Designing Sustainable Food Systems

There is significant interest in designing technologies for the food system, from agricultural modeling tools to apps enabling humans to assess nutritional value of various food choices to drones for pest detection. However, a good food system must be a sustainable one. There is an urgent need for deliberation and thoughtfulness in designing for both technologies that support existing food systems and new modalities that work towards more sustainable food systems. This workshop will bring together HCI researchers, designers, and practitioners with an interest in exploring what constitutes a sustainable food system, as well as defining the role of HCI in this domain. Our key objectives for this workshop will be to identify what opportunities for design and collaboration exist and to lay the foundation for an active foodCHI community

Food systems for sustainable development: Proposals for a profound four-part transformation

Evidence shows the importance of food systems for sustainable development: they are at the nexus that links food security, nutrition, and human health, the viability of ecosystems, climate change, and social justice. However, agricultural policies tend to focus on food supply, and sometimes, on mechanisms to address negative externalities. We propose an alternative. Our starting point is that agriculture and food systems' policies should be aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This calls for deep changes in comparison with the paradigms that prevailed when steering the agricultural change in the XXth century. We identify the comprehensive food systems transformation that is needed. It has four parts: first, food systems should enable all people to benefit from nutritious and healthy food. Second, they should reflect sustainable agricultural production and food value chains. Third, they should mitigate climate change and build resilience. Fourth, they should encourage a renaissance of rural territories. The implementation of the transformation relies on (i) suitable metrics to aid decision-making, (ii) synergy of policies through convergence of local and global priorities, and (iii) enhancement of development approaches that focus on territories. We build on the work of the “Milano Group,” an informal group of experts convened by the UN Secretary General in Milan in 2015. Backed by a literature review, what emerges is a strategic narrative linking climate, agriculture and food, and calling for a deep transformation of food systems at scale. This is critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. The narrative highlights the needed consistency between global actions for sustainable development and numerous local-level innovations. It emphasizes the challenge of designing differentiated paths for food systems transformation responding to local and national expectations. Scientific and operational challenges are associated with the alignment and arbitration of local action within the context of global priorities

Designing digital technologies for sustainable transformations of food systems

This Special Issue focuses on exploring the latest trends in the use of information technology to cope with emerging societal transformations on the food system and its interrelations. It aims to be a starting point, especially to show what a key role designers play today in the ongoing transformation process and transition of food systems. It shows that the great challenge of digital innovation in the food sector is to re-design not only the products, but also the services and processes imposed by the ongoing digital transformation

DINING ON RECIPROCITY IN LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS: TOWARDS A MORAL ECONOMY OF FOODS

China has witnessed a growing number of social and environmental challenges, which remain obstacles for its rural vitalization. At the core of the discussion on sustainable agriculture and rural development lies the development of sustainable food systems. This article conducts a case study and examines a local food network which has created a reciprocity mechanism between smallholder producers and consumers. The discussion puts a particular emphasis on the interaction between sustainable consumption and production initiatives in the process of achieving the network’s ecological goals. Based on the discussion and findings, the study concludes by proposing to draw on the concept of the moral economy and constructing “a moral economy of foods” to conceptualize social structure of local food systems. In a re- localization process of “local cultural repertoires of foods”, while protocols of certification and traceability could constitute conclusive proofs of the moral economy of foods, a belief in sustainable food systems would stand the moral economy itself in good stead in a time when trust and confidence in the foods labeled “organic” are diminished. The findings presented in the study may have significant implications for designing policies for rural vitalization in China and promoting transitions to more sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods.

Designing knowledge-matching facilities for scaling climate-smart agriculture: A proposal for accelerating food systems’ transformation in a changing climate

The brief talks about designing knowledge-matching facilities for scaling climate-smart agriculture. This is a priority discussed in the International Workshop on Scaling up and out of Climate-smart Technologies and Practices for Sustainable Agriculture (an initiative initiating from 2019-MACSG20), as well as of numerous CCAFS partners in the governments, research, donor, financial and policy institutions, civil society and private sectors. CCAFS proposes to join efforts, and outlines a way forward to develop and/or shape knowledge matching facilities for accelerating food systems transformation in a changing climate. This document is intended to be a living document that informs members and interested stakeholders about intermediate results and the planned or next steps

The New England Food System in 2060: Envisioning Tomorrow\u27s Policy through Today\u27s Assessments

This Essay analyzes how the New England states\u27 planning processes are envisioning revitalized local, state, and regional food systems. This Essay has five parts. First, it begins with examining compelling reasons for promoting more sustainable food systems based on national and global trends, and identifies strategies for promoting regional food systems approaches with a brief introduction to the major influences on the national and New England food system. Second, it describes the states\u27 planning efforts and their enabling legislation or source of authority. The Essay then introduces the New England Food Vision 2060 (the Vision) an emerging discussion of food system possibilities that models potential food production options for the region based on different food based scenarios. The Vision is not a plan or prescription for each state, but rather serves to generate critical thought regarding the direction and aspirations for regional food systems. Likewise, given the goal to have ongoing updates of the Vision, this project will likewise be influenced by individual state plans and strategies. Thus, the Vision represents an opportunity for continuous dynamic interchange among those committed to designing and developing a New England food system Learning Action Network. By applying “collective impact” strategies to food system advancement, the network will be poised to advance regional food justice, food policy access, and system sustainability (i.e., good food). Next, the Essay analyzes the key policy challenges that are presented by a desire for a more self-sufficient regional food system, such as local ordinances, land use and zoning laws, institutional procurement policy, and food access issues. This section offers a brief overview of how the Federal commerce clause (including the dormant commerce clause), and compact clause influence the scope of local, state, and regional policy. Finally, the paper concludes by identifying how the Vision can assist in identifying legal issues that researchers and scholars should focus on when engaging in food system planning now and in the future. This interdisciplinary Essay challenges readers to think critically, and across traditional doctrinal and disciplinary barriers, about the possibilities for New England\u27s “good food” future

Is Sustainable Development of Deserts Feasible?

Hot deserts that presently cover about one-fifth of the land area of our planet are rapidly devouring more and more arable lands mostly due to anthropogenic causes. We propose an interdisciplinary approach to revitalizing and commercializing hot deserts, which is based on systems thinking and Russian and NASA space technology experience in designing life-support systems for long-duration flights. We formulate ten principles for the design of sustainable life support systems in deserts, which can make the development of the deserts feasible. It is discussed how the principles can be employed to design and operate desert’s eco-industrial parks with greenhouses in which the transpired and evaporated moisture is collected and condensed. The potential benefits of setting up the eco-industrial parks in deserts include the slowdown and eventual reversal of the desertification trend, the migration of many industrial production facilities from mild-climate regions to deserts, the increased availability of potable water and food in deserts, the development of poor African countries, and the emergence of new investment markets

Traditional production landscapes for sustainable development mainstreaming agricultural biodiversity in East Java Indonesia

Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity. Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional East Java production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional East Java production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional East Java farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional East Java farming landscapes and that farmers’ experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to East Java’s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture’s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing East Java’s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

Agroecology Education and Research: An Academic Platform for Organic Farming

Agroecology education and research programs are gaining prominence in universities. This emerging field provides an appropriate and convenient platform for bringing organic farming into academia. Agroecology deals with complex systems, uncertainty, and the future. Examples from organic farming and local food systems often provide valuable examples of applications of the principles of ecology in designing a sustainable agriculture. The agroecology MSc program in the NOVA network is a successful example of how organic farming can be brought into university programs, and how interdisciplinary education and research can tap into a regional faculty in agriculture

Sustainability assessment of Territorial Short Food Supply Chains versus Large‐Scale Food Distribution: The case of Colombia and Spain

Assessing, designing and implementing more sustainable agri-food systems has become a high priority in scientific research and political agendas worldwide. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is highlighting the fragility of globalised food distribution systems, and there is a need to focus on alternatives. This manuscript assesses the sustainability of two largely opposing marketing alternatives, namely Territorial Short Food Supply Chains (TSFSCs) and Large-Scale Food Distribution (LSFD). Specifically, the cases of Bogota (Colombia) and Cordoba (Spain) are analysed, where the development of TSFSCs has very significant in recent years but which are of a very different nature. For this purpose, a multi-criteria model based on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) methodology has been developed, considering multiple economic, social and environmental criteria. The model has been evaluated by four interest groups. The results show that the social sub-criterion – distribution of added value – is highly prioritised, and that the TSFSCs are the most sustainable alternatives globally in both cities. In Bogota, direct sales (farmers market) are prioritised, whilst in Cordoba, chain with a local retail (specialised shops). The contribution of TSFSCs to ecosystem services, equity, territorial cohesion and the revitalisation of the economy is highlighted. By interest groups, civil society, academia and public administration prioritise TSFSCs. However, the market players in Cordoba prioritise LSFD with national product. The results indicate that TSFSCs have the potential to contribute to the consolidation of sustainable and resilient food systems.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA