scholarly journals Factors that antimicrobial resistance in food systems: a participatory modelling approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Majowicz ◽  
I Lambraki ◽  
M Cousins ◽  
E J Parmley ◽  
C Carson
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Compartmental Model ◽  
Food System ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Using Data ◽  
On Farm

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emerges from a complex web of factors; understanding their dynamics is key to determining sustainable solutions. Thus, we aimed to create a model of the diverse factors influencing AMR in two food systems and model the impacts of interventions. Methods We built a causal loop diagram (CLD) of the factors driving AMR in the food chain via 4 participatory workshops (2 in Sweden; 2 in Malaysia) with diverse stakeholders. The CLD became the structure of a compartmental model, which was populated using data from multiple sources (e.g., interviews, surveillance data). Using fuzzy set theory, quantitative and qualitative data were converted to categorical variables. The compartmental model was created in AnyLogic and was used to test how expert-selected solutions (e.g., taxation) might impact AMR under different scenarios. Results Factors identified as influencing AMR across Europe and Southeast Asia clustered around key themes: on-farm (e.g., biosecurity); social (e.g., consumer demand); research (e.g., alternatives to antimicrobials [AMs]); economic (e.g., agricultural production levels); policy (e.g., trade agreements); and environment (e.g., waste management). Differences were identified between regions, for example, regulations and standards regarding imports or food safety were more relaxed in Southeast Asia than in Europe. Identified interventions included: AMR education in schools, training diverse stakeholders in AM stewardship, increased on-farm biosecurity measures to limit disease and the need for AMs, and taxing AM-containing products. Conclusions Our model captured a range of multi-level, interlinked factors that impact AMR in the European and Southeast Asian food system contexts. Preliminary findings suggest that different principles need to be cultivated (e.g., polycentric governance, cross-sector partnerships) to ensure that interventions addressing AMR are sustainable over time. Key messages Our study visually characterized the interlinked factors that impact AMR transmission and emergence in food systems. Our approach provides a tool to model impacts of potential interventions.

scholarly journals The State of Food (In)Security in the Trans-Himalaya, Upper-Mustang, Nepal

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 92-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishikesh Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
Food Transport

Food insecurity is a global issue, with higher prevalence of hunger in developing countries. Low crop yield and food production - due to difficult topography and traditional farming methods - combined with lower income; fluctuations in prices and supply, and low quality of food have been causing food insecurity in Nepal. This research examines food (in)security situation in Upper-Mustang, Nepal. The results are derived from the data collected through face–to-face interviews with the heads of 66 households, in-depth interviews conducted with 22 key informants, and discussions with the group of local people in different (6) places. The household food system was studied from livelihood perspectives and food (in)security was assessed in relation to self-sufficiency or production sufficiency, access, utilization, and stability of food. Households in the Trans-Himalaya acquire food from multiple sources such as farming and livestock ranching, buy food from the market, and also receive food aid for the sake of survival during the food crisis. Food security situation in terms of self-production in Upper-Mustang is at worst stage that many households are facing severe to chronic food insecurity. Studied households access marketed food, though the price they pay is very high. The worrisome issue is that there is no significant improvement in food security situation over time in the Trans-Himalaya. Study found that not the household size but dependency ratio in the household increases food insecurity. On the other hand, quality of farmland in terms of cropping intensity and availability of irrigation rather than the farm-plot size contribute for food security. The issue of food security is still a valid development policy goal for Nepal in general and for the Trans-Himalaya in particular. Accordingly, food security interventions are important. Yet, policy for interventions should look into all components of food systems, particularly providing irrigation, promoting local food varieties, and provisioning for food subsidies and food aid together with subsidies in food transport.

scholarly journals A protocol for an integrated mixed-method approach to determining how to mitigate antimicrobial resistance across the One Health spectrum (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Anna Lambraki ◽  
Shannon Majowicz ◽  
Elizabeth Jane Parmley ◽  
Didier Wernli ◽  
Anaïs Léger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
One Health ◽  
Food System ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Causal Loop ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Causal Loop Diagrams

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an existing and looming global challenge with serious health, social and economic consequences. Building social and ecological resilience to reduce AMR and mitigate its impact is critical. Objective: This paper describes a study protocol designed to compare and assess interventions that address AMR in humans, animals and/or the environment and engage diverse perspectives to determine what actions will help to build social and ecological capacity and readiness to tackle AMR now and in the future. Methods: We will apply social-ecological system resilience theory to AMR, for the first time, in an explicit One Health context using mixed-methods. We will identify interventions that address AMR and its key pressure antimicrobial use in the scientific literature and through an online survey. Intervention impacts and the factors that challenge or contribute to the success of interventions will be determined, triangulated against expert opinion in participatory workshops, and complemented using quantitative time-series analyses. We will then identify indicators, using regression modelling, which can predict national AMU or AMR dynamics across animal and human health. Together, these analyses will help to quantify causal loop diagrams of AMR in the Europe and Southeast Asian food system context that are developed by diverse stakeholders in participatory workshops. Then, using these CLDs, the long-term impacts of selected interventions on AMR will be explored under alternate future scenarios via simulation modelling and participatory workshops. A publicly available and evolving learning platform housing information about interventions on AMR from a One Health perspective in a fully accessible online database will be developed, to help decision-makers to identify and adapt promising interventions for application in their jurisdictions. Discussion: This protocol provides an example of how to study complex problems like AMR, which require the integration of knowledge across sectors and disciplines, to develop and implement sustainable solutions. We anticipate our study will contribute to understanding about what actions to take and in what contexts to ensure long-term success in mitigating AMR and its impact, and provide useful tools (e.g., causal loop diagrams, simulation models, public database of compiled interventions) to guide management and policy decisions.

scholarly journals Embedding Cultivated Diversity in Society for Agro-Ecological Transition

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Chable ◽  
Edwin Nuijten ◽  
Ambrogio Costanzo ◽  
Isabelle Goldringer ◽  
Riccardo Bocci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Genetic Resources Management ◽  
Scientific Practical ◽  
Ecological Transition ◽  
On Farm

Agroecology calls for a global approach, integrating scientific, practical, and advocacy dimensions, to redesign agricultural systems based on ecological and socio-cultural processes and emphasizing biodiversity. This review is grounded on the results of DIVERSIFOOD, a European H2020 multi-actor research project, and explores the concept of cultivated diversity using various dimensions relevant to foster sustainable organic food systems and agro-ecological transition. From the evaluation of underutilized genetic resources and forgotten crops, DIVERSIFOOD has proposed plant breeding strategies, on-farm experimentation, and statistical tools to create new populations, landraces, and organic cultivars with intra-varietal diversity. The added value of Community Seed Banks and forms of collective seed management in Europe have been described in terms of goals and activities, and their value for improving seed regulations, treaties, and genetic resources management is discussed. In the context of the current agro-food system characterized by standardization, DIVERSIFOOD raised awareness of qualities of ‘biodiverse food systems’ in which all actors have a role to play. It highlighted the critical capacity to preserve a diversity of cultural values embodied in ‘biodiverse products’, thereby involving consumers in collective strategies for reviving diversity, and empowering all actors of organic food systems to really and efficiently implement research within their farms and networks.

Disruptive innovation and operationalization in local and sustainable food systems: Examining the University of Toronto-Local Food Plus partnership

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-139
Author(s):  
Lori Stahlbrand
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
The University

This paper traces the partnership between the University of Toronto and the non-profit Local Food Plus (LFP) to bring local sustainable food to its St. George campus. At its launch, the partnership represented the largest purchase of local sustainable food at a Canadian university, as well as LFP’s first foray into supporting institutional procurement of local sustainable food. LFP was founded in 2005 with a vision to foster sustainable local food economies. To this end, LFP developed a certification system and a marketing program that matched certified farmers and processors to buyers. LFP emphasized large-scale purchases by public institutions. Using information from in-depth semi-structured key informant interviews, this paper argues that the LFP project was a disruptive innovation that posed a challenge to many dimensions of the established food system. The LFP case study reveals structural obstacles to operationalizing a local and sustainable food system. These include a lack of mid-sized infrastructure serving local farmers, the domination of a rebate system of purchasing controlled by an oligopolistic foodservice sector, and embedded government support of export agriculture. This case study is an example of praxis, as the author was the founder of LFP, as well as an academic researcher and analyst.

The Role of Research and Innovation in the Transformation of Agri-Food Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-63
Author(s):  
Mariana Sandu ◽  
Stefan Mantea
Keyword(s):  
Technological Progress ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Determinant Factor ◽  
Rapid Transformation

Abstract Agri-food systems include branching ramifications, which connect in the upstream the input suppliers with farmers, and downstream farmers, processors, retailers and consumers. In the last decades, at the level of the regions, food systems have undergone rapid transformation as a result of technological progress. The paper analyzes the changes made to the structure, behavior and performance of the agri-food system and the impact on farmers and consumers. Also, the role of agricultural research as a determinant factor of transformation of agri-food system is analyzed. The research objective is to develop technologies that cover the entire food chain (from farm to fork) and meet the specific requirements of consumers (from fork to farm) through scientific solutions in line with the principles of sustainable agriculture and ensuring the safety and food safety of the population.

Fulfilling the Right to Food for South Africa: Justice, Security, Sovereignty and the Politics of Malnutrition

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-152
Author(s):  
Busiso Helard Moyo ◽  
Anne Marie Thompson Thow
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
System Transformation ◽  
Right To Food ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

Despite South Africa’s celebrated constitutional commitments that have expanded and deepened South Africa’s commitment to realise socio-economic rights, limited progress in implementing right to food policies stands to compromise the country’s developmental path. If not a deliberate policy choice, the persistence of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms is a deep policy failure.  Food system transformation in South Africa requires addressing wider issues of who controls the food supply, thus influencing the food chain and the food choices of the individual and communities. This paper examines three global rights-based paradigms – ‘food justice’, ‘food security’ and ‘food sovereignty’ – that inform activism on the right to food globally and their relevance to food system change in South Africa; for both fulfilling the right to food and addressing all forms of malnutrition. We conclude that the emerging concept of food sovereignty has important yet largely unexplored possibilities for democratically managing food systems for better health outcomes.

Sustainable Food Logistics Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaohui Wu ◽  
Madeleine Elinor Pullman
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Cold Chain ◽  
Community Supported Agriculture ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Chain Management

Food supply chain management is becoming a critical management and public policy agenda. Climate change, growing demand, and shifting patterns of food production, delivery, and consumption have elicited a series of new challenges, such as food security, safety, and system resiliency. This chapter first introduces the typical players in a food supply chain and examines the global food system characterized by consolidation and industrialization. It then discusses some critical topics of the sustainable food supply chain that aim to address these challenges. These topics include traceability, transparency, certification and standards, and alternatives to industrialized food systems, including cooperatives, community-supported agriculture, and roles of small and medium-sized growers in regenerative agriculture. The chapter ends with a discussion of several important emerging logistics management topics, including last-mile delivery, new technology, and cold chain management.

scholarly journals The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3423
Author(s):  
Phillip Warsaw ◽  
Steven Archambault ◽  
Arden He ◽  
Stacy Miller
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Fresh Food

Farmers markets are regular, recurring gatherings at a common facility or area where farmers and ranchers directly sell a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown farm products to consumers. Markets rebuild and maintain local and regional food systems, leading to an outsized impact on the food system relative to their share of produce sales. Previous research has demonstrated the multifaceted impacts that farmers markets have on the communities, particularly economically. Recent scholarship in the United States has expanded inquiry into social impacts that markets have on communities, including improving access to fresh food products and increasing awareness of the sustainable agricultural practices adopted by producers, as well developing tools for producers and market stakeholders to measure their impact on both producers and communities. This paper reviews the recent scholarship on farmers markets to identify recent trends and synthesizes the current evidence describing the ways in which farmers markets contribute to the wellbeing of their communities, as well as identifying areas for additional future research.

scholarly journals Enhancing the Glopan Food Systems Framework by Integrating Gender: Relevance for Women in African Agriculture

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8564
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Mkandawire ◽  
Melody Mentz-Coetzee ◽  
Margaret Najjingo Mangheni ◽  
Eleonora Barusi
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Gender Barriers ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
African Agriculture ◽  
Agriculture And Food ◽  
Systems Framework

Globally, gender inequalities constrain food security, with women often disproportionately affected. Women play a fundamental role in household food and nutrition security. The multiple roles women play in various areas of the food system are not always recognised. This oversight emerges from an overemphasis on one aspect of the food system, without considering how this area might affect or be affected by another aspect. This study aimed to draw on international commitments and treaties using content analysis to enhance the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Security food systems framework by integrating a gender perspective. The study found that generally, there is a consensus on specific actions that can be taken to advance gender equality at specific stages of the food system. However, governance and social systems constraints that are not necessarily part of the food system, but have a significant bearing on men and women’s capacity to effectively participate in the food system, need to be addressed. While the proposed conceptual framework has some limitations, it offers a foundation on which researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders can begin conceptualising the interconnectedness of gender barriers in the food system.

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