAMA) aims to collate cutting-edge research, practical case studies, and critical conceptual insights that explore the multifaceted dimensions of building and strengthening food system resilience within fragile economies. We seek contributions that offer innovative solutions for shock-prone environments, evidence-based strategies for enhancing adaptive capacities, and critical analyses of interventions that bolster resilience in agribusiness management within these uniquely demanding settings. Submissions are encouraged from all geographic areas characterized by high levels of fragility, with an emphasis on South/Central America, Africa, and Central Asia.

Areas of Focus

We invite submissions related to, but not limited to, the following themes:

1.  Strengthening Food Security Pillars through Agribusiness Resilience in Fragile States:

• Innovations in agricultural and business practices that enhance resilience to climate extremes and conflict-induced disruptions.
• Strategies for inclusive value chains that ensure food reaches vulnerable and displaced populations.
• Linkages between agribusiness resilience, nutritional outcomes, and food safety in shock-affected populations.

2.  Fostering Adaptive Rural Agribusiness Development and Entrepreneurship Amidst Fragility:

• Investigating models for agribusinesses that can survive and adapt in chronically unstable settings.
• Exploring context-specific financing and risk management tools to support SME survival and adaptation.
• The role of human and social capital in building a resilient and agile rural agribusiness sector.

3.  Technological and Institutional Innovations for Enhanced Food System Resilience:

• Assessing the impact, scalability, and appropriateness of digital tools and other technologies.
• Analyzing the role of adaptive policies, agile governance, and responsive institutional arrangements.
• Case studies of successful technology adoption, policy implementation, or governance innovations.

4.  Crisis Response, Shock Absorption, and Transformative Adaptation for Food Systems:

• Strategies for agribusinesses to prepare for, respond to, and adapt to severe shocks.
• Analyzing the adaptive capacities and limits to resilience of food supply chains in protracted crises.
• Exploring transformative approaches (e.g., diversification, livelihood shifts) that build long-term resilience.

Manuscript Types and Submission Guidelines

We welcome three types of submissions:

1.Short Papers and Teaching Cases (3000-5000 words): These may include concise research findings, innovative case studies, teaching cases, insightful opinion pieces, or policy briefs with practical implications for resilience-building. For teaching cases, please refer to IFAMA Case Study Essentials.

2.Long Papers (up to 8500 words): Comprehensive research articles with rigorous methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods) or in-depth theoretical/conceptual papers directly addressing food system resilience in fragile economies.

3.Industry Commentaries (1000-1500 words): Reports on professional issues of practical relevance to agribusinesses striving for resilience while operating in fragile economies. These can include discussions on the impact of policies, interventions, and technologies.

Submission Instructions

Step 1: Pre-submission (Extended Abstract)
We encourage the submission of an extended abstract (up to 1000 words) by October 15, 2025.

• Abstracts must be submitted through the Editorial Manager Portal of IFAMR: https://www.editorialmanager.com/ifamr/default2.aspx
• When submitting, please select the track: “Building Resilient Food Systems in Fragile Economies”.
• Submitted abstracts will receive critical feedback from the Guest Editors. Abstracts receiving favorable reviews will be encouraged for full paper submission and may be fast-tracked in the review process.

Step 2: Full Paper Submission
Authors must submit full papers through the Editorial Manager Portal of IFAMR before January 31, 2026.

• When submitting, authors must again select “Building Resilient Food Systems in Fragile Economies” as the Article Type to ensure the manuscript undergoes an expedited review process.
• The format of complete manuscripts must follow IFAMR’s author guidelines, which can be found at: https://www.ifama.org/submission-guidelines.
• After initial screening, the guest editors will assign appropriate reviewers for a double-blind peer review. Papers will be published “in press” as soon as possible after acceptance.

IFAMA 2026 Conference

Authors of selected papers will be invited to present at the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association World Conference, June 2026, in Cork Ireland.  

Special Issue Timeline

October 15, 2025: Deadline for Extended Abstract Submission (up to 1000 words)
December 1, 2025: Feedback to Authors on Abstracts
January 31, 2026: Deadline for Full Paper Submission
May, 2026: Expected Publication of Completed Issue

Please direct any questions to:

Shahriar Kibriya, shahriar.kibriya@gmail.com
Emiliano Barrera, Texas A&M University, wilson.lopezbarrera@ag.tamu.edu
Naureen Fatema, naureen.fatema@mail.mcgill.ca
Kashi Kafle, kashi.kafle@ag.tamu.edu