By Siena Cicarelli, Luca Cinciripini, Lukas Eichelter, Philip Novakovic-Wilke, and Lena von Zabern
In the context of the 2025 Munich Security Conference (MSC), it is critical that leaders, understandably consumed with state-centric geopolitical disruptions, pay close attention to transnational and systemic risks—one of the most significant of which is the food-climate-conflict nexus. This backgrounder unpacks the nexus and its associated risks while presenting near-term solutions, that range from the promotion of sustainable agri-food systems to empowering climate champions in defense institutions.
Key Takeaways:
1. The food-climate-conflict nexus disrupts ecological and food systems, exacerbates conflict over scarce resources, and amplifies forced migration, increasingly fueling a vicious cycle of unsustainability and destabilization from sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia.
2. Building resilience at the food-climate-conflict nexus is a critical step toward peace in times of rising global instability. Evidence from the humanitarian frontlines in the Sahel, Lebanon, Iraq, and Myanmar shows that investments in one area of the nexus, such as sustainable agri-food systems, yield dividends and co-benefits in climate adaptation and conflict resolution.
3. Integrating climate into security frameworks across defense, development, and humanitarian domains (and vice versa) is critical to addressing these interlinked challenges. Such integration can enhance the effectiveness of responses, promote stability, and ultimately reduce global food insecurity.