scholarly journals Building a Global Food Systems Typology: A New Tool for Reducing Complexity in Food Systems Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quinn Marshall ◽  
Jessica Fanzo ◽  
Christopher B. Barrett ◽  
Andrew D. Jones ◽  
Anna Herforth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Nutrition Transition ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Classification Tool ◽  
Substantial Heterogeneity

Food systems have a profound impact on diets, nutrition, health, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Yet their complexity poses a persistent challenge in identifying the policy actions that are needed to improve human and planetary health outcomes. Typologies are a useful classification tool to identify similarities and differences among food systems, while reducing this analytical complexity. This study presents a new food system typology, implemented at the country level using parsimonious data that characterize food supply chains, food environments, consumer-related factors, and key outcomes, including dietary intake, nutritional status, health, and environmental impacts. Five food system types are identified: rural and traditional; informal and expanding; emerging and diversifying; modernizing and formalizing; and industrial and consolidated. Patterns across the five system types in key outcome variables align with narratives provided by the food systems and nutrition transition literature, demonstrating the usefulness of this classification method. Substantial heterogeneity nonetheless still exists within individual food system types. Therefore, the recommended use of the typology is in early stages of hypothesis generation, to identify potential risk factors or constraints in the food system that can be explored further at national and sub-national levels.

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 Grappling With Complex Food Systems to Reduce Obesity: A US Public Health Challenge

2018 ◽  
Vol 133 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 44S-53S ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Barnhill ◽  
Anne Palmer ◽  
Christine M. Weston ◽  
Kelly D. Brownell ◽  
Kate Clancy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
State Programs

Despite 2 decades of effort by the public health community to combat obesity, obesity rates in the United States continue to rise. This lack of progress raises fundamental questions about the adequacy of our current approaches. Although the causes of population-wide obesity are multifactorial, attention to food systems as potential drivers of obesity has been prominent. However, the relationships between broader food systems and obesity are not always well understood. Our efforts to address obesity can be advanced and improved by the use of systems approaches that consider outcomes of the interconnected global food system, including undernutrition, climate change, the environmental sustainability of agriculture, and other social and economic concerns. By implementing innovative local and state programs, taking new approaches to overcome political obstacles to effect policy, and reconceptualizing research needs, we can improve obesity prevention efforts that target the food systems, maximize positive outcomes, and minimize adverse consequences. We recommend strengthening innovative local policies and programs, particularly those that involve community members in identifying problems and potential solutions and that embrace a broad set of goals beyond making eating patterns healthier. We also recommend undertaking interdisciplinary research projects that go beyond testing targeted interventions in specific populations and aim to build an understanding of the broader social, political, and economic context.

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 Rich Picture Method: A Simple Tool for Reflective Teaching and Learning about Sustainable Food Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4815
Author(s):  
Michelle Grant ◽  
Anna K. Gilgen ◽  
Nina Buchmann
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Food System ◽  
Approaches To Teaching ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Rich Picture ◽  
Simple Tool ◽  
The Rich

The World Food System Summer School is an innovative two-week course that seeks to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the next generation of decision makers to build sustainable food systems. Meaningful learning, where the participant is able to relate new information to existing knowledge, is a critical part of education about complex systems and requires the integration of reflective approaches to teaching and learning. We adapted the rich picture method in three summer schools in Switzerland, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire (74 participants with 29 nationalities) to support the reflection of participants on their knowledge gained on complex food systems. Coding and comparing 51 pairs of pre- and post-course pictures of food systems clearly demonstrated newly gained knowledge: The number of sub-categories drawn significantly increased from 11 to 19 in the post-course pictures, the largest increase occurred for environmental sustainability (57%). The rich picture method is a highly valuable and simple tool to gain insight into how participants’ knowledge changes and where there are gaps in meeting the learning objectives. This is particularly useful within a highly diverse participant cohort, as it allows participants to discuss and reflect on their own learning experience in a personalized way. Additionally, the rich picture method provides insights for faculty to improve their approaches to teaching on food systems.

The impact of COVID-19 on the world food system

2020 ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
N. Shurakova
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
World Food ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
The World ◽  
Agricultural Imports ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Food

The article examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the world food system (WFS) through the prism of economic and social aspects. It is revealed that the paralysis of world trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on the WFS and threatens global food security. It is proved that in order to prevent a food crisis in the foreseeable future, it is necessary to restructure food systems at the national and global levels, ensure their stability and continuity of operation. Some measures are proposed to prevent trade barriers, protect food supply chains and expand access to food. It is concluded that there is a need to expand domestic «food sovereignty», especially in countries that depend on agricultural imports and are involved in the global food trade system.

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.

Agri-food scholarship: Past, present and future contributions to Australasian rural sociology

2021 ◽  
pp. 144078332110096
Author(s):  
Kiah Smith ◽  
Geoffrey Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Food System ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Rural Sociology ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Agricultural Technologies ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
The Future

The future of food and agriculture in Australasia will be defined by multiple social, economic, political and environmental tensions – with climate change and social inequalities playing a central role in the re-imagining of food systems in crisis. This article argues that rural sociology will continue to be well-served by the sociological research into the farming and food industries undertaken by antipodean scholars – especially those from Australia and New Zealand where agri-food scholarship has flourished. Analyses of the future dynamics of rural social/economic change, natural resource management (including land, water and minerals), new relations of work, labour and identity, emerging agricultural technologies, Indigenous and post-colonial politics, and food system governance will benefit from agri-food studies’ insights into agrarian transformation and governance, social and environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, and the growth of resistance and alternatives.

scholarly journals Insights from the Think&EatGreen@School Project: How a community-based action research project contributed to healthy and sustainable school food systems in Vancouver

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-46
Author(s):  
Alejandro Rojas ◽  
Jennifer Black ◽  
Elena Orrego ◽  
Gwen Chapman ◽  
Will Valley
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
School Food ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
School Project

From 2010 to 2016 the Think&EatGreen@School project worked to create healthy and sustainable school food systems in the Vancouver School Board.  Using models of Community-Engaged Scholarship and Community-Based Action Research, we implemented diverse programmatic and monitoring activities to provide students and teachers with hands-on food cycle education, in order to influence policy, and to encourage university students to engage actively with the food system. Our focus was on transformation of local school food systems as a context-specific means to address serious global issues related to food security, health and environmental sustainability. This paper provides a synthesis of the project including the context that led to its inception, its overarching goals, methodological framework and areas of impact.  Key learnings from this project highlight the need for continued work to integrate research, teaching and action on global food security, environmental and public health challenges and to build connections to create healthy, sustainable school food systems. 

scholarly journals C-LLAMA v1.0: traceable model for food, agriculture and land-use

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Ball ◽  
Naomi E. Vaughan ◽  
Thomas W. Powell ◽  
Andrew Lovett ◽  
Timothy M. Lenton
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Food System ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Developed Nations

Abstract. We present C-LLAMA 1.0 (Country-level Land Availability Model for Agriculture), a statistical-empirical model of the global food and agriculture system. Based on the FALAFEL (Flux Assessment of Linked Agricultural Food production, Energy potentials & Land-use change) model, C-LLAMA aims to address the need for an open and transparent approach to modelling the sensitivity of future agricultural land-use to drivers such as diet, crop yields and food-system efficiency. C-LLAMA uses publicly available FAOSTAT data to make linear projections of diet, food system and agricultural efficiencies, and land-use at a national level, aiming to capture aspects of food systems in both developing and developed nations. In this paper we describe the structure and processes within the model and perform sensitivity analyses of key components.

scholarly journals Towards food systems transformation—five paradigm shifts for healthy, inclusive and sustainable food systems

Food Security ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruerd Ruben ◽  
Romina Cavatassi ◽  
Leslie Lipper ◽  
Eric Smaling ◽  
Paul Winters
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
System Transformation ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Participatory Institutions ◽  
Systems Transformation

AbstractFood systems must serve different societal, public health and individual nutrition, and environmental objectives and therefore face numerous challenges. Considering the integrated performances of food systems, this paper highlights five fundamental paradigm shifts that are required to overcome trade-offs and build synergies between health and nutrition, inclusive livelihoods, environmental sustainability and food system resilience. We focus on the challenges to raise policy ambitions, to harmonize production and consumption goals, to improve connectivity between them, to strengthen food system performance and to anchor the governance of food systems in inclusive policies and participatory institutions. Taken together, these shifts in paradigms shape a new discourse for food system transformation that will be capable to respond to current and future policy challenges.

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