Lecture 1 slides
Food system = all processes and infrastructure for satisfying a population’s food needs
➔ It gathers all the elements (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
There are two components of the food systems and importance:
1. Activities: determined by interactions between and within bio-geophysical and
human environments; from production to consumption
a. Production
b. Processing and packaging
c. Distribution and retail
d. Consumption
2. Outcomes: contributions to food security, environmental security, social welfare
Framework:
Difference between traditional and modern food systems:
Systems approach in food systems and its benefits:
, - Food systems are complex, heterogeneous over space and time, and have non-
linear feedbacks
- System approach helps to address complex problems wit multi-causality
resulting from interactions among interdependent components
- Interplay between structure, which is usually at a broader or macro-level, and
agency, which is local or micro-level
- Allows for the recognition of heterogeneity among households, communities, and
institutions themselves
Trade-offs between food system outcomes
- Often between short-term gain, and long-term costs
- Often across spatial scales
Conceptual frameworks → food system analysis
➔ Analytical tool with several variations and different contexts
➔ Aim = to provide an overall picture and organize ideas
➔ Strong conceptual frameworks represent “reality”, and are easy to remember and
apply
Many of these frameworks exist, with varying terminology and different degrees of
comprehensiveness and levels of abstractness
Components of the food systems:
1. Actors = people, institutions, and places
2. Activities = determined by interactions between and within bio-geophysical and
human environments; from production to consumption
a. Production
b. Processing and packaging
c. Distribution and retail
d. Consumption
3. Outcomes = contributions to food security, environmental security, and social
welfare
Most food system frameworks have a strong focus on food system activities
Frameworks go from linear representations …
➔ Linkages between food supply and demand activities
➔ Different stakeholders in the supply chain perform specific functions
➔ Food supply/value chains → (horizontal) interdependencies
,… over to circular representations …
➔ Insights into system interactions and feedbacks
➔ Captures linkages between (intermediary) inputs and
outputs (relevant for improving food system
efficiency)
… to nested representations
➔ Considers multiple levels and dynamic interlinkages
between food production and nutrition
➔ Considers spatial and temporal interactions
➔ Food systems as part of a set of wider sub-systems
➔ Recognition of importance of systems dynamics and
feedback mechanisms
Food system frameworks can be simplistic, but also very complex
Food system outcomes:
- Food security:
o Food utilisation
▪ Nutritional value
▪ Social value
▪ Food safety
o Food access
▪ Affordability
▪ Allocation
▪ Preference
o Food availability
▪ Production
▪ Distribution
▪ Exchange
- Socio-economic outcomes
o Income
o Livelihoods
o Employment
o Wealth
o Social and political capital
o Human capital
- Environmental outcomes
o Land, soils
o Fossil fuels
, o Minerals
o Biodiversity
o Water
o Climate
Food systems are affected by many different factors in complex ways → “these
influential factors are considered drivers when their impacts occur consistently over a
period of time and thus durably alter food system activities and outcomes”
• Drivers can affect every component of the food system, from food supply and
environment to consumer demand
Main drivers:
1. Biophysical and environmental
a. Ecosystem functioning (ES, biodiversity) → pollinators; soil nutrition
b. Climate (change)
2. Social-cultural
a. Social norms, culture, traditions
b. Women’s status and empowerment
3. Political and economic
a. Leadership and governance → subsidies
b. Globalisation and trade
c. Conflicts and humanitarian crises
4. Demographic
a. Population growth
b. Urbanization
c. Migration and forced displacement
5. Innovation, technology, and infrastructure
a. Innovation and technology
b. Infrastructure and the built environment
Why apply social-ecological system thinking lens?
1. Webs of complex interactions, synergies and feedback loops
a. Why having a wide offer of corn and soybean fed pig products in the meat
section of Jumbo? → High availability with low costs and high demand
causes expansion; but is more complicated than that: underlying/invisible
drivers as well
i. Food system process are not dichotomic and linear → actors at the
centre of the web may influence what occurs upstream and
downstream
ii. Possible invisible drivers = environmental and social costs;
marketing campaigns; production surpluses
Food system = all processes and infrastructure for satisfying a population’s food needs
➔ It gathers all the elements (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
There are two components of the food systems and importance:
1. Activities: determined by interactions between and within bio-geophysical and
human environments; from production to consumption
a. Production
b. Processing and packaging
c. Distribution and retail
d. Consumption
2. Outcomes: contributions to food security, environmental security, social welfare
Framework:
Difference between traditional and modern food systems:
Systems approach in food systems and its benefits:
, - Food systems are complex, heterogeneous over space and time, and have non-
linear feedbacks
- System approach helps to address complex problems wit multi-causality
resulting from interactions among interdependent components
- Interplay between structure, which is usually at a broader or macro-level, and
agency, which is local or micro-level
- Allows for the recognition of heterogeneity among households, communities, and
institutions themselves
Trade-offs between food system outcomes
- Often between short-term gain, and long-term costs
- Often across spatial scales
Conceptual frameworks → food system analysis
➔ Analytical tool with several variations and different contexts
➔ Aim = to provide an overall picture and organize ideas
➔ Strong conceptual frameworks represent “reality”, and are easy to remember and
apply
Many of these frameworks exist, with varying terminology and different degrees of
comprehensiveness and levels of abstractness
Components of the food systems:
1. Actors = people, institutions, and places
2. Activities = determined by interactions between and within bio-geophysical and
human environments; from production to consumption
a. Production
b. Processing and packaging
c. Distribution and retail
d. Consumption
3. Outcomes = contributions to food security, environmental security, and social
welfare
Most food system frameworks have a strong focus on food system activities
Frameworks go from linear representations …
➔ Linkages between food supply and demand activities
➔ Different stakeholders in the supply chain perform specific functions
➔ Food supply/value chains → (horizontal) interdependencies
,… over to circular representations …
➔ Insights into system interactions and feedbacks
➔ Captures linkages between (intermediary) inputs and
outputs (relevant for improving food system
efficiency)
… to nested representations
➔ Considers multiple levels and dynamic interlinkages
between food production and nutrition
➔ Considers spatial and temporal interactions
➔ Food systems as part of a set of wider sub-systems
➔ Recognition of importance of systems dynamics and
feedback mechanisms
Food system frameworks can be simplistic, but also very complex
Food system outcomes:
- Food security:
o Food utilisation
▪ Nutritional value
▪ Social value
▪ Food safety
o Food access
▪ Affordability
▪ Allocation
▪ Preference
o Food availability
▪ Production
▪ Distribution
▪ Exchange
- Socio-economic outcomes
o Income
o Livelihoods
o Employment
o Wealth
o Social and political capital
o Human capital
- Environmental outcomes
o Land, soils
o Fossil fuels
, o Minerals
o Biodiversity
o Water
o Climate
Food systems are affected by many different factors in complex ways → “these
influential factors are considered drivers when their impacts occur consistently over a
period of time and thus durably alter food system activities and outcomes”
• Drivers can affect every component of the food system, from food supply and
environment to consumer demand
Main drivers:
1. Biophysical and environmental
a. Ecosystem functioning (ES, biodiversity) → pollinators; soil nutrition
b. Climate (change)
2. Social-cultural
a. Social norms, culture, traditions
b. Women’s status and empowerment
3. Political and economic
a. Leadership and governance → subsidies
b. Globalisation and trade
c. Conflicts and humanitarian crises
4. Demographic
a. Population growth
b. Urbanization
c. Migration and forced displacement
5. Innovation, technology, and infrastructure
a. Innovation and technology
b. Infrastructure and the built environment
Why apply social-ecological system thinking lens?
1. Webs of complex interactions, synergies and feedback loops
a. Why having a wide offer of corn and soybean fed pig products in the meat
section of Jumbo? → High availability with low costs and high demand
causes expansion; but is more complicated than that: underlying/invisible
drivers as well
i. Food system process are not dichotomic and linear → actors at the
centre of the web may influence what occurs upstream and
downstream
ii. Possible invisible drivers = environmental and social costs;
marketing campaigns; production surpluses
