scholarly journals Feeding the world healthily: the challenge of measuring the effects of agriculture on health

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1554) ◽  
pp. 3083-3097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Hawkesworth ◽  
Alan D. Dangour ◽  
Deborah Johnston ◽  
Karen Lock ◽  
Nigel Poole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
National Level ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Healthy Human

Agricultural production, food systems and population health are intimately linked. While there is a strong evidence base to inform our knowledge of what constitutes a healthy human diet, we know little about actual food production or consumption in many populations and how developments in the food and agricultural system will affect dietary intake patterns and health. The paucity of information on food production and consumption is arguably most acute in low- and middle-income countries, where it is most urgently needed to monitor levels of under-nutrition, the health impacts of rapid dietary transition and the increasing ‘double burden’ of nutrition-related disease. Food availability statistics based on food commodity production data are currently widely used as a proxy measure of national-level food consumption, but using data from the UK and Mexico we highlight the potential pitfalls of this approach. Despite limited resources for data collection, better systems of measurement are possible. Important drivers to improve collection systems may include efforts to meet international development goals and partnership with the private sector. A clearer understanding of the links between the agriculture and food system and population health will ensure that health becomes a critical driver of agricultural change.

scholarly journals Promises of meat and milk alternatives: an integrative literature review on emergent research themes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Lonkila ◽  
Minna Kaljonen
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Scientific Journal ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Social Scientific

AbstractIncreasing concerns for climate change call for radical changes in food systems. There is a need to pay more attention to the entangled changes in technological development, food production, as well as consumption and consumer demand. Consumer and market interest in alternative meat and milk products—such as plant based milk, plant protein products and cultured meat and milk—is increasing. At the same time, statistics do not show a decrease in meat consumption. Yet alternatives have been suggested to have great transitional potential, appealing to different consumer segments, diets, and identities. We review 123 social scientific journal articles on cell-based and plant-based meat and milk alternatives to understand how the positioning of alternatives as both same and different in relation to animal-based products influences their role within the protein transition. We position the existing literature into three themes: (1) promissory narratives and tensions on markets, (2) consumer preferences, attitudes, and behavioral change policies, (3) and the politics and ethics of the alternatives. Based on our analysis of the literature, we suggest that more research is needed to understand the broader ethical impacts of the re-imagination of the food system inherent in meat and milk alternatives. There is also a need to direct more attention to the impacts of meat and milk alternatives to the practices of agricultural practices and food production at the farm-level. A closer examination of these research gaps can contribute to a better understanding of the transformative potential of alternatives on a systemic level.

An integrated approach to identifying and characterising resilient urban food systems to promote population health in a changing climate

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 2498-2508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W James ◽  
Sharon Friel
Keyword(s):  
Population Health ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Urban Food Systems

AbstractObjectiveTo determine key points of intervention in urban food systems to improve the climate resilience, equity and healthfulness of the whole system.DesignThe paper brings together evidence from a 3-year, Australia-based mixed-methods research project focused on climate change adaptation, cities, food systems and health. In an integrated analysis of the three research domains – encompassing the production, distribution and consumption sectors of the food chain – the paper examines the efficacy of various food subsystems (industrial, alternative commercial and civic) in achieving climate resilience and good nutrition.SettingGreater Western Sydney, Australia.SubjectsPrimary producers, retailers and consumers in Western Sydney.ResultsThis overarching analysis of the tripartite study found that: (i) industrial food production systems can be more environmentally sustainable than alternative systems, indicating the importance of multiple food subsystems for food security; (ii) a variety of food distributors stocking healthy and sustainable items is required to ensure that these items are accessible, affordable and available to all; and (iii) it is not enough that healthy and sustainable foods are produced or sold, consumers must also want to consume them. In summary, a resilient urban food system requires that healthy and sustainable food items are produced, that consumers can attain them and that they actually wish to purchase them.ConclusionsThis capstone paper found that the interconnected nature of the different sectors in the food system means that to improve environmental sustainability, equity and population health outcomes, action should focus on the system as a whole and not just on any one sector.

scholarly journals Nutrition Transition and Climate Risks in Nigeria: Moving Towards Food Systems Policy Coherence

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-403
Author(s):  
Alexandra E. Morgan ◽  
Jessica Fanzo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Nutrition Transition ◽  
Policy Environment ◽  
Policy Coherence ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Planetary Health ◽  
Climate Risks

Abstract Purpose of Review The purpose of this review is to describe the combined impacts of the nutrition transition and climate change in Nigeria and analyze the country’s national food-related policy options that could support human and planetary health outcomes. Recent Findings This paper uses a food systems framework to analyze how the nutrition transition and climate change interact in Nigeria affecting both diets and the double burden of malnutrition, resulting in what has been termed the syndemic. Interactions between climate change and the nutrition transition in Nigeria are exacerbating diet-related inequities and will continue to do so if food systems continue on their current trajectory and without significant transformation. Siloed policy actions that attempt to mitigate one aspect of food system risk can create a negative feedback loop in another aspect of the food system. Our analysis finds that Nigeria has five national policies that include actionable steps to address food system insufficiencies; however, each of these policies is constrained by the boundaries of singular nutrition, climate change, and agricultural objectives. The country should consider a coherent policy environment that explicitly identifies and links underlying systemic and institutional drivers between climate change and malnutrition that simultaneously and comprehensively address both human and planetary health outcomes of food systems. Summary The systemic and institutional outcomes of this emerging syndemic—undernutrition, obesity, and climate change—are inexorably linked. Nigeria lacks a coherent policy environment taking on this challenging syndemic landscape. The analysis in this paper highlights the need for Nigeria to prioritize their national nutrition and agricultural and climate policies that uncouple feedback loops within food systems to address climate change and malnutrition in all its forms.

scholarly journals The effect of acute and chronic food shortage on human population equilibrium in a subsistence setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua-Michael Tomiyama ◽  
Daisuke Takagi ◽  
Michael B. Kantar
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
World Population ◽  
Systems Dynamics ◽  
Additional Parameter ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Mass Starvation ◽  
Population Equilibrium

Abstract Background  World population is projected to reach 9–11 billion by 2050, raising concerns about food system security and sustainability. Modeling food systems are often a way to understand current and future dynamics. The most common model, first articulated by Malthus (Malthusian), shows population growth as an exponential function and food production as a linear function, concluding that human carrying capacity will be reached leading to mass starvation. Another prominent model was introduced by Boserup (Boserupian), which explains increases in food production as a function of population growth. Methodology  Here, we explore which food systems dynamics exist at equilibrium and after perturbation. The model introduced explores food availability in an isolated village and then in a line of villages. The isolated village model includes three key parameters: maximum calorie production (a), food production resilience (b), and minimum calorie requirement per person (c). The multiple village model adds an additional parameter for trade. Results  Isolated village populations are more resilient to famine than Malthusian theory predicts, suggesting that Malthus’ premise may be inaccurate. Predictably, across multiple villages increasing access and production reduce famine. However, under certain conditions large amounts of transport can lead to antagonist relationships leading to rapid changes in population. Conclusion  Food systems under both production and access scenarios proved to be resilient to small perturbations, requiring a large catastrophe to induce mortality; this appeared to discount the Malthusian model. This model can create dynamics where different modes of famine relief apply, but here we see that a balanced approach of both access and production appears to be the most resilient to famine.

Convergence of food systems: Kosher, Christian and Halal

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 2313-2327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Tieman ◽  
Faridah Hj Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Food System ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
World Population ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Production Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if religious food laws can provide answers to current issues with the food systems. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a discussion of the dietary and food system principles from a Judaism, Christianity and Islamic perspective for the design of a more sustainable and healthy food system. Findings – The commercialisation of the natural resources, industrial food production approach and consumerism is endangering the food security, health and environment. Current industry practices are not sustainable and do not comply with Jewish, Christian and Islamic scriptures. Kosher, Christian and halal food laws share common principles in prohibition of certain animals (like pig), prohibition of blood, role of fasting and animal welfare. As a change in the diet is the solution, there is a key role for the food industry to comply and for religious leaders to radically reduce meat consumption and food waste of its followers. Research limitations/implications – This viewpoint paper shows that religious food laws provide answers to current problems with the industrialised food production approach and consumerism. Practical implications – New food industry directives should convert meat-based to plant-based ingredients and additives; replace porcine by bovine sources; and emphasise on animal welfare to better serve the Jewish, Christian and Muslim consumer. Religious logos (kosher and halal) should incorporate nutrient profiling through a traffic light system to promote healthy food choice. Originality/value – Religious food laws are important for a big part of the world population (Jews, Christians and Muslims), which share many common principles. This study contributes to a better understanding of the commonalities and differences in these religious food laws.

scholarly journals Michigan Farmers of Color and the Future of Sustainable Food Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly N. Carr ◽  
Vanessa Garcia Polanco ◽  
Shakara Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Food System

Historically, racial and ethnic disparities in agriculture and the food system experienced by farmers of color (FoC) in the United States and in Michigan stem from an exploitative and racialized agricultural system in which white people have primarily benefited and profited. Sustainable agriculture with a strong orientation toward racial justice can serve as a medium for building more racial equity and transforming our racialized food system. Such a medium ensures that the resources to participate and contribute to a sustainable food system are accessible to everyone, not just those with significant power and resources. Although the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is in the initial phases of developing a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan, there is currently no specific plan to support and target FoC. While there are several programs performing this work from grassroot organizations, civic groups, extension services, and others, there is no comprehensive statewide effort to create support systems for FoC in Michigan. To address this issue, we recommend the creation of an incentivized farm program as a way to address agrarian racial and ethnic disparities experienced by FoC and advance an equitable and just sustainable food system within the state of Michigan.

scholarly journals Peasants’ Transnational Mobilization for Food Sovereignty in La Vía Campesina

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delphine Thivet
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
National Level ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rural Workers ◽  
Global Institutions ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Food Activism ◽  
La Via Campesina

This paper examines how small farmers and landless rural workers have developed new modes of food activism at the transnational level. It explores in particular how the international peasant movement La Vía Campesina advocates and seeks to build – through the concept of the “food sovereignty” – an alternative frame for food production and distribution enabling communities and people to determine at the local/national level their own food systems. Based on a multi-sited fieldwork including participant observations and interviews with organizations’ members from three different countries involved in La Vía Campesina (France, Brazil and India), my study analyses the various and unstable definitions of the concept of “food sovereignty” in the movement. It examines the process of adding new meanings to its definition according to its circulation across different scales and specific cultural and geographical contexts, its attempted legal translations, and its local reconfigurations in sometimes nationalistic and protectionist ways. The aim is first to show how the demand for “food sovereignty” has emerged at the international level so as to reframe politically global food relations and compete with a more technical response to world hunger promoted by global institutions - the notion of “food security”. The paper then traces the various strategies used by La Vía Campesina’s activists to legitimize and promote their cause, trying to make small-scale farmers “visible” – both in international and national public arenas – and recognized as those assuming a leading role in food production throughout the world. Finally, it addresses the way the food sovereignty framework catalyzes social mobilization across borders by constituting transnational interests and provides to marginalized social agents in the countryside a conceptual frame for making sense of the process of dispossession from the means of production they have been undergoing since the early 1980s.

scholarly journals Health in Food Systems Policies in India: A Document Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adithya Pradyumna ◽  
Arima Mishra ◽  
Jürg Utzinger ◽  
Mirko S. Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Food Processing ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
National Level ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Health Ministry ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Intersectoral Coordination

Background: Food systems affect nutritional and other health outcomes. Recent literature from India has described policy aspects addressing nutritional implications of specific foods (eg, fruits, vegetables, and trans-fats), and identified opportunities to tackle the double burden of malnutrition. This paper attempts to deepen the understanding on how health concerns and the role of the health sector are addressed across food systems policies in India. Methods: This qualitative study used two approaches; namely (i) the framework method and (ii) manifest content analysis, to investigate national-level policy documents from relevant sectors (ie, food security, agriculture, biodiversity, food processing, trade, and waste management, besides health and nutrition). The documents were selected purposively. The textual data were coded and compared, from which themes were identified, described, and interpreted. Additionally, mentions of various health concerns and of the health ministry in the included documents were recorded and collated. Results: A total of 35 policy documents were included in the analysis. A variety of health concerns spanning nutritional, communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were mentioned. Undernutrition received specific attention even beyond nutrition policies. Only few policies mentioned NCDs, infectious diseases, and injuries. Governing and advisory bodies were instituted by 17 of the analysed policies (eg, food safety, agriculture, and food processing), and often included representation from the health ministry (9 of the 17 identified inter-ministerial bodies). Conclusion: We found some evidence of concern for health, and inclusion of health ministry in food policy documents in India. The ongoing and planned intersectoral coordination to tackle undernutrition could inform actions to address other relevant but currently underappreciated concerns such as NCDs. Our study demonstrated a method for analysis of health consideration and intersectoral coordination in food policy documents, which could be applied to studies in other settings and policy domains.

The Obesity Pandemic and Food Insecurity in Developing Countries

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Lowitt ◽  
Katherine Gray-Donald ◽  
Gordon M. Hickey ◽  
Arlette Saint Ville ◽  
Isabella Francis-Granderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Nutrition Transition ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
School Type ◽  
Farm To School ◽  
Double Burden

Overweight and obesity affect over half a billion people globally and represent major public health concerns because excess weight gain is a key risk factor for non-communicable diseases. This chapter presents an overview of global trends in obesity, considering both developed and developing country contexts. It describes how this pandemic is rooted in the “nutrition transition” taking place around the world as a result of a globalized agri-food system that is changing the quantity, types, and desirability of foods available for consumption. In some countries, this is contributing to a “double burden of malnutrition,” as the problem of undernutrition now coexists alongside an increasing prevalence of over-nutrition. An overview of key policy responses and policy instruments that governments can utilize to address obesity is provided, recognizing that a holistic food systems response is needed to address the global challenge of obesity. The remainder of the chapter focuses on the food security and obesity challenges facing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and profiles a “farm to fork” school feeding project in the island nation of St. Kitts-Nevis that was designed to reduce obesity and improve food security among children. Implementation and key results of this integrated project are presented, including the core components of agricultural production, procurement of local produce, and children’s consumption of nutritious foods. The chapter concludes by identifying lessons for supporting “farm to school”-type projects as a possible food systems response to addressing obesity and food insecurity.

scholarly journals Overcoming undesirable resilience in the global food system

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom H. Oliver ◽  
Emily Boyd ◽  
Kelvin Balcombe ◽  
Tim G. Benton ◽  
James M. Bullock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Global Food System ◽  
Major Reform ◽  
Lock In ◽  
Global Food

Non-technical summaryOur current global food system – from food production to consumption, including manufacture, packaging, transport, retail and associated businesses – is responsible for extensive negative social and environmental impacts which threaten the long-term well-being of society. This has led to increasing calls from science–policy organizations for major reform and transformation of the global food system. However, our knowledge regarding food system transformations is fragmented and this is hindering the development of co-ordinated solutions. Here, we collate recent research across several academic disciplines and sectors in order to better understand the mechanisms that ‘lock-in’ food systems in unsustainable states.

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