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Vulnerability of agriculture to tephra fall: A systematic review of research approaches

Hind Dib1; Sophie Malherbe1; Pierre Delmelle1

Abstract

Agriculture in volcanic regions faces significant risks, as tephra emissions during explosive eruptions threaten livelihoods, food security and community resilience on local to regional scales. Tephra fall can impact crops, livestock, soils and farm infrastructure, triggering cascading effects throughout the agri-food system. This study presents a systematic, cross-disciplinary review of scientific literature on agricultural vulnerability to tephra using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework. We developed a typology of research approaches to classify and compare methodologies, outcomes and target audiences, providing a structured perspective of the strengths and limitations of existing studies. The review highlights fragmentation across disciplines, with a predominant reliance on quantitative approaches, such as vulnerability functions, GIS-based analyses and probabilistic models, compared to mixed or qualitative methods. Most studies focus on physical impacts on agriculture, including crop yield losses and infrastructure damage. However, systemic vulnerabilities, such as cascading effects on value chains, labour disruptions and market access challenges, are rarely addressed and only partially explored. Similarly, community-level adaptative strategies and long-term resilience planning remain largely underexplored. This reveals a critical lack of integration between biophysical and socio-economic dimensions in analysing agricultural vulnerability to tephra hazards. Recent FAO and UNDRR reports emphasize the growing recognition of this integration as essential for understanding the complex, interrelated factors that shape the vulnerability and resilience of agroecosystems in a changing environment. We propose a research strategy aimed at strengthening our capacity to support the development of resilient agro-systems in volcanically active regions.