As part of the CERES publication series, this contributed volume provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary assessment of how climate change is reshaping food systems across diverse ecological, socio-economic, and geographical contexts. Moving beyond a narrow focus on agricultural production, it examines food systems as complex socio-ecological systems whose vulnerability and resilience emerge from the interactions among climatic, environmental, institutional, technological, and governance factors. Through a rich collection of region-specific case studies spanning arid lands, mountain environments, irrigated agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and aquatic systems, the volume reveals how climate risks propagate across production, ecosystems, livelihoods, and food security. It highlights the multidimensional drivers of vulnerability while examining the ecological, social, and institutional conditions that shape adaptive capacity and resilience. Bringing together empirical evidence, modelling approaches, and governance perspectives, this volume offers an integrated understanding of the climate–food systems nexus. An essential resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, it provides the analytical foundations needed to better understand systemic risks and inform future strategies for building more resilient, sustainable, and equitable food systems.

Mohamed Behnassi is Senior Environmentalist Expert at Morocco's Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), Founding Director of CERES, Professor affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education, and Associate Researcher at CNR-ISMed, Italian National Research Council. Formerly Full Professor at Ibn Zohr University, he holds a Ph.D. in International Environmental Law and Governance. He has served as Lead and Coordinating Lead Author for MedECC, Scoping Expert and Review Editor for the IPBES Nexus Assessment, and UNFCCC Expert Reviewer. His research focuses on climate governance, environmental law, biodiversity, food systems, sustainability transitions, and human security. He has published over 80 scientific papers and 25 books.

Mirza Barjees Baig is Professor of Water and Environment at the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water and Desert Research, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. He holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Idaho and has over 40 years of academic and research experience. His work covers water resources, environmental sustainability, natural resource management, climate change adaptation, food security, and sustainable agriculture. He has published extensively, serves on editorial boards, and has edited six Springer Nature books.

Rachid Mrabet is Research Director at INRA Morocco and an internationally recognized expert in agronomy, soil science, conservation agriculture, climate change, food security, and the WEFE nexus. He earned his Ph.D. from Colorado State University and has coordinated more than 30 international projects with organizations including FAO, UNEP, CGIAR, the World Bank, and the European Commission. He served as Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC AR6, UNEP GEO-7, and MedECC assessments and has authored over 100 scientific papers and 40 book chapters. His work has received international recognition, including the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity (2022).

Désirée A.L. Quagliarotti is a researcher at CNR-ISMed, Italian National Research Council. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics of Food and Environmental Resources and has taught at the Universities of Naples Federico II and LUMSA. She serves on the editorial boards of Global Environment and Meridiana, is a member of the Advisory Council of the Anna Lindh Foundation, and was elected disciplinary expert for SH7 within the CNR. Her research examines food and water security, climate change, and the socio-economic and geopolitical dimensions of environmental vulnerability in the Mediterranean.

Abed Alataway is Associate Professor of Agricultural Hydrology and Irrigation Systems Engineering at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. He earned his Ph.D. from Newcastle University, UK, specializing in wastewater reuse for irrigated agriculture. His research focuses on irrigation engineering, water resources management in arid regions, climate change adaptation, and sustainable agricultural technologies. He has published extensively, contributed to numerous research projects, and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in irrigation engineering and water resources management.a