Rapid transformation of food systems in developing regions: Highlighting the role of agricultural research & innovations

Abstract

The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) believes that open access contributes to its mission of reducing hunger and poverty, and improving human nutrition in the tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture. CIAT is committed to creating and sharing knowledge and information openly and globally. We do this through collaborative research as well as through the open sharing of our data, tools, and publications.

Transforming Research and Innovation for Sustainable Food Systems—A Coupled-Systems Perspective

“…Socio-ecological perspectives that can be used to understand the complexity of systemic dynamics are also considered an important approach in transformation research [42] and focus on a range of empirical topics, from grasping the dynamics of dietary behaviours (e.g., [48]) to managing small-scale fisheries (e.g., [49]). Other qualitative analytical approaches that aim to understand the (technological) dynamics of food systems include technological innovation systems research (e.g., [50][51][52]), social practice approaches (e.g., [32,53,54]), and research focusing on the multitude of values involved in food systems transformation (e.g., [55,56]).…”

How the United States benefits from agricultural and food security investments in developing countries

“…When transformation at the farm and agribusiness level is supported by research and transformation at the institutional level, the entire agricultural and food system grows and improves (Reardon et al, 2018). Where governments were once major suppliers of agricultural inputs (e.g., seeds and fertilizers) for farmers and major buyers of their agricultural output, as markets develop and mature, private companies with the required technical expertise and financial resources expand their input distribution and raw-product aggregation systems.…”

Evolving food systems in Ethiopia: Past, present and future

“…When food systems and agricultural markets transform, they tend to go through fairly typical stages (Reardon et al 2018;Reardon and Timmer 2014). In the traditional system, farmers are mostly focused on production for own consumption.…”

“…Following the distinction of Reardon et al (2018), we are seeing in Ethiopia the start of a change from the traditional to a transitional system. First, we see dietary transformation with higher consumption levels and better food security, the relative share of cereals in food baskets declining and those of highvalue products, such as animal-source foods and fruits and vegetables, rising, an emergence of processed and convenience foods in markets, and greater out-of-home consumption.…”

“…Third, contract farming has been promoted by a number of institutions and firms in recent years. As argued by Reardon et al (2018), contract farming might take off in transitional marketing systems, but are more widespread in modern markets. They have the potential to solve a number of constraints that might exist in these markets such as access to improved inputs, credit, extension, and lack of market access, which could lead to important spillover effects (Negash and Swinnen 2013).…”