Integrating a Food Systems Lens into Discussions of Urban Resilience: A Policy Analysis

Family farming in climate change: Strategies for resilient and sustainable food systems

“…In contrast to previous investigations, our study sheds light on the capacity of family farming to make a meaningful contribution towards the attainment of the SDGs [ 115 ]. Specifically, This research showcases the ability of family farms to effectively adjust to and alleviate the consequences of climate change [ 25 ].…”

Transformative potential from the ground up: Sustainable innovation journeys, soft change and alignment of interests in urban food initiatives

“…Analysis of soft changes suggests that over time, in combination with alignment of interests, diffusion benefits can be more transformative than assumed at face value, which has implications for policy development. This notion of transformative capacity also identifies civil society as a key agent of change (Ballamingie et al, 2020; Pel et al, 2020). New ideas and practices can facilitate diffusion and change by replication of the project involved, by scaling up, or by translating the ideas into mainstream thinking (Maye, 2018; Seyfang and Haxeltine, 2012).…”

“…Cities have become increasingly dependent on globalised chains of production, processing and distribution. Since the beginning of this century a series of well-documented ‘shocks’ to the food system, of which Covid-19 is the latest, have caused analysts to question the sustainability of urban food provisioning (Ballamingie et al, 2020; Maye and Kirwan, 2013). Vulnerability of urban food systems is further heightened through a series of interdependent pressures, including population growth, urbanisation, changing diets, scarcity and depletion of resources, climate change and public health concerns (Wiskerke, 2015).…”

Routledge Handbook of Urban Food Governance

“…Behind the 'innovation' buzzword we find contested visions for sustainable food systems, particularly the competing agendas of 'technocentric' and 'ecocentric' responses, with the latter favouring 'appropriate' technologies over 'softer' innovation options (Kneafsey et al, 2021). In food policy, innovation typically refers to technology development (Ballamingie et al, 2020), such as the design of new products and services for markets. This science and technology framework may seem somewhat removed from urban food governance, but in reality urban food sustainability sits at the confluence of two innovation contexts, namely food innovation and urban innovation, the latter otherwise known as the 'smart city' agenda, which advocates ICT and techno-science as solutions for urban growth (Maye, 2019).…”