Concept Meaning
1. Telecoupling Social-ecological interactions that link distant places through flows of
material, energy, organisms, people, finance, and information. It
distinguishes sending, receiving, and spillover systems, plus the
flows, agents, causes, and effects connecting them. This reveals how
decisions in one region (e.g., commodity demand) create
environmental and social outcomes elsewhere, often with hidden
feedbacks.
2. Food system System that gathers all the elements/drivers (environment, people,
inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and activities that
relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and
consumption of food, and the output of these activities, including
socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
3. Socio-ecological systems Integrated systems of people and nature characterized by feedbacks
(SES) and co-dependence. In food systems, human management of
ecosystems (e.g., agriculture) affects ecological resilience and vice
versa.
4. Globalization The expansion and intensification of cross-border connections in
trade, finance, technology, media, and governance. In food systems it
lengthens supply chains, concentrates processing and retail, and
decouples consumption from local ecologies. It creates efficiency and
variety but also masks externalities and can undermine local
producers and food cultures.
5. Sustainability Trade-off Improving one outcome (e.g., short-term yield or low prices) worsens
another (e.g., water quality, farmer income, biodiversity). Trade-offs
often manifest across scales (local versus global), time (now versus
later), and dimensions (environmental, social, economic). Managing
them requires acknowledging winners/losers and designing policies
that minimize harm while maintaining core functions.
6. Sustainability Synergy One intervention improves multiple outcomes at once, producing
benefits greater than the sum of parts. Examples include agroforestry
that raises yields, enhances biodiversity, and stabilizes soils, or dietary
shifts that improve health and lower emissions.
7. Sustainable food value chain Delivers food security and nutrition while safeguarding the economic
viability of actors, equity along the chain, and ecological integrity. It
spans production, processing, distribution, and consumption, tracking
impacts and value added. Governance, transparency, and fair
allocation of risks/returns are as important as efficiency.
8. Sustainable intensification Increasing productivity on existing agricultural land while minimizing
environmental degradation. It aims to meet food needs without
expanding cropland or increasing pollution.
9. Economic sustainability The food system can generate livelihoods and remain financially viable
without eroding its resource base. It values long-term productivity, risk
management, and resilience over short-term profit maximization.
Indicators include stable incomes, diversified markets, and reduced
vulnerability to shocks.
, 10. Social Sustainability Fairness, wellbeing, labour rights, cultural values, and community
cohesion within food systems. It asks whether benefits and burdens
are equitably distributed and whether people have voice and agency.
Safe work, gender equity, Indigenous rights, and healthy diets are core
elements.
11. Environmental sustainability Maintaining ecosystem functions and natural capital—soils, water,
biodiversity, and climate regulation—while providing food. It focuses
on reducing pollution, conserving habitats, and keeping within
biogeochemical and climatic limits. Practices prioritize regeneration
and circularity rather than one-way extraction.
12. Green growth Economies can expand while reducing environmental harms through
efficiency, innovation, and cleaner technologies. In food systems it
emphasizes sustainable intensification and resource-efficient supply
chains. Critics caution about rebound effects and stress the need for
absolute impact reductions, not only relative ones.
13. Inclusive growth Gains from economic activity are broadly shared, particularly with
smallholders, workers, and marginalized groups.
In food systems → access to markets, fair prices, social protection,
and participation in decision-making. It links poverty reduction to
structural changes in value chains.
14. Food Carbon Footprint GHG emissions associated with its life cycle → from inputs and
farming to processing, transport, and waste. Meats typically have the
highest footprints, plant foods the lowest, with fish, eggs, dairy, and
poultry in between. Shifting consumption away from high-footprint
items aligns health and climate goals.
15. Agroecology Ecological principles + farming = social justice and food sovereignty. It
prioritizes diversity, closed nutrient cycles, soil health, and local
knowledge, aiming to regenerate ecosystems and empower
communities. Beyond practices, it is a transformative approach to
redesign food systems.
16. Organic agriculture Follows standards restricting synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, GMOs,
and routine antibiotics, emphasizing soil fertility and biodiversity. It
often reduces energy use and can perform better under stress (e.g.,
drought), though yields may be lower in some contexts. Its success
depends on systems design, not certification alone.
17. Regenerative agriculture Focuses on restoring ecosystem processes—soil carbon, water cycles,
and biodiversity—through practices like cover crops, reduced tillage,
rotations, and integrated livestock. It aims for net positive ecological
outcomes while maintaining productivity. Definitions vary, making
measurement and governance important to avoid greenwashing.
18. Food flow Movements of food and embedded resources (water, nutrients, land,
carbon) through supply chains and across places. Mapping flows
reveals dependencies, leakages (e.g., nutrient loss), and exposure to
distant shocks. It is important to understanding telecoupled risks and
responsibilities.
19. Foodshed Geographic area that supplies a population’s food, analogous to a
watershed. It helps assess local capacity, seasonal constraints, and
1. Telecoupling Social-ecological interactions that link distant places through flows of
material, energy, organisms, people, finance, and information. It
distinguishes sending, receiving, and spillover systems, plus the
flows, agents, causes, and effects connecting them. This reveals how
decisions in one region (e.g., commodity demand) create
environmental and social outcomes elsewhere, often with hidden
feedbacks.
2. Food system System that gathers all the elements/drivers (environment, people,
inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and activities that
relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and
consumption of food, and the output of these activities, including
socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
3. Socio-ecological systems Integrated systems of people and nature characterized by feedbacks
(SES) and co-dependence. In food systems, human management of
ecosystems (e.g., agriculture) affects ecological resilience and vice
versa.
4. Globalization The expansion and intensification of cross-border connections in
trade, finance, technology, media, and governance. In food systems it
lengthens supply chains, concentrates processing and retail, and
decouples consumption from local ecologies. It creates efficiency and
variety but also masks externalities and can undermine local
producers and food cultures.
5. Sustainability Trade-off Improving one outcome (e.g., short-term yield or low prices) worsens
another (e.g., water quality, farmer income, biodiversity). Trade-offs
often manifest across scales (local versus global), time (now versus
later), and dimensions (environmental, social, economic). Managing
them requires acknowledging winners/losers and designing policies
that minimize harm while maintaining core functions.
6. Sustainability Synergy One intervention improves multiple outcomes at once, producing
benefits greater than the sum of parts. Examples include agroforestry
that raises yields, enhances biodiversity, and stabilizes soils, or dietary
shifts that improve health and lower emissions.
7. Sustainable food value chain Delivers food security and nutrition while safeguarding the economic
viability of actors, equity along the chain, and ecological integrity. It
spans production, processing, distribution, and consumption, tracking
impacts and value added. Governance, transparency, and fair
allocation of risks/returns are as important as efficiency.
8. Sustainable intensification Increasing productivity on existing agricultural land while minimizing
environmental degradation. It aims to meet food needs without
expanding cropland or increasing pollution.
9. Economic sustainability The food system can generate livelihoods and remain financially viable
without eroding its resource base. It values long-term productivity, risk
management, and resilience over short-term profit maximization.
Indicators include stable incomes, diversified markets, and reduced
vulnerability to shocks.
, 10. Social Sustainability Fairness, wellbeing, labour rights, cultural values, and community
cohesion within food systems. It asks whether benefits and burdens
are equitably distributed and whether people have voice and agency.
Safe work, gender equity, Indigenous rights, and healthy diets are core
elements.
11. Environmental sustainability Maintaining ecosystem functions and natural capital—soils, water,
biodiversity, and climate regulation—while providing food. It focuses
on reducing pollution, conserving habitats, and keeping within
biogeochemical and climatic limits. Practices prioritize regeneration
and circularity rather than one-way extraction.
12. Green growth Economies can expand while reducing environmental harms through
efficiency, innovation, and cleaner technologies. In food systems it
emphasizes sustainable intensification and resource-efficient supply
chains. Critics caution about rebound effects and stress the need for
absolute impact reductions, not only relative ones.
13. Inclusive growth Gains from economic activity are broadly shared, particularly with
smallholders, workers, and marginalized groups.
In food systems → access to markets, fair prices, social protection,
and participation in decision-making. It links poverty reduction to
structural changes in value chains.
14. Food Carbon Footprint GHG emissions associated with its life cycle → from inputs and
farming to processing, transport, and waste. Meats typically have the
highest footprints, plant foods the lowest, with fish, eggs, dairy, and
poultry in between. Shifting consumption away from high-footprint
items aligns health and climate goals.
15. Agroecology Ecological principles + farming = social justice and food sovereignty. It
prioritizes diversity, closed nutrient cycles, soil health, and local
knowledge, aiming to regenerate ecosystems and empower
communities. Beyond practices, it is a transformative approach to
redesign food systems.
16. Organic agriculture Follows standards restricting synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, GMOs,
and routine antibiotics, emphasizing soil fertility and biodiversity. It
often reduces energy use and can perform better under stress (e.g.,
drought), though yields may be lower in some contexts. Its success
depends on systems design, not certification alone.
17. Regenerative agriculture Focuses on restoring ecosystem processes—soil carbon, water cycles,
and biodiversity—through practices like cover crops, reduced tillage,
rotations, and integrated livestock. It aims for net positive ecological
outcomes while maintaining productivity. Definitions vary, making
measurement and governance important to avoid greenwashing.
18. Food flow Movements of food and embedded resources (water, nutrients, land,
carbon) through supply chains and across places. Mapping flows
reveals dependencies, leakages (e.g., nutrient loss), and exposure to
distant shocks. It is important to understanding telecoupled risks and
responsibilities.
19. Foodshed Geographic area that supplies a population’s food, analogous to a
watershed. It helps assess local capacity, seasonal constraints, and
