Nexus of climate change, insects, and human livelihood: Proceedings of the 25th AAIS meeting and scientific conference in Lusaka, Zambia

This editorial highlights the overarching topics and significance of the conference as well as introduces the proceedings, which capture the scientific content of the event. The interconnectedness between humans, animals, and the environment, particularly in the context of climate change, was viewed through an insect lens to address issues related to food security and human health. These topics featured profoundly in 25th a conference and scientific meeting of the African Association of Insect Scientists (AAIS) on 18–22 November 2024. Theme of the conference was “Climate Change: Its Impacts on Insects and One Health”. The conference was successfully convened in partnership with the Entomological Society of Zambia (ESZ) and the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU-IAPSC), and with the support of icipe, Ethiopian Airlines, Coraf, CABI, CGIAR (CIMMYT, IITA), WASCAL, FAO (CLCPRO), IRD, GIZ, ZARI, AU-IBAR, Ministry of Education of Zambia and UNZA. It attracted the participation of over 400 people from both outside and within Zambia. Over 290 abstracts from 30 nationalities were submitted across the 15 sub-themes, which include Biological Control, Vector and Vector-borne disease dynamics, Climate Change, Biodiversity, Edible Insects, Invasive Species, Desert Locust, Technology Transfer, and Regional Policies. Topics covered spanned from biology and ecology of pertinent arthropod species to their environmental, social and economic impacts and utilization. This landmark event not only demonstrated the vitality of insect science in Africa but also underscored the significance of this research area in augmenting agricultural productivity and competitiveness, improve food and nutrition security, support environmental sustainability in Africa, ultimately leading to enhanced national income. A notable achievement of the conference is the compilation of a conference proceedings, which is presented as an annex to the editorial.