Climate-smart Agriculture in Fragile Landscapes: A Systematic Review of Adoption, Drivers, Benefits and Constraints

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has emerged as an effective strategy to address the intertwined challenges of climate change, food insecurity and environmental degradation in vulnerable regions.This article systematically reviews the adoption trend, determinants, benefits and constraints of CSA practices adoption in two major climate-vulnerable areas on the globe, such as coastal Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).A total of 60 and 78 CSA practices were identified, respectively, in Bangladesh and SSA, reflecting contextual and agro-ecological diversity.Adoption patterns vary significantly across regions, with Bangladeshi farmers prioritizing weather-smart and water-smart practices, and SSA farmers emphasizing knowledgesmart and soil-based interventions.Institutional factors such as access to extension services, credit availability, farmers' organizations and ICT-enabled climate information promote adoption, while socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, household size, and farm size present a mixed picture.Empirical evidence shows that CSA adoption enhances crop yields, farm income, food security, dietary diversity, soil fertility and climate resilience.Persistent barriers to CSA adoption include limited financial access, weak extension systems, labor shortage, high input cost and inadequate market integration.The findings of this study reveal that CSA effectiveness is strongly shaped by ecological fit and institutional capacity.A strong extension ecosystem, expanded financial inclusion, integration of digital advisory services and formulating context-specific policy support are vital for scaling CSA in fragile landscapes.This study provides comparative insights to inform evidencebased CSA adoption strategies in major climate-vulnerable regions.