Resilient Food Systems Research Articles

Editorial: Achieving food system resilience and equity in the era of global environmental change

Editorial: Achieving food system resilience and equity in the era of global environmental change

Urban agricultural activities, a food system resilience strategy during COVID-19 in Haiti

The COVID-19 crisis is impacting the reconfiguration of food systems at different scales. In poor countries where food insecurity had already been a major problem, the urban population under the lockdown often had to cope alone with shortages of food and access to it. In the poorest country in the Americas, the urban population adapted the food system by intensifying the practice of urban agricultural activities. In this exploratory research, using a sample including urban dwellers that were engaged in urban agriculture and those who were not, we investigated the following question: Did urban agriculture linked to COVID-19 represent an appropriate and innovative strategy for the urban food system resilience? Our results confirm that the Haitian urban population used urban agriculture as an innovative and appropriate food resilience strategy. They produced varieties chosen for their very rapid production character and were able to cope successfully with the crisis, and also have lessons to share with other actors and countries.

The elements of resilience in the food system and means to enhance the stability of the food supply

Food systems are increasingly exposed to disruptions and shocks, and they are projected to increase in the future. Most recently, the war in Ukraine and Covid-19 pandemic has increased concerns about the ability to secure the availability of food at stable prices. This article presents a food system resilience framework to promote a national foresight system to better prepare for shocks and disruptions. Our study identified four key elements of resilience: system thinking through science and communication; redundancy of activities and networks; diversity of production and partners; and buffering strategies. Three national means to enhance resilience in the Finnish food system included domestic protein crop production, renewable energy production, and job creation measures. Primary production was perceived as the cornerstone for food system resilience, and the shocks and disruptions that it confronts therefore call for a sufficient and diverse domestic production volume, supported by the available domestic renewable energy. A dialogue between different actors in the food system was highlighted to format a situational picture and enable a rapid response. Our study suggests that to a certain point, concentration and interdependence in the food system increase dialogue and cooperation. For critical resources, sufficient reserve stocks buffer disruptions over a short period in the event of unexpected production or market disruptions. Introducing and strengthening the identified resilience elements and means to the food system call for the preparation of a more holistic and coherent food system policy that acknowledges and emphasises resilience alongside efficiency.

Agriculture: Innovations in Vertical Cultivation Systems for Community Development

This paper explores potential barriers to the adoption of soil-less, small-scale hydroponic systems operated through digital technology within gardening communities and related projects. It investigates whether these communities view a technology-driven approach to food cultivation as limiting. The backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic highlights interconnected challenges spanning food security, climate change, and economic turmoil. Disruptions in global supply chains and economic activities resulting from the pandemic have precipitated an economic crisis, income disparities, and increased food insecurity. Agricultural disruptions have exacerbated food security issues, while climate change-induced extreme weather events further jeopardize food systems. This economic crisis impedes effective climate change mitigation and adaptation. A holistic approach is crucial, integrating sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate change strategies. Collaboration among governments, researchers, and communities is vital for enduring food security and sustainable economies. The Hydroponic Verticulture System (HVS), a modern urban agricultural technology, offers a practical solution that fosters urban farming, ensures food quality, and supports community engagement. A full tank of water or mixed organic material of 13.5 Liter with 5rm speed provided sufficient watering for effective nourishment and hydration throughout the vertical system. Furthermore, HVS contributes to climate change mitigation by reducing CO2 and increasing O2 levels through smart urban farming practices, aligning with environmental sustainability goals.

Access to special COVID-19 relief from distress grant and livelihood outcome of livestock farming households in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

<abstract> <p>Unexpected events and shocks constitute greater threats to the attainment of zero hunger targets in Africa and the world over, and in the extreme case, lead to total collapse of the global food system and food supply chain. Consequently, this causes significant loss of critical income sources, renders individuals vulnerable, and further deteriorates households' livelihood outcome and welfare state. Therefore, the need for social protection programs to mitigate the impact of distress and unexpected events, as well as extreme occurrences cannot be over emphasized. This research used dataset from the 1499 households captured in the 2021 South African General Household Survey to investigate whether access to a special relief from distress grant has effect on the livestock farming households' food security status in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, a two-sample t-test, a food insecurity experience-based scale technique, and a fractional outcome model were used to analyze the datasets. Based on access to the grant, households in the non-beneficiary group are significantly distinguishable from the beneficiary counterparts, such that the beneficiary households out-performed the non-beneficiary households in the food break-even and food surplus categories. The findings further indicated the possibility of transition of the beneficiary households' population under the transitory food insecurity category to either the chronic food insecurity status or food break-even status, subject to the effectiveness of the food security policy to which they are exposed. The fractional outcome model also indicated that non-metropolitan resident households (<italic>p</italic> < 0.05), access to the special grant (<italic>p</italic> < 0.01), access to health facilities (<italic>p</italic> < 0.01), age of households' heads (<italic>p</italic> < 0.01), colored, indian and white population groups (both at <italic>p</italic> < 0.01), as well as access to remittance (<italic>p</italic> < 0.01) made significant contributions to the households' food security status. The Wald test indicated that access to the special relief grant had a significant effect on the households' food security status in the study area. The study therefore recommends accelerated investments in various social investment programs as sustained responses to expected and unexpected shocks and occurrences to be able to induce progress and realize more resilient food systems.</p> </abstract>

Frontier: Creating Parallel SmartAg Systems Certificate Programs for Engineering and Applied Science Graduate Students

Highlights Integration of smart technology into applied agriculture and food production is needed by employers and academic programs. Two graduate certificate programs were designed for broad participation by both engineering and applied science students. One new ‘cornerstone’ course for each certificate was designed to link concepts of smart agriculture to discipline-specific material. Abstract. Population growth, rapid urbanization, epidemics, political instability, and resource constraints are contributing to disruptions in food supplies, while farm labor shortages, increasing input costs, disease and pest pressure, and federal regulations further reduce food security. The convergence of recent scientific (e.g., genomics) and engineering (e.g., smart sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence) technologies in agriculture have the potential to create more efficient, productive, sustainable, and resilient food systems. Yet, this fusion of agricultural practices with modern, information-based technologies requires a trained workforce that includes engineers, scientists, and production personnel to develop and apply solutions to address critical challenges in agriculture and natural resources. In response to these needs and discussions amongst experts in the field, faculty in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) Department at the University of Florida developed two graduate certificates to provide specialized training for students interested in technical careers in agriculture. The ABE faculty have expertise in the application of innovative technology in agricultural and food systems and are uniquely positioned to develop curricula for broader audiences in engineering and agricultural sciences. These smart agriculture (SmartAg) certificates provide students with a curated sequence of required courses in addition to elective courses in an area of their interest. Students in the Engineered SmartAg Certificate (Eng_SmartAg) design, integrate, and implement hardware and software solutions, while science students in the Applied Methods for SmartAg Systems (App_SmartAg), including operators, managers, and technologists, apply solutions from existing systems and components. This article presents the curriculum and certificate development processes in different stages. We start with motivations, program needs, and highlight key discussions amongst experts in the agricultural engineering field that led to the conceptualization of the certificates. Next, we discuss two new integral courses that were developed for each certificate and describe course objectives, curriculum maps, projects, and key assessments. We then describe the process for certificate program assessment, detailing their program missions, alignment, goals, and student learning outcomes, as well as assessment plans and approaches to course evaluation and program improvement. We summarize feedback provided by students enrolled in the first cohorts of these courses and discuss changes and revisions to facilitate student learning opportunities, improve instructional effectiveness, and strengthen the courses and certificates. Finally, we discuss the early challenges in launching both certificates and future plans to market, advertise, and attract students and professionals from different engineering disciplines and agricultural backgrounds interested in agriculture and food system innovations. Keywords: Keywords., Course evaluation, Curriculum design, Graduate certificate program, Smart agriculture.

Book Review | Urban and Regional Agriculture: Building Resilient Food Systems

ABOUT THE BOOK: Urban and Regional Agriculture: Building Resilient Food Systems is an essential read for academics, policymakers, urban planners, and practitioners interested in understanding and promoting the potential of urban agriculture to create sustainable and resilient food systems. The book provides its target audience with valuable insights, interdisciplinary perspectives, and engaging case studies, offering a comprehensive exploration of the current state of urban agriculture and its role in achieving food security, environmental sustainability, and social equity in a rapidly urbanizing world.

Tradition and change: celebrating food systems resilience at two Indigenous Māori community events

Cultural wellbeing and resilience are of key importance in many Indigenous communities impacted by colonization processes. Reciprocity and the sharing of an intergenerational way of life in extended family collectives is an enduring cultural obligation. For many communities, hosting large gatherings expresses customary philosophies and practices and brings families together, and food and food systems are central to these events. We partnered with two Indigenous Māori communities in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore how these communities embody resilience in their food systems. We collected data from two large pan-community gatherings or <em>poukai</em> in the Waikato-Tainui tribal calendar that have been held annually for more than 100 years. The first took place in a remote, rural, coastal community, Marokopa, whereas the second took place at a tribal hub, Tūrangawaewae, that frequently hosts international visitors. Most visitors were > 50 years old, consistent with the purpose of this gathering, with more women elders than men attending. At Marokopa, volunteers returned from a variety of locations, mostly by car, in contrast to Tūrangawaewae where volunteers generally lived close and either walked or drove short distances to the <em>poukai</em>. Gifted contributions of food and supplies from local gardens continued a history of reciprocity and connection to traditional food systems at Marokopa. At Tūrangawaewae, most provisions were store bought, but there was a strong focus on healthy eating. Both events produced little waste. Despite a shift from traditional foods and self-sufficiency in food systems, these communities demonstrate collective resilience in their motivations for hosting, cultural vitality in their expressions of <em>manaakitanga</em> (hosting), and a commitment to <em>kaitiakaitanga</em> (stewardship) in their focus on healthy foods, recycling, food waste, and intergenerational learning at these events.

Sustainability assessment of Territorial Short Food Supply Chains versus Large‐Scale Food Distribution: The case of Colombia and Spain

Assessing, designing and implementing more sustainable agri-food systems has become a high priority in scientific research and political agendas worldwide. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is highlighting the fragility of globalised food distribution systems, and there is a need to focus on alternatives. This manuscript assesses the sustainability of two largely opposing marketing alternatives, namely Territorial Short Food Supply Chains (TSFSCs) and Large-Scale Food Distribution (LSFD). Specifically, the cases of Bogota (Colombia) and Cordoba (Spain) are analysed, where the development of TSFSCs has very significant in recent years but which are of a very different nature. For this purpose, a multi-criteria model based on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) methodology has been developed, considering multiple economic, social and environmental criteria. The model has been evaluated by four interest groups. The results show that the social sub-criterion – distribution of added value – is highly prioritised, and that the TSFSCs are the most sustainable alternatives globally in both cities. In Bogota, direct sales (farmers market) are prioritised, whilst in Cordoba, chain with a local retail (specialised shops). The contribution of TSFSCs to ecosystem services, equity, territorial cohesion and the revitalisation of the economy is highlighted. By interest groups, civil society, academia and public administration prioritise TSFSCs. However, the market players in Cordoba prioritise LSFD with national product. The results indicate that TSFSCs have the potential to contribute to the consolidation of sustainable and resilient food systems.

A sustainability scoring system to assess food initiatives in city regions

The City Region Food Systems approach has been proposed to achieve food system resilience and nutrition security while promoting the urgent ecological transition within urban and peri-urban areas, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the great diversity of the initiatives composing City Region Food Systems in Europe poses barriers to the assessment of their integrated sustainability. Hence, the present work is developed within the EU-H2020 project Food System in European Cities (FoodE), to build a consistent sustainability scoring system that allows comparative evaluation of City Region Food System Initiatives. Adopting a Life Cycle Thinking approach, it advances on existing knowledge and past projects, taking advantage of a participatory process, with stakeholders from multidisciplinary expertise. As a result, the research designs, and tests on 100 case studies a simplified and ready-to-use scoring mechanism based on a quali-quantitative appraisal survey tool, delivering a final sustainability score on a 1–5 points scale, to get insights on the social, economic, and environmental impacts. As in line with the needs of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the outcome represents a step forward for the sustainable development and social innovation of food communities in cities and regions, providing a practical and empirical lens for improved planning and governance.

Climate Change's Impact on Agriculture and Food Security: An Opportunity to Showcase African Animal Genetic Resources

One of the current issues facing humanity is ensuring sustained global food security in the face of devastating effects of climate change; this challenge is particularly pressing on the African continent. Here, I present an opinion piece identifying local animal genetic resources as "African leverage point" that provide the highest chances to cushion rural fork to climate change, enhance environmental sustainability and food security in Africa. When it comes to boosting food production, coping with climate change, or bolstering the delivery of a wide range of ecosystem services, I believe that African animal genetic resources are essential alternatives for the sustainable growth of the livestock industry and its contribution to food security. Africa needs to address the support and development of indigenous animal genetic resources in order to meet the basic food needs of more than 1 billion people, address numerous environmental issues with continental implications, and focus on more effective and resilient food systems with the greatest impact on food security. The indigenous animal resources diversity and support actions to this unique group could provide a boost in protein that is lacking to constitute healthy diets in Africa. The priorities of nonprofit organizations, foundations, governments, citizens' groups, and companies can be influenced by this leverage point in the African food system. Due to continuous food insecurity, which appears to be becoming worse with climate change and makes it even harder to accomplish the SDGs on the continent, Africa has paid a hefty price for being misled about the worth of its own animal genetic resources. To the contrary, it is highly improbable that a strategy to improve food security and rural livelihoods that undermines the utilization of indigenous animal genetic resources will be viable in long-term. If Africa makes an effort, is committed, and fully commits resources to putting indigenous animal genetic resources at the forefront of combating food insecurity and accelerating the achievement of SDGs, it can achieve more under the adverse prevailing climate change induce environmental conditions. Our personal opinion is that we would not have had the ongoing food problems, even in the face of climate change, if Africa had over the years implemented the necessary mechanisms to develop and promote local animal genetic resources. What lies ahead in terms of climate change effect on food security in Africa is anyone's guess – but whatever it is, promoting continental adapted indigenous animal genetic resources portfolio is ready to handle it. Development and promotion of African animal genetic resources should be part of a continental strategy to transform smallholder animal production by 2050, in line with the goals of achieving the SGDs, to improve rural household food security, and bringing rural economy prosperity, resilience, sustainability, and all other desired animal related food outcomes for rural healthy diets. African animal genetic resources are the most important but underutilized resource to address the issue of ongoing food insecurity. The responsible use of local animal genetic resources through climate smart animal husbandry practices also contributes to food security, rural development and increased employment opportunities. African genetic improvement programs involving indigenous animal genetic resources must be considered as regards to local agriculture and livestock development aspirations, appropriateness to local reality and livelihood security, as well as environmental friendliness. Animal agriculture will fill in the enormous gaps in the continent's food supply if this animal group receives adequate attention and is used integrated properly in crop and livestock systems which characterize smallholder farming sector in Africa. Because they have evolved over time to accommodate the various climatic conditions and environmental pressures on the continent, Africa's native animal genetic resources are particularly resilient. Indirectly, the impact of climate change offers a chance to use native animal genetics from Africa. The use of local animal genetic diversity has the potential to substantially improve Africa's food security landscape hence should be given special consideration for sociocultural, environmental, and economic aspects, and with regard for smallholder farmer-specific factors of interest. African animal genetic resources have contributed significantly to the food and nutrition security aspects of the millions of people in their communities of origin and custody in Africa. The purpose of the perception piece is to educate the reader about the fundamental mechanisms that control the use of continental animal genetic resources and how the outlook for these mechanisms can be manipulated in the future for the benefit of improving food security in Africa. The discussion provides in-depth insight into the pertinent literature in understanding the significance of local animal genetic resources in terms of their contribution to food security in Africa.

Challenges and opportunities in remote sensing-based crop monitoring: a review.

Building a more resilient food system for sustainable development and reducing uncertainty in global food markets both require concurrent and near-real-time and reliable crop information for decision making. Satellite-driven crop monitoring has become a main method to derive crop information at local, regional, and global scales by revealing the spatial and temporal dimensions of crop growth status and production. However, there is a lack of quantitative, objective, and robust methods to ensure the reliability of crop information, which reduces the applicability of crop monitoring and leads to uncertain and undesirable consequences. In this paper, we review recent progress in crop monitoring and identify the challenges and opportunities in future efforts. We find that satellite-derived metrics do not fully capture determinants of crop production and do not quantitatively interpret crop growth status; the latter can be advanced by integrating effective satellite-derived metrics and new onboard sensors. We have identified that ground data accessibility and the negative effects of knowledge-based analyses are two essential issues in crop monitoring that reduce the applicability of crop monitoring for decisions on food security. Crowdsourcing is one solution to overcome the restrictions of ground-truth data accessibility. We argue that user participation in the complete process of crop monitoring could improve the reliability of crop information. Encouraging users to obtain crop information from multiple sources could prevent unconscious biases. Finally, there is a need to avoid conflicts of interest in publishing publicly available crop information.

Commercial urban agriculture in Florida: a qualitative needs assessment

AbstractThe global trend of urbanization coupled with an increasing awareness of the importance of food systems resilience, has led to an increasing interest in urban agriculture to sustainably feed the rapidly growing urban population and mitigate against food supply chain disruptions. While home and community gardens have been long studied, there has been relatively little empirical research focused specifically on commercial urban agriculture (CUA) operations. The purpose of this study was to characterize commercial urban farms, and to identify their primary barriers to business development and expansion, their perceptions of future opportunities, and their specific informational needs. Because CUA has received relatively less attention in previous empirical research, a qualitative approach was used for this needs assessment to collect rich, contextualized information to help differentiate the specific barriers, opportunities and needs of CUA operations as opposed to their rural counterparts. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n= 29) of CUA producers in Florida. These interviews revealed that CUA operations face many of the same barriers that are common to establishing and growing small farms, with additional barriers due to local government regulations and tensions associated with farming on land that is not traditionally used for agriculture. Despite these difficulties, CUA operators believe their urban location is a key benefit to their operation and they see a variety of opportunities for future business and market expansion.

Enhancing capacity of scientists and practitioners for promoting more sustainable and resilient food systems in Indonesia and the South Pacific

Three Resilient Food Systems training workshops were delivered in Bogor, Indonesia, Suva, Fiji, and Port Vila, Vanuatu. The workshops provided young and early-career professionals with the latest international thinking on food systems and resilience. The workshop teaching material was based on the IFSTAL (Interdisciplinary Food System Teaching and Learning; www.ifstal.ac.uk) programme initially developed in the United Kingdom. The intensive six-day workshop programme integrates learning across three connected themes: food systems and resilience concepts, soft system methodology, and personal skills and development. Each workshop is locally contextualised with field trips, local inspirational guest speakers, and local real-world food system case studies. Throughout the duration of the workshop, participants apply new concepts and methodologies to their case studies, thereby enhancing their understanding and learning. Participant evaluation of the workshops was overwhelmingly positive, and pleasingly, participants reported positive learning outcomes across all three learning themes. These workshops represent just the initial step in a necessarily long and sustained effort to establish a community of food system professionals across Indonesia and Pacific Island states.

Just-in-case transitions and the pursuit of resilient food systems: enumerative politics and what it means to make care count

Just-in-case transitions and the pursuit of resilient food systems: enumerative politics and what it means to make care count

Motivating household food waste reduction: Harnessing the power of message context and framing

AbstractHousehold food waste is a major contributor to the total food waste from all sectors globally. Food waste undermines sustainability and reduces the resilience of food systems. The current food waste statistics, especially in high‐income economies, indicate a need to rethink how households can be motivated to reduce food waste. Generally, persuasive messages can be used to create positive behavior change. But there is yet to be explored potential to influence food waste behavior using messages. Thus, this paper employs behavioral insights to assess the effectiveness of message domains, contexts, and composition in encouraging households to reduce food waste. We find that message domains and composition influences the intent to reduce food waste. The odds of motivating food waste reduction are higher using the loss domain framed messages with financial outcomes, and the gain domain framed messages with environmental outcomes. Moreover, composite messages are more likely to encourage household food waste recycling behavior. The paper shows that improving behavioral change messages in terms of message appropriateness and clarity is pivotal to implementing an effective instrument.

Economies of community in local agriculture: Farmers in New London, Connecticut, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the weak­nesses of the U.S. national food system, with grocery store shelves emptied in March and April 2020 and COVID outbreaks reported throughout the summer of 2020 at meat processing plants across the country. Fleetingly, Americans turned to local farms to ensure they could access food safely in a time of uncertainty. This paper examines the economies of community that formed around local farms and how direct engagements between con­sumers and producers in the face of the pandemic deepened these economic structures that often put community well-being above profits. Within a capitalist system that prioritizes efficient mass production, economies of community illustrate that solidarity can improve local food system resilience. Based on qualitative and quantitative research carried out in the summer of 2020 in New London County in southeastern Connecticut, this research draws on ethnographic interviews with small-scale farmers who developed innovative ways to feed some of their community’s most vulnerable members. Community economies show that we should not only depend on standardized large-scale farms and giant retail distribution; the American food system needs to continue to cultivate small-scale local production in order to improve re­silience and food access. At present, the sus­tainability of producing and distributing food occurs at the farmer’s expense. The government needs to support local food producers so they can continue to play an integral part in community well-being.

The role of urban and periurban agriculture to build food secure cities and resilient food systems

ISHS XXXI International Horticultural Congress (IHC2022): International Symposium on Urban Horticulture for Sustainable Food Security (UrbanFood2022) The role of urban and periurban agriculture to build food secure cities and resilient food systems

Disentangling the diversity of small farm business models in Euro‐Mediterranean contexts: A resilience perspective

AbstractWith growing concern for the unsustainability of food systems, the international research community has turned its attention to small farms as key actors to potentially face the global food crisis. This study aims to support a policy design that values the diversity of small farms business models vis‐à‐vis environmental, economic, social and institutional challenges affecting European farming systems. Building on the existing classification of five small farm types in the EU, our analysis targets the business model dynamics of small farms in four Euro‐Mediterranean countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. For this analysis, we applied resilience thinking to the Business Model Canvas framework. This innovative conceptual framework allows us to depict the architecture of small farms business models and their role in farming systems. The diversity of small farms business models and their continuous adaptation to changing conditions allows for the identification of a strongly heterogeneous assemblage of farms that contribute to the resilience of food systems at local, regional and multiple other scales.

Effects of dietary intake behavior, food supply, nutrition, and health during the COVID-19 outbreak

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which began in 2019, has far-reaching ramifications, including economic losses and health challenges that still affect various parts of the world. During our review, we learned that the entire world is working to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. We explore ways that may lower the danger of SARS-CoV-2 contamination and useful strategies to avoid the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 spreading through food. While hygienic protocols are required in the food supply sector, cleaning, disinfection, and the avoidance of cross-contamination across food categories and other related goods at different stages of the manufacturing process remain especially important because the virus can survive for long periods of time on inert materials such as food packaging. Furthermore, personal hygiene (regular washing and disinfection), wearing gloves and using masks, garments, and footwear dedicated to maintaining hygiene provide on-site safety for food sector personnel, supply chain intermediaries, and consumers. Restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic (e.g., closure of physical workplaces, canteens, cafes, restaurants, schools, and childcare institutions), changes in household grocery shopping frequency, individuals' perceived risk of COVID-19, income losses due to the pandemic, and sociodemographic factors are among the factors. The conclusions drawn from this study consider the implications of healthy diets, food system resilience, behavior change, and nutritional imbalance for policymakers and food supply chain participants, as well as the antimicrobial effects of vitamins and nutrients. During a public health crisis, people should eat less, necessitating preventive policies and nutritional advice to deal with this.