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Williams TG, Bürgi M, Debonne N, Diogo V, Helfenstein J, Levers C, Mohr F, Stratton AE, Verburg PH. Mapping lock-ins and enabling environments for agri-food sustainability transitions in Europe. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2024; 19:1221-1242. [PMID: 39006533 PMCID: PMC11245428 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-024-01480-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
European agri-food systems must overcome structural lock-ins to achieve more sustainable modes of production and consumption. Yet European regions are highly diverse, and we lack understanding of how different regional characteristics may enable or inhibit sustainability transitions. This hinders the development of context-tailored governance strategies. In this paper, we identify and apply sets of spatial indicators to map the regional potentials for agri-food transitions. We first analyse the strength of lock-in to the incumbent agro-industrial paradigm. We then map the enabling environments for two alternative agri-food networks-multifunctional value chains and civic food networks-that each embed distinct social-ecological qualities of agriculture and food. Results demonstrate a large spatial diversity in transition potential, with stronger lock-ins throughout North and Western Europe and stronger enabling environments for agri-food transitions in Italy, France, Switzerland, and Southwest Germany. We find that lock-ins are strongest in livestock-dominated regions and are associated with higher GHG emissions and excess nitrogen levels. Our study demonstrates the need for coordinated public policies that (1) leverage region-specific transition potentials and (2) enable complementary innovations in market-based and community-led networks. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-024-01480-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim G Williams
- Environmental Geography Group, IVM Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias Bürgi
- Land Change Science Research Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Niels Debonne
- Environmental Geography Group, IVM Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vasco Diogo
- Land Change Science Research Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julian Helfenstein
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland
- Soil Geography and Landscape, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Levers
- Environmental Geography Group, IVM Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Johann Heinrich Von Thünen Institute-Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry, and Fisheries, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Franziska Mohr
- Land Change Science Research Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anne Elise Stratton
- Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Department, Institute of Social Sciences in Agriculture, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter H Verburg
- Environmental Geography Group, IVM Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Land Change Science Research Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Wineman A, Zanello G, Degefaw DM, Samuel F, Yates J, Shankar B. A call to action for transformation towards nutritious food systems. NATURE FOOD 2024; 5:2-3. [PMID: 38172294 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00896-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayala Wineman
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Global Child Nutrition Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Joe Yates
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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3
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Pettinger C, Hunt L, Gardiner H, Garg P, Howard L, Wagstaff C. Engaging with 'less affluent' communities for food system transformation: a community food researcher model (FoodSEqual project). Proc Nutr Soc 2023:1-15. [PMID: 38099419 DOI: 10.1017/s0029665123004913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The UK food system is distorted by inequalities in access, failing the people most in need, yet it should provide access to safe, nutritious affordable food for all citizens. Dietary patterns are associated with socio-demographic characteristics, with high levels of diet-related disease mortality attributed to poor dietary habits. Disadvantaged UK communities face urgent public health challenges, yet are often treated as powerless recipients of dietary and health initiatives. The need for food system transformation has been illustrated within recent UK government policy drivers and research funding. The Food Systems Equality project is a research consortium that aims to 'co-produce healthy and sustainable food systems for disadvantaged communities'. The project focusses on innovating food products, supply chains and policies, placing communities at the centre of the change. Tackling the above issues requires new ways of working. Creative approaches in food research are known to empower a wider range of individuals to share their 'lived food experience' narratives, building relationships and corroborating co-production philosophies, thus promoting social justice, and challenging more traditional positivist/reductionist 'biomedical' approaches for nutrition and food studies. This review paper critiques the use of community-centric approaches for food system transformation, focusing on one, a community food researcher model() as an exemplar, to highlight their utility in advocating with rather than for less affluent communities. The potential for creative methods to lead to more equitable and lasting solutions for food system transformation is appraised, consolidating the need for community-driven systemic change to foster more progressive and inclusive approaches to strengthen social capital. The paper closes with practice insights and critical considerations offering recommendations for readers, researchers, and practitioners, enabling them to better understand and apply similar approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Pettinger
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Louise Hunt
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Hannah Gardiner
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Paridhi Garg
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Lisa Howard
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
- Food Plymouth CIC The local Sustainable Food Places Food Partnership, Plymouth, UK
| | - Carol Wagstaff
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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4
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Wyckhuys KAG, Hadi BAR. Institutional Context of Pest Management Science in the Global South. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:4143. [PMID: 38140470 PMCID: PMC10747170 DOI: 10.3390/plants12244143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The natural sciences are receiving increasing attention in the Global South. This timely development may help mitigate global change and quicken an envisioned food system transformation. Yet in order to resolve complex issues such as agrochemical pollution, science ideally proceeds along suitable trajectories within appropriate institutional contexts. Here, we employ a systematic literature review to map the nature of inquiry and institutional context of pest management science in 65 low- and middle-income countries published from 2010 to 2020. Despite large inter-country variability, any given country generates an average of 5.9 publications per annum (range 0-45.9) and individual nations such as Brazil, Kenya, Benin, Vietnam, and Turkey engage extensively in regional cooperation. International development partners are prominent scientific actors in West Africa but are commonly outpaced by national institutions and foreign academia in other regions. Transnational institutions such as the CGIAR represent a 1.4-fold higher share of studies on host plant resistance but lag in public interest science disciplines such as biological control. Despite high levels of scientific abstraction, research conducted jointly with development partners shows real yet marginal improvements in incorporating the multiple (social-ecological) layers of the farming system. Added emphasis on integrative system-level approaches and agroecological or biodiversity-driven measures can extend the reach of science to unlock transformative change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris A. G. Wyckhuys
- Chrysalis Consulting, Danang 50000, Vietnam
- Institute for Plant Protection, China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100193, China
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia 4072, Australia
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5
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Blankenship JL, White JM, Pries A, Badham J, Betigeri A, Cade J, Cashin J, Cosenza L, Drummond E, Mulder A, Nasser N, Nguyen T, Singhkumarwong A, Sweet L, Threpleton D, Vu D, Zehner E, Kupka R. First foods in a packaged world: Results from the COMMIT consortium to protect young child diets in Southeast Asia. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2023; 19 Suppl 2:e13604. [PMID: 38092375 PMCID: PMC10719054 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Although commercially produced complementary foods (CPCFs) are increasingly sold throughout Southeast Asia, concerns have been raised about CPCFs nutritional quality, labelling practices and the strength and scope of national CPCF regulations. The Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT), composed of UN agencies and civil society organizations, was formed to assess the nutrient gap in the diets of young children and the consumer, product and policy landscapes for CPCFs in seven Southeast Asian countries. Results from a nutrient gap assessment indicate that the diets of children aged 6-23 months are suboptimal and deficient in micronutrients. A consumer survey revealed that caretakers commonly use CPCFs, are conscious of the importance of nutrition and are influenced by label claims. Results from a CPCF benchmarking showed that many products sold in Southeast Asia contained added sugar or sweeteners, had a high total sugar and/or high sodium content and that no CPCF product adhered to all recommended labelling practices. Further, a legal review of national binding legal measures relevant to CPCFs showed minimal alignment with available global guidance. Urgent actions are necessary to strengthen national regulations related to CPCF nutrient composition and labelling practices. To speed progress, COMMIT developed a compendium of existing standards and global guidance to help countries align their national regulations with CPCF composition, labelling and production recommendations. Advocacy to garner public support for new or improved CPCF regulations, as well as strong government monitoring and enforcement of regulations, is crucial to support efforts to safeguard and improve the diets of older infants and young children in Southeast Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Janet Cade
- School of Food Science and NutritionUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | | | - Lucy Cosenza
- Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI)UtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Nadine Nasser
- Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI)UtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Roland Kupka
- UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific Regional OfficeBangkokThailand
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6
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Schiller KJF, Klerkx L, Salazar Centeno DJ, Poortvliet PM. Developing the agroecological niche in Nicaragua: The roles of knowledge flows and intermediaries. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2206195120. [PMID: 37956302 PMCID: PMC10666102 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206195120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Supporting transitions to sustainable, resilient agri-food systems is important to ensure stable food supply in the face of growing climate extremes. Agroecology, or diversified farming systems based on ecological principles, can contribute to such systems. Based on a qualitative case study of Nicaragua, a forerunner in agroecology, this paper unpacks an ongoing transition to agroecology, focusing on how the transition has been shaped by knowledge flows and intermediary actors. Using a niche development framework based on knowledge processes, we analyze the growth of the agroecological niche in Nicaragua over three phases of niche development. The findings show how knowledge processes' emphases have shifted over time, as have functions enacted by intermediaries. Dedicated, diversified intermediaries have been key in creating momentum for agroecology, as have individual actors moving between niche and regime. Agency in niche development has come from both niche and regime actors. Finally, we find that Nicaragua's transition to agroecology has been ambiguous: While the niche has succeeded in changing the mainstream selection environment to its favor in some arenas, transition dynamics lag in others. Drawing lessons from this ambiguity, we suggest entry points for broader systems change, such as market stimulation, value chain development, phase-out policies, and supportive policy in related arenas. We also point out possible actions for niche actors such as integration of financial and commercial actors into niches and creation of dedicated market-focused intermediaries. Our results provide evidence of an ongoing transition and action points for supporting niche development in (sustainable agri-food) transitions around the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina J. F. Schiller
- Competence Center Policy and Society, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), 76133Karlsruhe, Germany
- Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen6706KN, the Netherlands
| | - Laurens Klerkx
- Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen6706KN, the Netherlands
- Departamento de Economía Agraria, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Talca, Casilla 747-721, Talca, Chile
| | | | - P. Marijn Poortvliet
- Strategic Communication Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen6706KN, the Netherlands
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7
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Kenny TA, Woodside JV, Perry IJ, Harrington JM. Consumer attitudes and behaviors toward more sustainable diets: a scoping review. Nutr Rev 2023; 81:1665-1679. [PMID: 37014671 PMCID: PMC10639109 DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuad033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need to move toward more sustainable diets. Although this will require radical and systemic changes across food systems, altering consumer ideologies and practices is essential to garner support for such actions. In this scoping review, the evidence on consumers' attitudes and behaviors toward more sustainable diets is synthesized and a range of factors, considerations, and proposed strategies are presented that can contribute to building the societal-level support for urgent and systems-level changes. The findings suggest that consumers, insofar as they are interested in sustainability and have the capacity to engage with the concept, primarily approach the concept of sustainable diet from a human health perspective. However, the interconnectedness of human health and well-being with environmental health is poorly understood and under-researched in the context of consumer behaviors and attitudes toward sustainable diets. This highlights the need for (1) sustained efforts from public health professionals to encourage a realignment of the term sustainable diet with its multidimensional meaning by championing an ecological public health approach in all efforts aimed at promoting more sustainable consumption, from awareness raising to policy development; (2) a broader research lens focused on the multidimensional concept of sustainability in the literature exploring consumer attitudes and behaviors; and (3) the development of multidisciplinary, clear, and evidence-based sustainable-eating messages, including holistic sustainable dietary guidance, to address knowledge gaps, minimize conflicting narratives, and build consumer agency. The findings contribute to understanding how support can be generated for the necessary structural and system-level changes required to support behavior change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara A Kenny
- Centre for Health & Diet Research, School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Jayne V Woodside
- Centre for Public Health, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Ivan J Perry
- Centre for Health & Diet Research, School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Janas M Harrington
- Centre for Health & Diet Research, School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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8
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Chiarella C, Meyfroidt P, Abeygunawardane D, Conforti P. Balancing the trade-offs between land productivity, labor productivity and labor intensity. AMBIO 2023; 52:1618-1634. [PMID: 37368162 PMCID: PMC10460764 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01887-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural intensification, through increased yields, and raising incomes, through enhanced labor productivity, are two dimensions prioritized for sustainable agricultural development. Prioritizing these two outcomes leaves labor intensity as a hidden adjustment variable. Yet, when agriculture is mainstay and the prospects of labor absorption in other sectors are scarce, the density of agricultural employment is central for livelihoods. We revise relationships of land and labor productivity and labor intensity with farm size, using standardized data for 32 developing countries. We show that labor productivity increases with farm size, while land productivity and labor intensity decrease with farm size nonlinearly. Technical efficiency increases with farm size. We further systematize the evidence on how, beyond the farm level, local contexts can be pivotal in choosing how to prioritize the dimensions of the trade-off space. Our findings contribute to debates on the fate of small-scale farmers, and call for contextualized decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Chiarella
- Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, Place de l’Université 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Patrick Meyfroidt
- Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, Place de l’Université 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique F.R.S.-FNRS, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dilini Abeygunawardane
- Structural Development of Farms and Rural Areas (Structural Change), Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Piero Conforti
- Statistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
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9
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McDermid SS, Hayek M, Jamieson DW, Hale G, Kanter D. Research needs for a food system transition. CLIMATIC CHANGE 2023; 176:41. [PMID: 37034009 PMCID: PMC10074344 DOI: 10.1007/s10584-023-03507-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The global food system, and animal agriculture in particular, is a major and growing contributor to climate change, land system change, biodiversity loss, water consumption and contamination, and environmental pollution. The copious production and consumption of animal products are also contributing to increasingly negative public health outcomes, particularly in wealthy and rapidly industrializing countries, and result in the slaughter of trillions of animals each year. These impacts are motivating calls for reduced reliance on animal-based products and increased use of replacement plant-based products. However, our understanding of how the production and consumption of animal products, as well as plant-based alternatives, interact with important dimensions of human and environment systems is incomplete across space and time. This inhibits comprehensively envisioning global and regional food system transitions and planning to manage the costs and synergies thereof. We therefore propose a cross-disciplinary research agenda on future target-based scenarios for food system transformation that has at its core three main activities: (1) data collection and analysis at the intersection of animal agriculture, the environment, and societal well-being, (2) the construction of target-based scenarios for animal products informed by these new data and empirical understandings, and (3) the evaluation of impacts, unintended consequences, co-benefits, and trade-offs of these target-based scenarios to help inform decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew Hayek
- Department of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY USA
| | - Dale W. Jamieson
- Department of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY USA
| | - Galina Hale
- Department of Economics, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA USA
- National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA USA
- Centre for Economic Policy Research, London, England
| | - David Kanter
- Department of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY USA
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10
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Crona BI, Wassénius E, Jonell M, Koehn JZ, Short R, Tigchelaar M, Daw TM, Golden CD, Gephart JA, Allison EH, Bush SR, Cao L, Cheung WWL, DeClerck F, Fanzo J, Gelcich S, Kishore A, Halpern BS, Hicks CC, Leape JP, Little DC, Micheli F, Naylor RL, Phillips M, Selig ER, Springmann M, Sumaila UR, Troell M, Thilsted SH, Wabnitz CCC. Four ways blue foods can help achieve food system ambitions across nations. Nature 2023; 616:104-112. [PMID: 36813964 PMCID: PMC10076219 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05737-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Blue foods, sourced in aquatic environments, are important for the economies, livelihoods, nutritional security and cultures of people in many nations. They are often nutrient rich1, generate lower emissions and impacts on land and water than many terrestrial meats2, and contribute to the health3, wellbeing and livelihoods of many rural communities4. The Blue Food Assessment recently evaluated nutritional, environmental, economic and justice dimensions of blue foods globally. Here we integrate these findings and translate them into four policy objectives to help realize the contributions that blue foods can make to national food systems around the world: ensuring supplies of critical nutrients, providing healthy alternatives to terrestrial meat, reducing dietary environmental footprints and safeguarding blue food contributions to nutrition, just economies and livelihoods under a changing climate. To account for how context-specific environmental, socio-economic and cultural aspects affect this contribution, we assess the relevance of each policy objective for individual countries, and examine associated co-benefits and trade-offs at national and international scales. We find that in many African and South American nations, facilitating consumption of culturally relevant blue food, especially among nutritionally vulnerable population segments, could address vitamin B12 and omega-3 deficiencies. Meanwhile, in many global North nations, cardiovascular disease rates and large greenhouse gas footprints from ruminant meat intake could be lowered through moderate consumption of seafood with low environmental impact. The analytical framework we provide also identifies countries with high future risk, for whom climate adaptation of blue food systems will be particularly important. Overall the framework helps decision makers to assess the blue food policy objectives most relevant to their geographies, and to compare and contrast the benefits and trade-offs associated with pursuing these objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice I Crona
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Emmy Wassénius
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Malin Jonell
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J Zachary Koehn
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Short
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Tim M Daw
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christopher D Golden
- Dept. of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Dept. of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Dept. of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica A Gephart
- Dept. of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Simon R Bush
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ling Cao
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - William W L Cheung
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Jessica Fanzo
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, USA
- Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Stefan Gelcich
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecologia Costera, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Avinash Kishore
- International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), New Delhi, India
| | - Benjamin S Halpern
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | - James P Leape
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David C Little
- Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Fiorenza Micheli
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Hopkins Marine Station, Oceans Department, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Rosamond L Naylor
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth R Selig
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marco Springmann
- Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - U Rashid Sumaila
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Max Troell
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Colette C C Wabnitz
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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11
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Nelson KS, Burchfield EK. Defining features of diverse and productive agricultural systems: An archetype analysis of U.S. agricultural counties. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1081079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior research suggests that greater spatial diversity in crops and land use is associated with higher crop yields and improved ecosystem function. However, what leads to the emergence of agricultural systems that meet both productivity and ecological health goals remains an open question. Understanding the factors that differentiate these places from other agricultural systems is key to understanding the mechanisms, pathways, consequences, and constraints to employing diversification as a tool for increasing agricultural sustainability. In this study, we employ archetype analysis to examine the factors uniquely associated with the conjoint existence of high crop diversity and high crop productivity. We identify five agricultural system classes that represent a range of diversity and productivity combinations using k-means cluster analysis then use random forests analysis to identify factors that strongly explain the differences between the classes—describing different agricultural production regimes. Our exploratory analysis of the difference in agricultural system factors across classes suggests (1) crop diversity and its preconditions are associated with the highest yields, (2) biophysical conditions bound diversity-productivity realities, (3) productivity comes at a petrochemical cost, and that (4) crop rotations are a key diversification strategy. Overall, our results suggest that despite clear biophysical constraints on transitions to high diversity—high productivity systems the role of actionable factors on crop production regimes is stronger, providing reason to be hopeful about transitions to agricultural production regimes fit for new climate realities.
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12
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Rissing A, Burchfield EK, Spangler KA, Schumacher BL. Implications of US agricultural data practices for sustainable food systems research. NATURE FOOD 2023; 4:213-217. [PMID: 37118270 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00711-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Using the tenets of data feminism, we analyse the National Agricultural Statistics Service Quick Stats database - the primary repository of United States agricultural data. We identify unstated assumptions built into the database's scaffolding through data collection, aggregation and dissemination practices, revealing how they facilitate granular analyses of agricultural topics historically judged as national priorities while leaving unilluminated many others of vital importance for contemporary sustainability needs. We argue that this entrenches an inequitable and unsustainable food systems status quo, and we offer recommendations for data providers and users based on principles of reflexivity, context and pluralism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rissing
- School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | - Emily K Burchfield
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kaitlyn A Spangler
- Department of Geography, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Britta L Schumacher
- Department of Plants, Soils and Climate and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
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13
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Technological lock-in in action: Appraisal and policy commitment in Argentina's seed sector. RESEARCH POLICY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2022.104678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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14
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Baker P, Smith JP, Garde A, Grummer-Strawn LM, Wood B, Sen G, Hastings G, Pérez-Escamilla R, Ling CY, Rollins N, McCoy D. The political economy of infant and young child feeding: confronting corporate power, overcoming structural barriers, and accelerating progress. Lancet 2023; 401:503-524. [PMID: 36764315 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01933-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing evidence about the value and importance of breastfeeding, less than half of the world's infants and young children (aged 0-36 months) are breastfed as recommended. This Series paper examines the social, political, and economic reasons for this problem. First, this paper highlights the power of the commercial milk formula (CMF) industry to commodify the feeding of infants and young children; influence policy at both national and international levels in ways that grow and sustain CMF markets; and externalise the social, environmental, and economic costs of CMF. Second, this paper examines how breastfeeding is undermined by economic policies and systems that ignore the value of care work by women, including breastfeeding, and by the inadequacy of maternity rights protection across the world, especially for poorer women. Third, this paper presents three reasons why health systems often do not provide adequate breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support. These reasons are the gendered and biomedical power systems that deny women-centred and culturally appropriate care; the economic and ideological factors that accept, and even encourage, commercial influence and conflicts of interest; and the fiscal and economic policies that leave governments with insufficient funds to adequately protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. We outline six sets of wide-ranging social, political, and economic reforms required to overcome these deeply embedded commercial and structural barriers to breastfeeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Baker
- Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Julie P Smith
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Amandine Garde
- Law & Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Benjamin Wood
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Gita Sen
- Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health, Public Health Foundation of India, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Nigel Rollins
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David McCoy
- International Institute for Global Health, United Nations University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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15
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The road to inclusiveness. NATURE FOOD 2023; 4:127. [PMID: 37117863 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00719-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
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16
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Hofmann B, Ingold K, Stamm C, Ammann P, Eggen RIL, Finger R, Fuhrimann S, Lienert J, Mark J, McCallum C, Probst-Hensch N, Reber U, Tamm L, Wiget M, Winkler MS, Zachmann L, Hoffmann S. Barriers to evidence use for sustainability: Insights from pesticide policy and practice. AMBIO 2023; 52:425-439. [PMID: 36394771 PMCID: PMC9755407 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01790-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Calls for supporting sustainability through more and better research rest on an incomplete understanding of scientific evidence use. We argue that a variety of barriers to a transformative impact of evidence arises from diverse actor motivations within different stages of evidence use. We abductively specify this variety in policy and practice arenas for three actor motivations (truth-seeking, sense-making, and utility-maximizing) and five stages (evidence production, uptake, influence on decisions, effects on sustainability outcomes, and feedback from outcome evaluations). Our interdisciplinary synthesis focuses on the sustainability challenge of reducing environmental and human health risks of agricultural pesticides. It identifies barriers resulting from (1) truth-seekers' desire to reduce uncertainty that is complicated by evidence gaps, (2) sense-makers' evidence needs that differ from the type of evidence available, and (3) utility-maximizers' interests that guide strategic evidence use. We outline context-specific research-policy-practice measures to increase evidence use for sustainable transformation in pesticides and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Hofmann
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Karin Ingold
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Political Science, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christian Stamm
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Priska Ammann
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rik I. L. Eggen
- Directorate, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Robert Finger
- Agricultural Economics and Policy Group, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 33, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Fuhrimann
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Judit Lienert
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Mark
- Department of Crop Sciences, FiBL: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070 Frick, Switzerland
| | - Chloe McCallum
- Agricultural Economics and Policy Group, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 33, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Probst-Hensch
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ueli Reber
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Lucius Tamm
- Department of Crop Sciences, FiBL: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070 Frick, Switzerland
| | - Milena Wiget
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Mirko S. Winkler
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucca Zachmann
- Agricultural Economics and Policy Group, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 33, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Hoffmann
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- TdLab, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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17
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Lacy-Nichols J. Corporate Harm Minimisation: Promises and Perils Comment on "Understanding Marketing Responses to a Tax on Sugary Drinks: A Qualitative Interview Study in the United Kingdom, 2019". Int J Health Policy Manag 2023; 12:7649. [PMID: 37579486 PMCID: PMC10125061 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2022.7649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxes on sugary drinks are often used to encourage companies to reformulate their products to reduce the sugar content. This comment discusses how product reformulation can strengthen the market and political power of the food industry, and questions whether these political risks outweigh the public health benefits. It proposes the term 'corporate harm minimisation' to describe the strategic adaptation of a public health harm reduction strategy to align with company or industry goals. It concludes by reflecting on the other ways that corporations influence health beyond the production and marketing of 'unhealthy commodities,' and why public health actors must explore other strategies to challenge powerful corporations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lacy-Nichols
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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18
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Gonera A, Nykamp HA, Carraresi L. Incumbents' Capabilities for Sustainability-Oriented Innovation in the Norwegian Food Sector-an Integrated Framework. CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABILITY 2022; 3:1-28. [PMID: 36466113 PMCID: PMC9702831 DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00234-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The urgency of sustainability transition requires large incumbents in the food industry to implement sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). However, the high concentration of the food sector and the complexity of the sustainability concept make its understanding and overall transition challenging and slow. Incumbents would need to drive the transition by redesigning business models and practices and acquiring new competencies to integrate sustainability into their innovation strategy. This paper has a twofold aim: (I) analyzing the evolution of sustainability understanding over time and (II) evaluating the extent of dynamic capabilities of food incumbents to foster SOI. We developed an integrated theoretical framework combining the theory of dynamic capabilities with aspects of SOI and applied it to the case of the Norwegian food industry. We interviewed eight food incumbents and one food industry association, and we reviewed their annual and sustainability reports from 2016 till 2020. Key findings show a high strategic activity in SOI, as well as a notable and industry-wide ambiguity about what sustainability means in the food sector. Most companies reveal both an adaptive and expanding behavior implementing conscious sustainability-integrated product and process innovations. Most innovations are incremental without a radical modification of business models. Some exceptions have been detected resembling transformative changes. Clear initiatives of moving away from a linear supply chain to a more systematic approach are currently happening through food system collaborations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43615-022-00234-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Gonera
- Department of Innovation, Consumer and Sensory Science, Nofima AS, N-1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Hilde Andrea Nykamp
- Department of Innovation, Consumer and Sensory Science, Nofima AS, N-1431 Ås, Norway
- TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Laura Carraresi
- Department of Innovation, Consumer and Sensory Science, Nofima AS, N-1431 Ås, Norway
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19
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Hicks CC, Gephart JA, Koehn JZ, Nakayama S, Payne HJ, Allison EH, Belhbib D, Cao L, Cohen PJ, Fanzo J, Fluet-Chouinard E, Gelcich S, Golden CD, Gorospe KD, Isaacs M, Kuempel CD, Lee KN, MacNeil MA, Maire E, Njuki J, Rao N, Sumaila UR, Selig ER, Thilsted SH, Wabnitz CCC, Naylor RL. Rights and representation support justice across aquatic food systems. NATURE FOOD 2022; 3:851-861. [PMID: 37117898 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00618-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Injustices are prevalent in food systems, where the accumulation of vast wealth is possible for a few, yet one in ten people remain hungry. Here, for 194 countries we combine aquatic food production, distribution and consumption data with corresponding national policy documents and, drawing on theories of social justice, explore whether barriers to participation explain unequal distributions of benefits. Using Bayesian models, we find economic and political barriers are associated with lower wealth-based benefits; countries produce and consume less when wealth, formal education and voice and accountability are lacking. In contrast, social barriers are associated with lower welfare-based benefits; aquatic foods are less affordable where gender inequality is greater. Our analyses of policy documents reveal a frequent failure to address political and gender-based barriers. However, policies linked to more just food system outcomes centre principles of human rights, specify inclusive decision-making processes and identify and challenge drivers of injustice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica A Gephart
- Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - J Zachary Koehn
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Hanna J Payne
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Dyhia Belhbib
- Ecotrust Canada, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
| | - Ling Cao
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Philippa J Cohen
- WorldFish, Batu Maung, Penang, Malaysia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jessica Fanzo
- Berman Institute of Bioethics and Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Stefan Gelcich
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-ecologia Costera (SECOS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christopher D Golden
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelvin D Gorospe
- Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Moenieba Isaacs
- Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Caitlin D Kuempel
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kai N Lee
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - M Aaron MacNeil
- Ocean Frontier Institute, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Eva Maire
- Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jemimah Njuki
- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA
- UN Women, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nitya Rao
- School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - U Rashid Sumaila
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
- School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
- LESTARI, National University of Malaysia (International Distinguished Professor), Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Elizabeth R Selig
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Colette C C Wabnitz
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
| | - Rosamond L Naylor
- Department of Global Environmental Policy and Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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20
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Candel JJL. Power to the people? Food democracy initiatives' contributions to democratic goods. AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES 2022; 39:1477-1489. [PMID: 35818438 PMCID: PMC9258474 DOI: 10.1007/s10460-022-10322-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED In order to foster a transition of the food system toward more sustainable outcomes, scholars have increasingly pointed at the need for organizing strengthened food democracy. By increasing the participation of citizens and food system actors, democratic innovations, such as food policy councils, are believed to promote the quality and legitimacy of food policymaking. However, the question of whether and how food democracy initiatives do indeed contribute to more democratic modes of governance largely remains unexplored. This study addresses this gap by performing a systematic literature review of the existing scholarship on food democracy, assessing democratic innovations for their contributions to four democratic goods: inclusiveness, popular control, considered judgment and transparency. The analysis shows that food democracy initiatives tend to be dominated by organized interests, have more influence on agenda-setting and implementation compared to decision-making, and generally aim for some form of deliberation or knowledge exchange. The precise selection mechanisms, processes and quality of deliberation, and transparency of democratic innovations remain important research gaps. The paper ends with a plea to better connect food democracy scholarship with the broader political sciences, as well as various suggestions for future research. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10460-022-10322-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen J. L. Candel
- Public Administration and Policy Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
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21
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Carrad A, Aguirre-Bielschowsky I, Rose N, Charlton K, Reeve B. Food system policy making and innovation at the local level: Exploring the response of Australian local governments to critical food systems issues. Health Promot J Austr 2022; 34:488-499. [PMID: 35718947 DOI: 10.1002/hpja.626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
ISSUES ADDRESSED Urgent action is required by all levels of government to create a food system capable of nourishing a rapidly growing population while remaining within planetary boundaries. This study investigated policies and programs implemented by Australian local governments (LGs) that aim to contribute to a healthy, sustainable and equitable food system. METHODS An online survey was completed by LGs (n = 64) in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. Questions focused on LGs' food system-related policies and programs, barriers to and enablers of engaging in food system work and organisational responsibilities for food system work. RESULTS Preventing food waste, organising food-related social/cultural events and providing potable water were the most commonly reported activities. Few LGs reported policies/activities on market gardening or sustainable agricultural practices, or strengthening food system resilience. LGs implemented a wide range of initiatives, such as hosting food forums, using research to identify and address food access issues and providing healthy food and drink options within LG-owned/managed facilities. Enablers of food system work included internal LG support, human resources, external funding and partnerships. Barriers included lack of community interest, short-term and/or project-based funding, internal governance issues and restrictive state government planning frameworks. CONCLUSION Australian LGs undertake a wide range of actions addressing diverse food system issues; however, internal and external barriers constrain their involvement in creating a healthy, sustainable and equitable food system. SO WHAT?: Legislative reform, combined with increased financial and human resource capacity, would support LGs to expand, strengthen and sustain their food system work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Carrad
- School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Nick Rose
- William Angliss Institute of TAFE, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Karen Charlton
- School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Belinda Reeve
- The University of Sydney Law School, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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22
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Österblom H, Folke C, Rocha J, Bebbington J, Blasiak R, Jouffray JB, Selig ER, Wabnitz CCC, Bengtsson F, Crona B, Gupta R, Henriksson PJG, Johansson KA, Merrie A, Nakayama S, Crespo GO, Rockström J, Schultz L, Sobkowiak M, Jørgensen PS, Spijkers J, Troell M, Villarrubia-Gómez P, Lubchenco J. Scientific mobilization of keystone actors for biosphere stewardship. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3802. [PMID: 35246555 PMCID: PMC8897441 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07023-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The biosphere crisis requires changes to existing business practices. We ask how corporations can become sustainability leaders, when constrained by multiple barriers to collaboration for biosphere stewardship. We describe how scientists motivated, inspired and engaged with ten of the world’s largest seafood companies, in a collaborative process aimed to enable science-based and systemic transformations (2015–2021). CEOs faced multiple industry crises in 2015 that incentivized novel approaches. New scientific insights, an invitation to collaborate, and a bold vision of transformative change towards ocean stewardship, created new opportunities and direction. Co-creation of solutions resulted in new knowledge and trust, a joint agenda for action, new capacities, international recognition, formalization of an organization, increased policy influence, time-bound goals, and convergence of corporate change. Independently funded scientists helped remove barriers to cooperation, provided means for reflection, and guided corporate strategies and actions toward ocean stewardship. By 2021, multiple individuals exercised leadership and the initiative had transitioned from preliminary and uncomfortable conversations, to a dynamic, operational organization, with capacity to perform global leadership in the seafood industry. Mobilizing transformational agency through learning, collaboration, and innovation represents a cultural evolution with potential to redirect and accelerate corporate action, to the benefit of business, people and the planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Österblom
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden. .,South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies, Maldonado, Uruguay. .,Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Carl Folke
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,The Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.,The Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Academy Program, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Juan Rocha
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies, Maldonado, Uruguay.,Future Earth, Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Bebbington
- Pentland Centre for Sustainability, University of Lancaster, Bailrigg, LA1 4YW, UK
| | - Robert Blasiak
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Jean-Baptiste Jouffray
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,The Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Academy Program, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elizabeth R Selig
- Stanford Centre for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Colette C C Wabnitz
- Stanford Centre for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Frida Bengtsson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Beatrice Crona
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,The Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Academy Program, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Radhika Gupta
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrik J G Henriksson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,The Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.,WorldFish, Jalan Batu Maung, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Karolin A Johansson
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrew Merrie
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shinnosuke Nakayama
- Stanford Centre for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | | | - Johan Rockström
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegraphenberg A31, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Lisen Schultz
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Peter Søgaard Jørgensen
- The Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Academy Program, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jessica Spijkers
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Max Troell
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,The Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Jane Lubchenco
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
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23
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An analysis of the transformative potential of major food system report recommendations. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2022.100610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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24
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Burchfield EK, Schumacher BL, Spangler K, Rissing A. The State of US Farm Operator Livelihoods. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.795901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In nine of the last 10 years, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reported that the average funds generated on-farm for farm operators to meet living expenses and debt obligations have been negative. This paper pieces together disparate data to understand why farm operators in the most productive agricultural systems on the planet are systematically losing money. The data-driven narrative we present highlights some troubling trends in US farm operator livelihoods. Though US farms are more productive than ever before, rising input costs, volatile production values, and rising land rents have left farmers with unprecedented levels of farm debt, low on-farm incomes, and high reliance on federal programs. For many US farm operators, the indicators of a “good livelihood”—stability, security, equitable rewards for work—are largely absent. We conclude by proposing three axes of intervention that would help US agriculture better sustain all farmers' livelihoods, a crucial step toward improving overall agricultural sustainability: (1) increase the diversity of people, crops, and cropping systems, (2) improve equity in access to land, support, and capital, and (3) improve the quality, accessibility, and content of data to facilitate monitoring of multiple indicators of agricultural “success.”
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25
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Thomine E, Mumford J, Rusch A, Desneux N. Using crop diversity to lower pesticide use: Socio-ecological approaches. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 804:150156. [PMID: 34509833 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The farming practices adopted since the end of the Second World War, based on large areas of monocultures and chemical use, have adversely affected the health of farmers and consumers and dramatically reduced farmland biodiversity. As a consequence, many studies over more than twenty years have stated that agriculture is facing three main challenges: (1) feeding the growing world population (2) with more environmentally friendly products (3) at a reasonable return for the producer. Increasing the efficacy of biocontrol could be one lever for agriculture to meet these expectations. In this study we propose implementation of a relatively under-researched system based on the management of landscape level crop diversity that would reduce demand for pesticide use and increase conservation biocontrol. The principle of manipulating crop diversity over space and time at a landscape scale is to optimize resource continuity, such as food and shelter for natural enemies to increase biocontrol services, reduce pest outbreaks and crop losses. The feasibility of such management options is discussed in relation to environmental, social and economic aspects. The operational and institutional inputs and conditions needed to make the system work are explored, as well as the potential added values of such a system for different stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Thomine
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR ISA, 06000 Nice, France; L@bisen, ISEN Yncréa Ouest, 29200 Brest, France.
| | - John Mumford
- Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Adrien Rusch
- INRAE, ISVV, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, UMR SAVE, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Nicolas Desneux
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR ISA, 06000 Nice, France.
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The role of public-private partnerships in improving global food security. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Mulesa TH. Politics of Seed in Ethiopia's Agricultural Transformation: Pathways to Seed System Development. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.742001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Seed system development in the developing world, especially in Africa, has become a political space. This article analyzes current Ethiopian seed politics in light of the historical dynamics of national and international seed system politics and developments. Drawing on multiple power analysis approaches and employing the lens of “international seed regimes,” the article characterizes the historical pattern of seed regimes in Ethiopia. While colonial territories underwent three historical seed regime patterns—the first colonial seed regime, the second post-WWII public seed regime, and the third post-1980s corporate-based neoliberal seed regime, Ethiopia has only experienced one of these. Until the 1950s, when the first US government's development assistance program—the Point 4 Program—enabled the second government-led seed regime to emerge, the farmers' seed systems remained the only seed innovation and supply system. The first colonial seed regime never took hold as the country remained uncolonized, and the government has hitherto resisted the third corporate-based neoliberal seed regime. In the current conjuncture in the contemporary Ethiopian seed regime, four different approaches to pluralistic seed system development are competing: (1) government-led formalization, (2) private-led formalization, (3) farmer-based localization, and (4) community-based integrative seed system developments. The Pluralistic Seed System Development Strategy (PSSDS) from 2013 is a uniquely diverse approach to seed system development internationally; however, it has yet to realize its equity and sustainability potential. This study shows that the agricultural modernization dependency and government-led formal seed systems development have sidelined opportunities to tap into the strength of other alternatives identified in the PSSDS. In conclusion, an integrative and inclusive seed sector is possible if the government takes leadership and removes the current political, organizational, and economic barriers for developing a truly pluralistic seed system.
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Yates J, Gillespie S, Savona N, Deeney M, Kadiyala S. Trust and responsibility in food systems transformation. Engaging with Big Food: marriage or mirage? BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:e007350. [PMID: 34819325 PMCID: PMC8614044 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Concentration of power among transnational 'Big Food' companies has contributed to food systems that are unsustainable, unhealthy and inequitable for people and planet. Given these commercial determinants of health, if 'food systems transformation' is to be authentic-more than a passing narrative-then leveraging Big Food is paramount. To this end, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers are increasingly encouraged to engage with these powerful entities. However, given the conflicts of interest at stake, engagement relies on trust and transparency, that all stakeholders take responsibility for their actions and demonstrate commitment to do no harm. Given Big Food's track record in influencing policy, shifting costs and responsibility for their harms-and while profit primarily drives business decision making-we question whether it is logical to expect trust.This analysis explores concepts of responsibility and trust in relation to food systems transformation involving public-private partnerships. Through short cautionary case studies-looking at the United Nations Food Systems Summit, and Big Food's plastic burden-it argues that unless such companies take responsibility for their cross-cutting effects and earn authentic trust through demonstrably doing no harm, their participation in evidence generation and policy processes should be limited to responding to information requests and adhering to regulation. Any involvement in research agenda-setting or formulating policy solutions introduces conflicts of interest, legitimises corporate irresponsibility and jeopardises scientific integrity. Big Food has dynamism and power to address food system problems, but while it contributes to so many of these problems it should follow-not formulate-transformational evidence, policies and regulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Yates
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Stuart Gillespie
- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Natalie Savona
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Megan Deeney
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Suneetha Kadiyala
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Re-imagining the UN Committee on World Food Security. DEVELOPMENT (SOCIETY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT) 2021; 64:227-235. [PMID: 34703165 PMCID: PMC8532490 DOI: 10.1057/s41301-021-00322-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This article argues that the United Nations Committee on World Food Security can and must serve as a space for catalyzing and strengthening public interest-oriented food systems governance grounded in the human rights framework. This would necessarily entail confronting the fragmentation of governance and erasure of accountability promoted by corporate designed multi-stakeholderism, and democratizing multilateralism through genuine participation of rights holders, public scrutiny and participatory science. Pivotal to this endeavor is arresting the growing corporate influence in governance mechanisms and reorienting them towards reinvigorating relationships among people, communities and governments.
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The Food Systems Summit's Failure to Address Corporate Power. DEVELOPMENT (SOCIETY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT) 2021; 64:192-198. [PMID: 34658604 PMCID: PMC8503869 DOI: 10.1057/s41301-021-00303-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Based on analysis of documentation associated with the UN Food Systems Summit process, we identify three main ways in which the Summit failed to address the problem of corporate power in food systems in a meaningful way. First, the Summit was ‘strategically silent’ on the problem of corporate power, mentioning the problem only very infrequently and in a way that failed to identify corporations as holding disproportionate power in food systems. Second, it advanced technology and innovation-based solutions that benefit large agrifood companies rather than seeking structural transformation of food systems. Third, it gave corporations a priority seat at the table by engaging them in various settings in the lead up to the Summit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raj Patel
- Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Corporate Power in the Bioeconomy Transition: The Policies and Politics of Conservative Ecological Modernization in Brazil. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13126952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The bioeconomy transition is a double-edged sword that may either address fossil fuel dependence sustainably or aggravate human pressures on the environment, depending on how it is pursued. Using the emblematic case of Brazil, this article analyzes how corporate agribusiness dominance limits the bioeconomy agenda, shapes innovation pathways, and ultimately threatens the sustainability of this transition. Drawing from scholarship on power in agri-food governance and sustainability transitions, an analytical framework is then applied to the Brazilian case. The analysis of current policies, recent institutional changes and the case-specific literature reveals that, despite a strategic framing of the bioeconomy transition as a panacea for job creation, biodiversity conservation and local development (particularly for the Amazon region), in practice major soy, sugarcane and meatpacking conglomerates dominate Brazil’s bioeconomy agenda. In what can be described as conservative ecological modernization, there is some reflexivity regarding environmental issues but also an effort to maintain (unequal) social and political structures. Significant agribusiness dominance does not bode well for smallholder farmers, food diversity or natural ecosystems, as major drivers of deforestation and land-use change (e.g., soy plantations, cattle ranching) gain renewed economic and political stimulus as well as greater societal legitimacy under the bioeconomy umbrella.
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