Deltas under pressure – addressing complex water and food challenges in deltas using a food systems approach

A food systems approach (FSA) is a useful interdisciplinary conceptual framework for research and policy aimed at sustainable solutions for the sufficient supply of healthy food. An FSA analyses the relationships between the different parts of the food system and the outcomes of activities within the system in socio-economic and environmental/climate terms. Feedback loops are a distinguishing factor in systems thinking: they occur between parts of the food chain (production, processing, distribution and consumption) and from the socio-economic and environmental outcomes of food production and consumption (such as food security and soil depletion) back to that production and consumption. The FSA sheds light on non-linear processes in the food system, and on possible trade-offs between policy objectives. Systems thinking also broadens the perspective when seeking solutions for the root causes of problems such as poverty, malnutrition and climate change. The framework offers at least three benefits. First, it provides a checklist of topics that should at the very least be addressed when it comes to improving food security, certainly in relation to other policy objectives. Second, FSA helps to map the impact of environmental and climate changes on food security by pointing to the various vulnerabilities of the food system. In that sense the approach can contribute to the search for possibilities for strengthening the system’s resilience to climate changes. Third, it helps to determine the most limiting factors for achieving food security, and hence identify effective interventions aimed at improving food security

A Food Systems Perspective on Food and Nutrition Security in Australia, Indonesia, and Vanuatu

While dietary energy supply has improved, diets in Ethiopia remain low in diversity and provide insufficient amounts of protein, vitamin A, and zinc. Poor dietary quality contributes to the multiple burden of malnutrition in the country, with 38% stunting among children under five years and 24% anemia and 8% overweight among adult women. Recent Ethiopian government policies and programs call for sustainable food systems approaches aimed at achieving better nutrition for all. Such food systems approaches imply actions that include but also go beyond agriculture to consider the many processes and actors involved in food production, processing, storage, transportation, trade, transformation, retailing, and consumption. In this paper, we identify research streams to support the operationalizing of such food systems approaches in Ethiopia. To this end, we engaged with stakeholders, reviewed the literature, and applied a food systems framework to research priorities in the Ethiopian context. We develop an initial food systems profile of Ethiopia and identify 25 priority research questions, categorized into three main areas. A first area focuses on diagnosis and foresight research, for example, to further characterize dietary gaps and transitions in the context of the variety of Ethiopian settings, and to understand and anticipate which food system dynamics contribute positively or negatively to those trends. A second area includes implementation research and focuses on building a base of evidence on the dietary impact of combined demand-, market-, and supply-side interventions/innovations that focus on nonstaples; potential trade-offs in terms of economic, social, and environmental outcomes; and interactions between food system actors. A third area focuses on institutional and policy processes and explores enabling factors and private or public anchors that can take food systems approaches for healthier diets to a regional or national scale. The paper contextualizes the case of Ethiopia within global food systems thinking and thereby aims to stimulate in- and cross-country learning.

Food systems in Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan, are in dire crisis because of multiple shocks and stressors, persisting conflict and violence, climate change, and natural resource deterioration. However, building upon South Sudan’s National Food Systems Dialogue ample opportunities exist to build food systems resilience in EE through strengthening the capacity of people to produce and access nutritious and culturally acceptable food over time and space in the face of natural and/or man-made shocks and stressors. This report provides a rationale for building food systems resilience in South Sudan by introducing its concept and operationalisation (part 1 of this report), presenting the main findings of the food systems resilience dialogue that took place in EE State (part 2), and introducing the main pathways identified to build food systems resilience in the State (part 3). Food systems approaches are increasingly seen as a way forward to develop sustainable food systems in protracted food crisis as highlighted by the UN Food Systems Summit, the Global Network Against Food Crises and the Fighting Food Crises along the Nexus Coalition. It is therefore most opportune to act now by investing in an urgently needed transformation towards equitable, inclusive, and sustainable food systems for improved outcomes, in particular food and nutrition security in protracted food crises contexts. For South Sudan this means, in line with the outcomes of its National Food Systems Dialogue, to address four strategic challenges to transform the country’s food systems: 1) strengthening the resilience of food systems in face of current and future shocks and stressors; 2) developing food systems that contribute to social cohesion and peace; 3) ensuring that food systems are based on sustainable use and management of natural resources and produce healthier diets, and; 4) promoting sustainable food supply systems through inclusive value chains and agribusinesses with an eye on youth employment. Governance of food systems takes place at multiple levels and scales but transformation of local food systems will only succeed if communities, civil society organisations, small producers, farmers, and indigenous groups – with their local knowledge, and lived-in experiences – can shape how food is governed. The EE’s Food Systems Resilience Dialogue & Pathway Development (FoSReD-PaD) provides an approach to strengthen local governance of food systems for improved food systems resilience and outcomes. The State-Level Dialogue envisaged a total of nine pathways which together form a roadmap to transform EE’s food systems to become more resilient; better serve the needs of all stakeholders (in particular smallholder farmers/agri-pastoralists and herders); and improve food and nutrition outcomes for all.

Food systems in Western Bahr el Ghazal (WBeG) State, South Sudan, are in dire crisis because of multiple shocks and stressors, persisting conflict and violence, climate change, and natural resource deterioration. However, building upon South Sudan’s National Food Systems Dialogue, ample opportunities exist to build food systems resilience in WBeG through strengthening the capacity of people to produce and access nutritious and culturally acceptable food over time and space in the face of natural and/or man-made shocks and stressors. This report provides a rationale for building food systems resilience in South Sudan by introducing its concept and operationalisation (part 1 of this report), presenting the main findings of the food systems resilience dialogue that took place in WBeG State (part 2), and introducing the main pathways identified to build food systems resilience in the State (part 3). Food systems approaches are increasingly seen as a way forward to develop sustainable food systems in protracted food crisis as highlighted by the UN Food Systems Summit, the Global Network Against Food Crises and the Fighting Food Crises along the Nexus Coalition. It is therefore most opportune to act now by investing in an urgently needed transformation towards equitable, inclusive, and sustainable food systems for improved outcomes, in particular food and nutrition security in protracted food crisis contexts. For South Sudan this means, in line with the outcomes of its National Food Systems Dialogue, addressing four strategic challenges to transform the country’s food systems: 1) strengthening the resilience of food systems in face of current and future shocks and stressors; 2) developing food systems that contribute to social cohesion and peace; 3) ensuring that food systems are based on sustainable use and management of natural resources and produce healthier diets, and; 4) promoting sustainable food supply systems through inclusive value chains and agribusinesses with an eye on youth employment. Governance of food systems takes place at multiple levels and scales but transformation of local food systems will only succeed if communities, civil society organisations, small producers, farmers, and indigenous groups – with their local knowledge, and lived-in experiences – can shape how food is governed. WBeG’s Food Systems Resilience Dialogue & Pathway Development (FoSReD-PaD) provides an approach to strengthen local governance of food systems for improved food systems resilience and outcomes. The State-level Dialogue envisaged a total of nine pathways which together form a roadmap to transform WBeG’s food systems to become more resilient; better serve the needs of all stakeholders (in particular smallholder farmers/agri-pastoralists and herders); and improve food and nutrition outcomes for all.

Food systems policies can help to reduce hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and environmental damage. Governments can use food systems policies to help people and the planet. By using a food systems approach to policymaking, we can maximize the benefits of food systems to support healthy diets and nutrition, while also protecting the planet and promoting prosperity. A food systems approach helps us identify which policies are needed to reach our goals and it makes sure everyone involved in decision making process. This approach is flexible and inclusive, so it can work with different people and organizations to ensure everyone is on the same page. Taking a food systems approach involves looking at different ways of getting policy changes made, including looking at policy entry points across different food systems, sectors, and government departments. Then, policies are designed to achieve specific goals while taking into account the risks and benefits of each action. Finally, inclusive policy governance is essential to make sure all stakeholders are included in decisions about food systems.

Feeding the world in a narrowing safe operating space

Achieving dietary micronutrient adequacy in a finite world

Food systems approaches are increasingly used to better understand transitions in diets, sustainable resource use and social inclusion. Moreover, food systems frameworks are also widely used in many recent policy and foresight studies. We assess 32 highly-cited international studies, identifying and comparing differences in the frameworks used for food systems analysis, and discrepancies in the procedures to identify strategies for and performances of food system transformation. We show that the relevance of existing food systems analysis for identifying critical trade-offs and understanding relevant policies and practices for achieving synergies remains limited. While many studies are largely descriptive, some offer more practical insights into and evidence of entry points for food system transformation as well as opportunities for improving multiple food system outcomes (i.e. nutrition and health, environmental sustainability and resilience, social inclusion). We distinguish four different pathways for food system transformation and outline their analytical underpinnings, their views on multi-stakeholder governance, and how they deal with critical trade-offs between multiple food system objectives. We conclude that food systems approaches must be useful to decision makers and performance can only be improved if decision makers have a better understanding of these underlying interactions and dynamics of food systems change.

This study examined what kind of policy instruments and actions are needed for sustainable dietary change and how a large-scale dietary change would impact the climate, thus analysing the economic impacts of transitioning from animal-based diets to alternative plant-based diets. The transition would require the support of horizontal measures that can be implemented throughout the food system. Shifting the emphasis toward the drivers of food demand and consumption will increase the role of new policy instruments and the actors involved in the food system. Collaborative research between environmental and nutritional sciences with economics and policy analysis is necessary to link nutritional health and environmental objectives with economic and social impacts. Less resource-demanding diets would reduce the impact from the food system and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Drastic changes in diets and food consumption in Finland would have an impact on primary agricultural production, but the output from the food processing industry would only be slightly affected. However, a successful transition would involve considerable investments in the agricultural and food industry.

Water plays a crucial role in our food systems and food security. However, the essential role of water for a functioning food system and the impacts of food systems on water availability and quality have not yet been adequately recognized. Due to a lack of coordination among water and food systems actors, there are siloed water, food security, and nutrition strategies. This paper presents the case to make water pivotal in designing food systems, laying out action perspectives for different actors to move toward what we call “water-responsible food systems”. This paper is based on input from many participants during workshops and existing literature. A food systems approach provides an excellent entry point to link food with water considering climate change and energy. Moreover, collective and cross-cutting actions between actors in food systems are essential to make decisive progress, as well as a common language and insight into the trade-offs of the multiple values of water for a clear prioritization of water use and allocation.

Agricultural and food systems in the Mekong Region are undergoing transformations because of increasing engagement in international trade, alongside economic growth, dietary change and urbanisation. Food systems approaches are often used to understand these kinds of transformation processes, with particular strengths in linking social, economic and environmental dimensions of food at multiple scales. We argue that while the food systems approach strives to provide a comprehensive understanding of food production, consumption and environmental drivers, it is less well equipped to shed light on the role of actors, knowledge and power in transformation processes and on the divergent impacts and outcomes of these processes for different actors. We suggest that an approach that uses food systems as heuristics but complements it with attention to actors, knowledge and power improves our understanding of transformations such as those underway in the Mekong Region. The key transformations in the region include the emergence of regional food markets and vertically integrated supply chains that control increasing share of the market, increase in contract farming particularly in the peripheries of the region, replacement of crops cultivated for human consumption with corn grown for animal feed. These transformations are increasingly marginalising small-scale farmers, while at the same time, many other farmers increasingly pursue non-agricultural livelihoods. Food consumption is also changing, with integrated supply chains controlling substantial part of the mass market. Our analysis highlights that theoretical innovations grounded in political economy, agrarian change, development studies and rural livelihoods can help to increase theoretical depth of inquiries to accommodate the increasingly global dimensions of food. As a result, we map out a future research agenda to unpack the dynamic food system interactions and to unveil the social, economic and environmental impacts of these rapid transformations. We identify policy and managerial implications coupled with sustainable pathways for change.

Agricultural and food systems in the Mekong Region are undergoing transformations because of increasing engagement in international trade, alongside economic growth, dietary change and urbanisation. Food systems approaches are often used to understand these kinds of transformation processes, with particular strengths in linking social, economic and environmental dimensions of food at multiple scales. We argue that while the food systems approach strives to provide a comprehensive understanding of food production, consumption and environmental drivers, it is less well equipped to shed light on the role of actors, knowledge and power in transformation processes and on the divergent impacts and outcomes of these processes for different actors. We suggest that an approach that uses food systems as heuristics but complements it with attention to actors, knowledge and power improves our understanding of transformations such as those underway in the Mekong Region. The key transformations in the region include the emergence of regional food markets and vertically integrated supply chains that control increasing share of the market, increase in contract farming particularly in the peripheries of the region, replacement of crops cultivated for human consumption with corn grown for animal feed. These transformations are increasingly marginalising small-scale farmers, while at the same time, many other farmers increasingly pursue non-agricultural livelihoods. Food consumption is also changing, with integrated supply chains controlling substantial part of the mass market. Our analysis highlights that theoretical innovations grounded in political economy, agrarian change, development studies and rural livelihoods can help to increase theoretical depth of inquiries to accommodate the increasingly global dimensions of food. As a result, we map out a future research agenda to unpack the dynamic food system interactions and to unveil the social, economic and environmental impacts of these rapid transformations. We identify policy and managerial implications coupled with sustainable pathways for change.

The call to adopt a food systems approach has been made increasingly over the past two decades. A systems perspective contends that the only way to understand a problem fully is to understand the elements (parts) in relation to the system (whole). Systems science and research has been pursued in a very wide range of disciplinary fields. Notwithstanding their differences, most system approaches share some common concepts, which are presented to better understand how a system may be described. Food systems serve the basic human needs of food and drink necessary in order to sustain human life, but also serve wider cultural needs. Systems thinking offers a framework for research on food systems or their subsystems, enabling a wider and deeper contextual analysis. The notion of a food system has received significant attention by key international bodies. However, the literature shows various understandings or use of terms. Used in addition to current approaches, the food systems approach may help organic food and farming by making interdependencies more apparent, examining internal congruence, and providing a real 'living laboratory' to engage in an innovative process towards sustainable food systems. Such studies can: (i) help contribute to finding transformation pathways towards sustainable food systems; (ii) provide the basis for capacity and institution building needed to ensure successful transformation; and (iii) may help to redesign food systems that better support healthy diets in an equitable way.

The concept of “food systems” as used in this treatise refers to multiple systems: local, regional, national, and global. Two additional points flesh out the concept of food systems as used in this treatise. First, each food system comprises the production, processing, preparation, packaging, promotion, sales, preparation, distribution, and consumption of food. The shorthand descriptor of these events is known as “farm-to-fork” or “farm-to-plate,” which connote a systematic way of thinking about the life cycle of a food product. Second, a “food systems approach” involves more than the acknowledgment of the multiple stages in the modern food system; it also refers to an orientation that raises normative questions about what sort of food system(s) is preferable. Discussion of these normative questions involves food policy that is beyond the scope of this food law treatise; however, the implications of the debate are germane to food law because much of emerging law governing food is shaped in response to the changing norms and social ideas about the food system(s).