The Challenge of Food Systems Research: What Difference Does It Make?

Abstract

Recent discussions on the results of food security programs devote key attention to complex interactions between policy interventions and business innovation for improving nutrition outcomes. This shift from linear approaches of food and nutrition security towards a more interlinked and nested analysis of food systems dynamics has profound implications for the design and organization of research and innovation processes. In this article we outline our experience with interdisciplinary and interactive processes of food systems analysis at different scale levels, paying systematic attention to three critical system interfaces: intersections with other systems, interactions within the food system, and incentives for food system innovations (the so-called: 3I approach). We discuss the importance of these interfaces for leveraging food system adaptation and managing food system transformation. We also provide illustrative examples of the relevance of food systems analysis for the identification of appropriate and effective programs for reinforcing the resilience, responsiveness and inclusiveness of novel food and nutrition programs.

Food system innovations for healthier diets in low and middle-income countries

“…From the consumer perspective, the healthy choice is not always easiest or preferred. To overcome this market failure and provide for healthier diets from a nutritional perspective, changes in food systems are necessary that simultaneously support supply-side opportunities and demand-side motives for healthier food choices at prices that make healthier food available at all wealth levels (Ruben et al, 2019).…”

“…Here, we argue that a potential solution is to use food systems focused research to identify innovations for healthier diets. Such research focuses on interactions between the demand and supply of quality food, nutrition-sensitive distribution networks and value chains, consumer preferences and barriers, and the legal and institutional food environment that enables people and households to shape their dietary choices (Ruben et al, 2019). To properly target changes in food systems, an initial appraisal of dietary imbalances-meaning between the actual diet and a healthy diet-is required to identify key entry points for food systems innovations, from the perspective of improving dietary quality.…”

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

“…Holistic conceptualizations of food systems therefore aim to move beyond traditional divisions between production-oriented and consumption-oriented approaches by emphasizing the need to include all relevant processes (e.g., food production, distribution, consumption), actors (e.g., farmers, researchers, consumers), policy sectors (e.g., health, agriculture, environment), governance levels (e.g., local, national, global), and functionalities (e.g., healthy diets, access to food, employment, fostering commensality, and cultural identity) in research and policy efforts. Such conceptualizations point to the need to move beyond linear models (such as value or supply chains) and circular food system models (such as food cycles) since they do not adequately capture the complex structural and dynamic properties of food systems [16,20]. The many interacting elements of complex (food) systems give rise to properties such as resilient or locked-in system states, adaptivity, emergent behavior, self-organization, and non-linear dynamics, such as systemic feedback loops, synergies, and trade-offs [16][17][18][19].…”

“…These transformations-called transitions in transition studies-are characterized as non-linear processes of structural change [29,30] that entail a "profound change in various or all aspects of a system's functioning" [31] (p. 59) and lead to "far-reaching changes in the system along different dimensions: technological, material, organizational, institutional, political, economic, and socio-cultural" [26] (p. 956). Research on transformations of (agri-) food systems using a transition studies perspective is rapidly gaining traction [20,[32][33][34].…”

The Different Pattern of Food Consumption between Local Farmers and Transmigrant Farmers in the Border Area of Papua, Indonesia

“…Food consumption is one component in the food system [3]. Sudiaoetomo say that the level of food consumption is determined by the quality and quantity of the food serving.…”