Resilience, Food Security and Food Systems: Setting the Scene

Abstract

The aim of this introduction chapter is twofold. First it will set the scene, frame the overarching problem and present the central question of this volume: How does the concept of resilience help in improving our general understanding of the development process, in particular around the issue of food (in)security, and how does it influence the way development interventions around this question of food security are now programmed and implemented? To address this ambitious question, the entire series of chapters will adopt a food system approach. The second part of the introduction chapter will then ‘kick-start’ the discussion, first by providing some initial element of definition for the three concepts under consideration and then by highlighting some of the main discussions, debates or even contradictions that emerge in the literature around the definition, interpretations and application of those concepts.

Evolution of Food and Nutrition Policy: A Tasmanian Case Study from 1994 to 2023

“…Contemporary approaches to food security recognise the fundamental role of agency for all individuals, including the voices of the most marginalised and those of limited financial means, underscoring the importance of adopting participatory and people-centred approaches in policy development [55,56]. This focus on enhancing individuals' capacity to make choices and have a say in shaping the local food system, reinforced by the recent addition of agency as a dimension of food security [2,3], is pivotal to empowering communities to strengthen their own resilience [57,58]. By empowering individuals, households, communities, or identity-based groups, there is a transformative shift towards active participation and decision making in the food system rather than as passive recipients of government policies or donor assistance.…”