Participatory System Mapping for Food Systems: Lessons Learned from a Case Study of Comox Valley, Canada

Mohaddese Ghadiri (), Robert Newell and Tamara Krawchenko
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Mohaddese Ghadiri: School of Environment and Sustainability, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2, Canada
Robert Newell: School of Environment and Sustainability, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2, Canada
Tamara Krawchenko: School of Public Administration, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada

Challenges, 2024, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: Food systems are complex and multifaceted, comprising a diverse range of actors, processes, and interactions. Participatory system mapping can be employed to help understand this complexity and support the development of sustainable and resilient food systems. This article shares a participatory mapping approach that has been developed as part of the Climate–Biodiversity–Health (CBH) Nexus project in the Comox Valley, British Columbia, Canada. This research pursues two main aims: (1) to ground truth in the CBH system map of food systems, developed with the participation of stakeholders; and (2) to explain how participatory system mapping can be employed to clarify the complexity of food systems in a clear and concise manner for all stakeholders. This research contributes to the literature on participatory system mapping, including critiques of its practical utility, by employing participatory approaches to visualize multi-dimensional and multi-level system maps with an emphasis on verifying that they are clear, understandable/useful, and reliable for diverse stakeholder audiences.

Keywords: system mapping; food systems; participatory approaches (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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