Open access · Double-blind peer review

Domain

2030 Agenda

How SustainaTerra serves the Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015 the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals to end hunger and poverty, protect the planet and tackle climate change by 2030. Agriculture, food, wildlife and natural resources sit at the heart of many of them, and so does our journal. Here is how the research we publish, and the way we publish it, contributes.

Goals 2, 13 and 15 are at the core of our three sections; the others are closely linked. Authors tag their manuscripts with up to three goals, and each article shows them.

Goal 2: Zero hungerCore goal

Feeding a growing population without exhausting soils, water and biodiversity is the central question of sustainable agriculture, and the first focus of our Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems section. See the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems section.

Targets our research addresses

2.3Raise the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, including family farmers and pastoralists
2.4Make food production systems sustainable and resilient, maintaining ecosystems and improving soil quality
2.5Conserve the genetic diversity of seeds, crops, farmed animals and their wild relatives

Topics we welcome

Agroecology and regenerative farming
Soil health and fertility management
Climate-smart and conservation agriculture
Smallholder farming systems
Food security and nutrition
Crop and livestock genetic resources

Goal 13: Climate actionCore goal

Agriculture and land use both drive and suffer from climate change. Our Environment and Climate Change section publishes research on reducing emissions and on helping farms, landscapes and communities adapt. See the Environment and Climate change mitigation and adaptation section.

Targets our research addresses

13.1Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
13.2Integrate climate change measures into policies, strategies and planning
13.3Improve education, awareness and capacity on mitigation, adaptation and early warning

Topics we welcome

Climate risk and adaptation
Carbon sequestration in soils and forests
Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
Early warning and disaster risk reduction
Climate policy and environmental education

Goal 15: Life on landCore goal

Forests, savannas, wetlands and the wildlife they hold are at the heart of our Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management section, from protected areas to community-based management. See the Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management section.

Targets our research addresses

15.1Conserve, restore and sustainably use terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems
15.2Promote sustainable management of all forests, halt deforestation and restore degraded forests
15.3Combat desertification and restore degraded land and soil
15.5Reduce the degradation of natural habitats and halt the loss of biodiversity
15.7End poaching and trafficking of protected species

Topics we welcome

Protected areas and wildlife conservation
Restoration ecology
Landscape ecology and habitat fragmentation
Community-based natural resource management
Conservation genetics
Human–wildlife coexistence

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation

Water links all three of our sections: irrigation and water productivity on farms, wetlands and rivers as habitats, and changing rainfall under a warming climate.

Targets our research addresses

6.4Substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors
6.6Protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including forests, wetlands, rivers and lakes

Topics we welcome

Irrigation and water productivity
Watershed and catchment management
Wetland conservation
Water quality in agricultural landscapes

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

Sustainability is also about what happens after harvest: how resources are used, how food is stored and traded, and how waste and agrochemicals are managed.

Targets our research addresses

12.2Achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.3Halve food waste and reduce food losses along production and supply chains
12.4Manage chemicals and wastes soundly to reduce their release to air, water and soil

Topics we welcome

Post-harvest losses and food waste
Sustainable supply chains
Circular economy and nutrient recycling
Safe use of agrochemicals

Goal 1: No poverty

Most of the world's poorest people live in rural areas and depend on farming, forests and fisheries. Research that improves their livelihoods and resilience serves this goal directly.

Targets our research addresses

1.4Ensure equal rights to economic resources, including land, natural resources and appropriate technology
1.5Build the resilience of the poor to climate-related extreme events and other shocks

Topics we welcome

Rural livelihoods and income diversification
Land tenure and access to resources
Resilience of farming households

Goal 14: Life below water

What happens on land reaches lakes, rivers and the sea. We welcome work on aquatic ecosystems, inland fisheries and the effects of farming on downstream waters.

Targets our research addresses

14.1Reduce marine pollution, including nutrient pollution from land-based activities
14.2Sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems

Topics we welcome

Inland and coastal fisheries
Nutrient run-off and eutrophication
Aquatic biodiversity

Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

Clean energy on farms and in rural communities, from solar irrigation to bioenergy, is part of the transition our Environment section covers.

Targets our research addresses

7.2Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

Topics we welcome

Renewable energy in agriculture
Bioenergy and land use
Energy access in rural areas

Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals

Knowledge only helps when it can be found and used. SustainaTerra serves this goal through how it publishes, not only through what it publishes.

Targets our research addresses

17.6Enhance cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation, and knowledge sharing
17.9Support capacity-building in developing countries to implement the goals

Topics we welcome

Research partnerships between institutions and countries
Open data and reproducible methods
Science–policy interfaces

Beyond the research: how we publish

Goal 17 asks for knowledge to be shared. These are the commitments behind every article.

Free to read
Every article is open access under CC BY 4.0, so farmers' organisations, NGOs, ministries and universities without subscriptions can use the findings.
Free to publish
No submission or publication fees. Cost is never a reason for researchers, including those without grants, not to share their work.
Voices from the Global South
Based at the Université Catholique de Bukavu, the journal welcomes research from the regions most affected by food insecurity, biodiversity loss and climate change.
Rigorous and transparent
Double-blind peer review, structured reviewer reports and declarations on data, funding and AI use make the evidence trustworthy for decision-makers.
Building capacity
Authors can become reviewers, and reviewers receive certificates for their work, strengthening research communities in the field.
Findable and reusable
Articles are produced in JATS XML with rich metadata, so they can be indexed, cited and reused by other researchers and services.

SustainaTerra is an independent journal and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the United Nations. The goal names and colours follow the UN's public SDG materials; the pictograms are our own. The full goals and targets are on the UN Sustainable Development Goals website.

Working on one of these goals? Read how to submit or the guide for authors.