Identifying attributes of food system sustainability: emerging themes and consensus

Hallie Eakin (), John Patrick Connors, Christopher Wharton, Farryl Bertmann, Angela Xiong and Jared Stoltzfus
Additional contact information
Hallie Eakin: Arizona State University
John Patrick Connors: Boston University
Christopher Wharton: Arizona State University
Farryl Bertmann: University of Vermont
Angela Xiong: Ascent Environmental
Jared Stoltzfus: James Madison University

Agriculture and Human Values, 2017, vol. 34, issue 3, No 17, 757-773

Abstract: Abstract Achieving food system sustainability is one of the more pressing challenges of this century. Over the last decades, experts from diverse disciplines and intellectual traditions have worked to document the critical threats to food system sustainability and to define an appropriate agenda for action. Nevertheless, these efforts have tended to focus selectively on only a few components of the food system or have tended to be framed in particular discourses. Depending on the point of departure, what aspects of the food system are considered threatened, and what must be sustained, can differ greatly between perspectives. In this article, we draw from systems-thinking and social-ecological systems concepts to focus on the underlying process-related attributes that could support a more sustainable food system. We then examine the support for specific system attributes in six different knowledge domains addressing sustainable agriculture and food. From this review, we identify five system attributes—diversity, modularity, transparency, innovation and congruence—that are repeatedly featured in the different knowledge domains as critical aspects of food system sustainability. We argue that in the face of considerable complexity and high uncertainty, these attributes can serve as a guide to conceptualizing food system choices adaptively and iteratively.

Keywords: Food systems; Sustainability; Food security; Socio-ecological systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-016-9754-8

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