A Delphi Approach to Develop Sustainable Food System Metrics

Allen, Thomas; Prosperi, Paolo; Cogill, Bruce; Padilla, Martine; Peri, Iuri

doi:10.1007/s11205-018-1865-8

Cited by 70 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Important exceptions in this regard are provided by recent efforts to analyze concrete food system interactions(Kopainski et al, 2018) and develop metrics that can capture them(Allen at al., 2018). Also relevant is Kopainski et al s (2017) work with small farmers in Zambia to adapt participatory system dynamics modeling at the community level and support local capacitybuilding and decision-making in relation to food security.…”

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confidence: 99%

The challenge of systemic food change: Insights from cities

Sonnino

Tegoni

Cunto

2019

Cities

131

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IntroductionOne of the most distinctive features of food policy is arguably its fragmentation. Researchers have widely demonstrated that food policies, where they exist, are characterized by a siloed or sector-based) approach that fails to recognize the structural interdependencies between food and other resources (particularly water and energy) and between food and other sectors (e.g., the environment, housing, transportation, waste management, infrastructure, etc.) (Lang and Barling, 2012;Artioli et al., 2017;Mendes and Sonnino, 2018). Part of the problem is that food sits within a global governance context that is also very fragmented, with responsibilities, jurisdictions and priorities often spread across a broad range of organizations and institutionsnone of which has the capacity to address problems holistically (von Braun, 2009;Candel, 2014;McKeon, 2015;Moragues-Faus et al., 2017).The literature has extensively criticized the inconsistencies, overlaps and gaps (Slade et al., 2016: 37) produced by fragmented food policies and governance, calling for enhanced coherence and coordination to ensure that food initiatives contribute to shared goals and outcomes (Misselhorn et al., 2012;Pereira and Ruysenaar, 2012). In all, however, this body of research has failed to become transformative; as Candel (2014: 598) explains, scholarship in this area has remained mostly abstract and normativethat is, it focuses on what an ideal food governance context should look like, rather than how it is actually functioning. In addition to being constrained by the paucity of evidence-based studies, academic debates on food policy tend to be framed within specific disciplinary discourses that emphasize very different threats, priorities and scales of intervention. As Eakin at al. (2017: 760) have recently pointed out, there is relatively little literature that addresses food system sustainability from a truly comprehensive perspective, encompassing the diversity of food system activities, drivers and outcomes .Urban areas are emerging as important empirical contexts to progress debates on the nature and functioning of food systems and to understand the scope for a policy engagement with them. As researchers are beginning to note, multi-actor urban governance coalitions are seeking to enroll pre-existing fragmented initiatives by scaling up food-related activities and advocacy to address broader policy concerns (Mansfield and Mendes, 2013;Cretella and Buenger, 2016). Cities, in other words, are becoming strategic transition nodes that can exploit the policy vacuum created by the absence of comprehensive, coherent and integrated national and supra-national food policies to develop more sustainable food systems. Indeed, academic literature suggests that city governments in both the global North and the global South are imposing themselves as the optimal scale for food policy innovation, often through the adoption of an integrated and systemic approach (Rocha and Lessa, 2009;Sonnino, 2016 andArtioli et al., 2017). To date, however, n...

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confidence: 99%

The challenge of systemic food change: Insights from cities

Sonnino

Tegoni

Cunto

2019

Cities

131

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“…However, the complexity of farming-activity forces to the adoption of a holistic approach to sustainability assessment [26]. There are tools that assess sustainability, understood as the ability of a system to maintain and improve its essential functions over time [27,28]. In this study, we selected the Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Natural Resource Management Systems (MESMIS, the acronym in Spanish) [29] to evaluate the impact of FFSs on the sustainability and FNS of mountain peasant-farming systems.…”

Section: Methodological Framework and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MESMIS is a systemic framework that, unlike those used by other authors such as Allen [28], highlights the bottom-up approach. In our study, the indicators were agreed with the specialist team and with the farmers.…”

Section: Methodological Framework and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmer Field Schools (FFSs): A Tool Empowering Sustainability and Food Security in Peasant Farming Systems in the Nicaraguan Highlands

et al. 2018

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Farmer field schools (FFSs) emerged in response to the gap left by the worldwide decline in agricultural extension services. With time, this methodology has been adapted to specific rural contexts to solve problems related to the sustainability of peasant-farming systems. In this study we draw upon empirical data regarding the peasant-farming system in the Nicaraguan highlands to evaluate whether FFSs have helped communities improve the sustainability of their systems and the food security of their residents using socioeconomic, environmental, and food and nutrition security (FNS) indicators. In order to appreciate the long-term impact, we studied three communities where FFSs were implemented eight, five, and three years ago, respectively, and we included participants and nonparticipants from each community. We found that FFSs have a gradual impact, as there are significant differences between participants and nonparticipants, and it is the community that first implemented FFSs that scores highest. The impact of FFSs is broad and long lasting for indicators related to participation, access to basic services, and conservation of natural resources. Finally, this paper provides evidence that FFSs have the potential to empower farmers; however, more attention needs to be paid to critical indicators like production costs and the use of external inputs in order to scale up their potential in the future.

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“…These tools encourage the behavioural change of producers and consumers towards long-term sustainability and allow selecting products and services according to specific environmental and social criteria. Eco-labels are acknowledged to contribute to the resilience of local food systems to environmental loss (Allen et al 2019). In our case study analysis-according to de Haes et al's classification (de Haes et al 2010)-we have identified in the market two eco-labelling schemes related to sustainability certifications of natural resources and to regional products: (i) sustainability certifications that function as marketing tools, protecting and improving the value of the brand or supermarket chain; (ii) regional products that stem from a well identifiable region, referring to various quality aspects, to a focus on gastronomy, to traditional techniques, and to the employment of human resources (also attention for the environment is more and more associated with regional products).…”

Section: Eco-labelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring institutional arrangements for local fish product labelling in Tuscany (Italy): a convention theory perspective

2020

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Increasing fish consumption along with rising competition in the global seafood market has brought fisheries and aquaculture producers to adopt several differentiation and marketing strategies. Labelling schemes were thus introduced to respond to a growing demand for traceable and sustainable products. However, the proliferation of quality labels brought to general confusion, calling for collective and public fish labels to ease decision-making. In our case study region (Tuscany, Italy), a number of policy-driven efforts were deployed for establishing regional labelling schemes for fisheries products with no observable impact on the market. Meanwhile, local companies have implemented a number of successful private and regional labels. The purpose of this research is to contribute to potential options for collective regional labelling schemes of fisheries and aquaculture products, through a case study analysis, building on agro-food value-chain and management approaches. Our empirical results highlight key issues and perspectives on labelling policies for local fisheries and aquaculture products.

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A Delphi Approach to Develop Sustainable Food System Metrics

Cited by 70 publications

References 67 publications

The challenge of systemic food change: Insights from cities

The challenge of systemic food change: Insights from cities

Farmer Field Schools (FFSs): A Tool Empowering Sustainability and Food Security in Peasant Farming Systems in the Nicaraguan Highlands

Exploring institutional arrangements for local fish product labelling in Tuscany (Italy): a convention theory perspective

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