You Say You Want a Data Revolution? Taking on Food Systems Accountability

Quinn Marshall, Alexandra L. Bellows, Rebecca McLaren, Andrew D. Jones and Jessica Fanzo
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Quinn Marshall: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Alexandra L. Bellows: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Rebecca McLaren: Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Andrew D. Jones: School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Jessica Fanzo: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Dramatic improvements in data availability and quality are needed to meet the challenge of monitoring and analyzing food systems, so that appropriate policies and actions to improve human and planetary health can be identified and data-informed accountability mechanisms put in place to strengthen food systems governance. Studying food systems is complex due to diverse actors and interlinking processes that operate on multiple spatial and temporal scales, and their multiple outcomes, which may be subject to hidden feedback mechanisms and tradeoffs. However, descriptive research to characterize food system components and make comparisons across geography, income groups, and population groups is an important foundation. The first part of this article details a series of critical data gaps and limitations that are currently hindering food systems learning and accountability, also comparing these gaps across regions and income groups. The second part of the article introduces the Food Systems Dashboard, a new data visualization tool that aims to improve access to and usage of food systems-related data, thus strengthening the data value chain and better informing policies and actions intended to improve diets, nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability.

Keywords: data gaps; data visualization; food systems; accountability; dashboard (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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