A vision for attaining food security

Misselhorn, Alison; Aggarwal, Pramod K.; Ericksen, Polly J.; Gregory, P. J.; Horn-Phathanothai, Leo; Ingram, John; Wiebe, Keith

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2012.01.008

Cited by 177 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…At a global level, increasing food production has been seen as a main factor in ensuring food security [2]. Despite this emphasis, available data indicate that about one billion people lack sufficient food, while a further one billion are poorly nourished [3]. At a national level, the level of food insecurity in Uganda has been rising since 1990 [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Cultural Norms and Food Security in the Karamoja Sub-Region of Uganda

Olum¹,

Okello-Uma²,

Tumuhimbise³

et al. 2017

JFNR

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Culture is a strong determinant of food security through its influence on what society considers acceptable for consumption. Karamoja sub-region is one of the most ethnically diverse parts of eastern Africa, and is associated with the highest levels of food insecurity in Uganda. However, there is a general lack of understanding on the extent to which ethnicity is a contributing factor to food insecurity. We examined the relationship between ethnicity and food security in relation to commonly practiced cultural norms among the Jie, Karamojong and Tepeth ethnic groups of Karamoja. Data from 273 randomly selected households across a range of cultural settings were obtained using structured questionnaires in the September-October (2015) period. Food security status was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), daily calorie intake and coping strategy index. The study also used focus group discussions to assess the implications for food security of common cultural practices. Results confirm the general observation that the sub-region is food insecure. There were also significant variations in food security across geographical location and ethnicity. Cultural restrictions, applied particularly to women and children, over the consumption of several nutritious foods from livestock were revealed. Consumption of raw milk and animal blood, potential sources of food-borne infections and thus of malnutrition, was found to be high in the sub-region and varied significantly across ethnicity. The findings provide a basis for interventions aimed at reducing food insecurity and averting cultural impediments to a more nutritious diet.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Cultural Norms and Food Security in the Karamoja Sub-Region of Uganda

Olum¹,

Okello-Uma²,

Tumuhimbise³

et al. 2017

JFNR

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“…The increasing demand for integrated assessment, including nutrition (10,(96)(97)(98) calls also for bio-economic models integrating consumer choices and dietary patterns, and subsequent sets of food consumption and nutrition indicators. A nutrition-driven food system, which also ensures that environmental integrity, economic selfreliance and social well-being are maintained and enhanced, places people, as consumers, as one of its central focus (32) .…”

Section: Joint Assessment Of Nutrition and Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural biodiversity, social–ecological systems and sustainable diets

et al. 2014

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The stark observation of the co-existence of undernourishment, nutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity, the triple burden of malnutrition, is inviting us to reconsider health and nutrition as the primary goal and final endpoint of food systems. Agriculture and the food industry have made remarkable advances in the past decades. However, their development has not entirely fulfilled health and nutritional needs, and moreover, they have generated substantial collateral losses in agricultural biodiversity. Simultaneously, several regions are experiencing unprecedented weather events caused by climate change and habitat depletion, in turn putting at risk global food and nutrition security. This coincidence of food crises with increasing environmental degradation suggests an urgent need for novel analyses and new paradigms. The sustainable diets concept proposes a research and policy agenda that strives towards a sustainable use of human and natural resources for food and nutrition security, highlighting the preeminent role of consumers in defining sustainable options and the importance of biodiversity in nutrition. Food systems act as complex social-ecological systems, involving multiple interactions between human and natural components. Nutritional patterns and environment structure are interconnected in a mutual dynamic of changes. The systemic nature of these interactions calls for multidimensional approaches and integrated assessment and simulation tools to guide change. This paper proposes a review and conceptual modelling framework that articulate the synergies and tradeoffs between dietary diversity, widely recognised as key for healthy diets, and agricultural biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions, crucial resilience factors to climate and global changes.

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“…The key ingredient of a food systems course is a systems thinking framework that is the foundational "deep structure" of the course [1,3,12]. But to call it a "deep structure" does not mean that systems thinking concepts should be incorporated only implicitly; students should be consciously aware of the systems thinking skills that they are acquiring and applying.…”

Section: A Recipe For Teaching Food Systems: What To Teach and How Tomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While our universities offer full food systems programs, our food systems courses are core classes in that education, and are often attended by students who are not participating in the full programs. By focusing on our core food systems courses, we embrace the challenges and opportunities to impact a wide range of students in a variety of disciplines, who are the future food system citizens, consumers, professionals, advocates, and policy makers [1,3,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These include environmental uncertainty and depletion arising in part from impacted agricultural systems, social disruptions from resource conflicts, and structural economic shocks and stresses such as chronic income inequality. Crafting a sustainable and resilient food system requires us to face wicked problems that go beyond disciplinary boundaries, broaden critical and creative thinking skills, and engage in food system capacity building [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The sustainability of the food system is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions as we face the challenge of providing food security to a growing population amidst environmental uncertainty and depletion, social disruptions, and structural economic shocks and stresses. Crafting a sustainable and resilient food system requires us to go beyond disciplinary boundaries and broaden critical and creative thinking skills. Recent literature calls for examples of pedagogical transformations from food systems courses to identify successful practices and potential challenges. We offer a recipe for what to teach by framing systems thinking concepts, then discuss how to teach it with five learning activities: deductive case studies, experiential learning, reflective narrative learning, system dynamics simulations and scenarios, and inductive/open-ended case studies, implemented with collaborative group learning, inter/trans-disciplinarity, and instructor-modeled co-learning. Each learning activity is animated with concrete examples from our courses at Oregon State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Vermont, USA. We discuss opportunities and challenges implementing these strategies in light of student, instructor, and institutional expectations and constraints. But the challenge is worth the effort, because food system transformation requires active learners and systemic thinkers as engaged citizens, food system advocates, entrepreneurs, and policy makers.

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A vision for attaining food security

Cited by 177 publications

References 40 publications

The Relationship between Cultural Norms and Food Security in the Karamoja Sub-Region of Uganda

The Relationship between Cultural Norms and Food Security in the Karamoja Sub-Region of Uganda

Agricultural biodiversity, social–ecological systems and sustainable diets

Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses

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