Food system resilience thinking: from digital to integral

Abstract

The current food system is directly influenced by the increase in environmental problems and nutritional inequality globally. Financial and political collapses, health crises, excessive urbanization, and rapid industrialization are some of the principal factors threatening the food supply's security. The food system needs a profound transformation to avoid ecosystem destabilization and a global food crisis. Concerning this transformation, we are certain that the first step for a successful food system change is global resilience thinking. To reach an integrated food system, we proposed introducing the resilient concept linked with other known concepts, such as circular economy and sustainability. A resilient food system can recover over time, ensuring the supply of sustainable and quality food and access to all. This would mean redesigning the value chains in the food system, re-educating consumers to implement a healthier diet, and introducing technology such as digital innovation. Re-evaluating these relevant points, redesigning the focus of the food system, not only for economic efficiency but also including significant trade-offs, or valuing other services in the food system, are essential to reaching the desired resilience.

Resilience in the food sector – environmental, social and economic perspectives in crisis situations

“…While attention is being paid to filling the information gap among farmers, which has a significant impact on sustainable agriculture and its development (Adamashvili et al, 2019), it seems necessary to take a step further towards resilient agriculture and food production. Resilient food systems require linking to other concepts like circular economy but also specific practices for innovation (Brassesco et al, 2022), just to mention farm digitalization (Fourati-Jamoussi et al, 2018) addressed by the F2F strategy. Additionally, attention should be paid to depopulation of wild animals.…”

Driving hospitality and tourism to foster sustainable innovation: A systematic review of COVID-19-related studies and practical implications in the digital era

“…They may support building a resilient food system capable of recovering throughout time, maintaining the availability of sustainable and high-quality food for everybody. This would entail re-engineering the food system’s value chains, re-educating consumers to adopt a healthier diet, and requiring producers to develop new goods ( Brassesco, Pintado and Coscueta, 2021 ).…”

The Role of Digitalization in Facilitating Circular Economy

“…The authors highlighted the potential benefits of leveraging these technologies to virtualize agri-food systems, which included reduced safety risks, reduced labor costs, reduced human error, and faster performance due to a lower turn-around time for decision-making and intervention. In a similar vein, Brassesco et al (2021) discussed the impact of digital tools, particularly sensors and robotics within IoT frameworks, on food systems resiliency. The impact of digitalization was discussed primarily from a supply chain and logistics perspective, in which the authors pointed out that integrated IoT frameworks could support intelligent tracking and monitoring of animals, products, and services, as well as active control of indoor or outdoor production processes.…”

“…The authors pointed out that currently, many of these food system technologies focus on horticulture and logistics efficiency to maintain the quality and freshness of food products while reducing cost and time during transport within the supply chain. Improving several basic functions of agri-food supply chains, including sensing, monitoring, control, analysis (descriptive capabilities), prediction (predictive capabilities), decision-making (prescriptive capabilities), and adaptive learning, would enable earlier and more accurate detection of problems, potentially even predicting them before they occur, and would facilitate better decision-making thereby improving the sustainability and resilience of agrifood supply chains (Brassesco et al, 2021).…”

“…Due to the required sophistication in agricultural systems, however, the need for government incentives to support profitability in circular models was also discussed. Brassesco et al (2021), highlighted the potential of digital tools to enhance food system resiliency, noting a need to establish a solid network that digitally integrates the following elements: logistics management (security, temperature control, and travel tracking); the availability of crops linked to producers and control of the supply chain; the application of Industry 4.0 concepts to food production; the use of the IoT to improve food-related health outcomes; IoT applications to minimize food waste; IoT devices for the food supply chain; 5G solutions and challenges for the food supply chain; and cybersecurity related to the food supply chain. The authors stated that to achieving a paradigm shift toward digitalization in the agri-food system would require significant cultural change at a rate much greater than we are currently seeing.…”