…measures that strengthen an ecosystem’s ecological resilience (i.e., an ecosystem’s ability to maintain its normal patterns of nutrient cycling and biomass production), combined with measures that emphasize prevention and mitigation, have been used. Gerber JS Gordon LJ Recent studies support the links among crop diversity, the nutritional adequacy of diets, and human health (Jones et al. Imagine how little farmland would be lost if productive farms were exempt from property tax, if there was a statewide farmers’ retirement fund, and if farming was recognized in statute and in land use planning as the highest and best use of fertile land for the greater public good. MacDonald GK Azrack A Food Resilience – Resilience Community Shifting precipitation patterns, soil degradation, and a strained water supply are just a few examples of the types of occurances that are impacting food supply and distribution. Conduct a food system resilience assessment: More research is needed to identify the unique vulnerabilities of food systems in every city and to identify the appropriate short- and long-term solutions. Begkoyian G Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. indicator that measures resilience. G. MacDonald was supported through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. From metaphor to measurement: Resilience of what to what? Carpenter SR 2008)—but often with limited transparency. Transformation involves watershed-level changes in land use patterns and waterway management so that destruction to fields and property is avoided when excess rainfall can be absorbed and distributed across the landscape. Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: Harbinger or exception for other tropical forests? The case study focused on rural, smallholder producers in Malawi shows links among equity, human health, and nutrition in smallholder production systems (box 3). Msachi R The vertical integration of production, marketing, and distribution systems has contributed to an increasingly homogenous, calorie-rich, and land-intensive global diet (Cassidy et al. Cities represent a unique challenge for building resilient food systems with diversified distributions systems. Cornell SE USAID is also helping to facilitate a broader discussion on resilience meas-urement through the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), including - recently (February 2013) - an Experts Expert Consultation on Resilience Measurement for Food Security 3. Also, the focus on inorganic chemical fertilizer only serves to mask the underlying issue of declining soil fertility, which jeopardizes long-term yield productivity. 2012). Rasanathan K, Cassidy ES For instance, shifting from annual crops to perennial crops has the potential to substantially improve ecosystem functions. Addressing gender inequities and social injustice while fostering community-level self-governance could enhance the adaptive capacity in food systems by prioritizing local solutions as outlined in our case studies. The Brazil example illustrates the potential for proactive public policy to improve consumer access to diverse, culturally relevant diets. Although the example of violent riots during the 2007–2008 global food price crisis shows that (external) food price shocks can fuel civil conflict, the effects of the recent escalation of violence in the northeast of Nigeria is an example of the flip side: civil conflict aggravating food and nutrition insecurity. Belo Horizonte is a city of approximately 2.5 million people located in southeastern Brazil. Building Food Resilience Agriculture has been able to adapt to recent changes in climate; however, increased innovation will be needed to ensure the rate of adaptation of agriculture and the associated socioeconomic system can keep pace with climate change over the next 25 years. This holds true for food supply chains, and their resilience Legumes are another example of a plant functional group that enhances agroecosystem resilience while also having co-benefits for human nutrition and the environment (Snapp et al. For example, the School Meal Program is sourced 30% from family farmers (FAO 2014), and mobile food outlets are mandated to sell in low-income areas on the weekends at approximately 20% to 50% below market price in exchange for the opportunity to sell food in more profitable locations during the week (Rocha and Lessa 2009). Crop diversity and enhanced landscape diversity through diverse field border plantings can increase multitrophic pest regulation, reducing reliance on external pesticide inputs (Lundgren and Fergen 2011). Kaler, Carpenter S Finally, we highlight regional case studies that have enhanced food system resilience for vulnerable populations. McGranahan G Here, we integrate these concepts to emphasize the attributes and strategies required for food systems to learn and adapt to stressors while simultaneously enhancing equity and social justice. Furthermore, the presence of certain plant functional groups can have disproportionate impacts on ecosystem function. Imagine how the purchasing power of consumers would change our food system if foods were required to be labeled with triple bottom line information. The examples from Malawi, Brazil, and India represent innovative strategies that have all had measurable impacts on improving human health through the integration of production, distribution, and consumption activities with improvements in social equity (table 1). Meagan E. Schipanski, Graham K. MacDonald, Steven Rosenzweig, M. Jahi Chappell, Elena M. Bennett, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Jennifer Blesh, Timothy Crews, Laurie Drinkwater, Jonathan G. Lundgren, Cassandra Schnarr, Realizing Resilient Food Systems, BioScience, Volume 66, Issue 7, 01 July 2016, Pages 600–610, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw052. Crawford EW, Kastner T Increased resilience is also essential if food security and livelihoods goals are to be met in the context of a changing climate and other environmental emergencies. Restoring perennials to agricultural landscapes, either in crop rotations or in field borders, could confer resilience and substantially improve numerous ecosystem functions (Smith TE et al. Karlberg L, Bezner Kerr R For example, resilience analysis in Palestine shows For example, global trade in livestock feed has contributed to vast phosphorus surpluses and degraded water quality in some regions, and the depletion of soil phosphorus in other regions, while also reducing the capacity for recycling this crucial nonrenewable resource (Schipanski and Bennett 2011). It is related to personality but can be learned and improved over time. Shumba RL Borghi E Integrating agroecology and human health in Malawi. 2014) and to the simultaneous prevalence of chronic diseases, including type-2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers alongside hunger (Hawkes and Popkin 2015). 2014). 2010). In addition, food price volatility remains a pressure on food security despite vast increases in food production. Brazil's GHI score declined by 73% over the past 25 years. de Valpine P Let’s use Tropical Storm Irene and its impact on Vermont’s food system as a context for considering the three levels. Conflicts, natural disasters, climate change, food price volatility and health crises related to food safety and agriculture. For example, the Food and Agriculture Organi-zation (FAO) of the United Nations has recently advocated building. Where this is the ... the ability and methods to measure resilience are contested. In addition, inequity and injustice increase vulnerability to civil unrest, which is a key driver of famines and food shortages (Cederman et al. Additionally, the authors conducted a case study of Puerto Rican policies and proposals as an experiment in applying the Food System Resilience Policy Chart to a specific context. To see this page as it is meant to appear please use a Javascript enabled browser. 2013, Khoury et al. Shimabukuro Y, Dixon J Such a strategy could enhance the food self-sufficiency of a given region by closing yield gaps (West et al. Bennett EM Simplified production systems can be more vulnerable to climate variability because of dependence on the success of one or two crops (Schlenker and Lobell 2010). The definition of resilience to food insecurity Although some regulatory elements offer an important safety net, others may reduce the ability of food systems to adapt to disruptions at either short or long timescales (Bennett et al. Blössner M From a resilience perspective, the current trajectory toward more resource-intensive diets that threaten ecological resources and human health illustrates the lack of feedback and adaptive capacity within the current food system. 2014), promoting regenerative capacity (Benson and Garmestani 2013), reducing waste, and recycling nutrients. Cramer W, Folke C Despite strong evidence of the importance of equity and justice in addressing food system resilience, we find that less than 6% of food security publications over the past 25 years included the topics of gender, equity, or justice (figure 3a). Kremen C, Satterthwaite D Achadi E Then you’ve come to the right blog. Agroecological approaches seek to ensure long-term productivity through the restoration of biodiversity and the full array of ecosystem functions that support food production and human well-being (i.e., clean water, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation). Cassidy ES It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. 2009). There is nonetheless some complexity in weighting individual indicators so as to Asia’s food chain resilience during Covid-19. Carlisle R, Elser JJ Balvanera P Over the past 50 years, global agricultural production increased by 47%, supported by 5.6-fold and 2.5-fold increases in nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer inputs and contributing to over 400 marine hypoxic zones worldwide (Diaz and Rosenberg 2008, Foley et al. Currently, dominant approaches to addressing vulnerabilities in production and distribution components of food systems emphasize regulation, including policies and price support systems, such as crop insurance, trade liberalization, and incentive programs. Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City stand out as cities that have already started to analyze the resilience of their food systems. An emerging approach to address gender inequity is the formation of all-women farming groups. Gerten D The objective of this review is to explore and discuss the concept of local food system resilience in light of the disruptions brought to those systems by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. 2002). Greater inclusivity of women translated to food system change beyond smallholder farms (Agarwal and Herring 2013). Anderies JM The challenges and opportunities for fostering food system links across scales depend on local context and political will to develop tailored policies, such as those developed in Brazil (box 4). Addressing this vulnerability requires the integration of food production and consumption sectors. Third, resilience can be defined as the property of a well-being outcome. Ribaira E Develop neighborhood food resilience plans: Planning should be prioritized for neighborhoods where food access would be disproportionately impacted by a natural disaster. It is primarily addressed to food security and resilience practitioners in Central America and for those working on climate and food security metrics more generally. Transformation wedges include investments in integrated solutions adapted to the local and regional social–ecological contexts of production, distribution, and consumption—coupled with local efforts to increase access to resources by addressing systemic inequities—that could have cross-scale outcomes that vastly improve equitable and sustainable food system resilience globally. Past research has explored why food environments develop in certain ways, with a specific focus on equitable access to healthy and affordable options. These include multiple processes of global change (e.g. For example, the Food Self-Reliance Assessment model developed by our partners at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia allocates land with the goal to maximize sustainable bioregional food production iv. Doughty P Jarvis A Mikulcak F More than one-fifth of global calorie production is exported (MacDonald et al. Urban Food Systems. Food systems: A food system is the network of activities ­connecting people to their food. All three case studies (boxes 2, 3, and 4) provide examples of strategies that link social and ecological dimensions of food systems across scales with positive human health outcomes. Burns C The case studies and strategies described here illustrate how improving food and resource accessibility for the most vulnerable populations could have far-reaching impacts for food security, human well-being, and the environment. of resilience capacity and food security that are combined using the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model.4 The third measure, “realized resilience”, is a measure of resilience itself founded on tracking households’ food security over the course of an actual shock. to provide resilience measures. A summary of the characteristics of current, brittle food system strategies and the impacts of alternative, more resilient strategies based on specific case studies from India, Malawi, and Brazil described in boxes 2, 3, and 4. Nested and teleconnected vulnerabilities to environmental change, Rethinking agricultural production collectivities, Food security, productivity and gender inequality, A framework for resilience-based governance of social–ecological systems, Effects of a participatory agriculture and nutrition education project on child growth in northern Malawi, a Participatory Agriculture–Nutrition project in Malawi, A Transforming Gender and Food Security in the Global South, An indicator framework for assessing agroecosystem resilience. SFHC initiated a new Malawi Farmer to Farmer Agroecology project in partnership with university researchers to scale out to northern and central Malawi with 6000 households using these same approaches. Ryan MR FoodFeed Editor, Freelance Writer, and Public Relations/ Communications Consultant, Sustainable Food Systems & The University of Vermont. Erb K-H About half of all workers in India are employed in agriculture, with 80% of farms less than two hectares in size. Introduction. The Soils, Food, and Healthy Community Project (SFHC) began as a pilot project in which farmers tested the efficacy of intercropped legumes as a chemical fertilizer alternative. 2012). These dynamics have potentially large consequences for developing countries’ autonomy vis-à-vis food systems and social equity, including impacts on rural livelihoods (Golay and Biglino 2013). The urban poor are especially vulnerable to global food price volatility, as seen in the food crisis of 2007–2008. SMASAN's strategies to strengthen rural–urban links focus on delivering high quality food to the urban poor through farmers markets, subsidized food vendors, a school meal program, and a food bank. de Onis M, [IFPRI] International Food Policy Research Institute, Jayne TS Mawona E Sun S For example, gender equality and good farming practices were promoted by encouraging men to share in traditionally female activities, such as legume residue management and food preparation. TANGO and FAO use the … Round table and panel discussions will focus on resilience in its different forms - in food … 2015). 2011). Here are eight examples of actions cities can take to foster resilience. King J Hanspach J All rights reserved. 2012). Comprehensive combinations of adaptation, mitigation and transformation are needed to address all of the big food system problems we face, from childhood diabesity, to loss of farmland, to the declining quality of food offered by the commercial food system. In a new series of research papers commissioned by the Canadian cities Edmonton and Calgary, we explore themes related to building climate-resilient cities. Ongoing efforts to perennialize major grain crops such as wheat offer even greater potential for building resilience and restoring ecosystem function. Chappell MJ 2013. M. Schipanski and G. MacDonald shared leadership in writing the manuscript. 4 interventions or measures essential to drive climate resilience efforts and investments by all actors includes: Climate risk and vulnerability assessments, disclosure and monitoring Early warning systems and early action Preparedness: contingency plans/emergency response Climate risk governance and capacity-building Nature-based solutions used to reduce risks across sectors For example, resilience is the ability to bounce back quickly from an extreme weather event by re-establishing food production and distribution, hopefully with improvements so that such events will do less harm in the future, while sustainability is the long term challenge to slow the rate of climate change so that extreme weather events won’t continue to increase dramatically in frequency and intensity. Regional and local food systems also create social embeddedness between producers and consumers, fostering greater attention to social inequities and agroecosystem management (Migliore et al. 2013). Struik PC, Loos J V2R Practical Action’s Vulnerability to Resilience WFP United Nations World Food Programme A comparative overview of resilience measurement frameworks 5 . The urban food environment is a complex system of restaurants, grocers, and other food retailers where production and distribution networks meet the consumer. Compared with a decade ago, 75% fewer children are hospitalized for malnutrition, and 25% fewer people live in poverty as a result of programs that use 2% of the city's annual budget (Rocha and Lessa 2009). To increase the buffering capacity of urban food systems, models are emerging that strengthen links between local and regional food systems in addition to maintaining links to global systems. Food supply chain resilience is defined by Global Food Security (GFS) as “the system’s capacity to maintain a desired state of food security when exposed to stresses and shocks” (13). However, gender disparities undermine potential improvements in well-being from India's growing economy. Linking food system research with social movements focused on reducing poverty and injustice could help build partnerships needed to target successful strategies, fostering more just, sustainable, and resilient food systems. Resilience building involves increasing the capacity of communities potentially exposed to hazards to resist, adapt and recover. Recent trends in (a) per-capita food availability (1990–2011), (b) the number of undernourished people (1990–2014), and (c) the domestic food price volatility index (2000–2014) for the world, developed, and least developed countries (UN Classification). 2014). It will require building resilient food systems, where resilience is the capacity of a system to experience disturbance while retaining the same core functions, identity, and feedbacks (Walker et al., 2006). SMASAN also supports urban agriculture programs to supplement local fruit and vegetable supplies. Tichit M 2014). Resilient systems have buffering capacity, which enhances their ability to adapt to changes, learn from past mistakes, and recover from disturbances. Social–ecological resilience research has increasingly addressed adaptive capacity, or the ability of a system to self-organize and adapt in the face of disturbance (Carpenter et al. Resilience has emerged as a unifying concept in a number of disciplines linked to the sustainability sciences (Curtin & Parker 2014).However, interest in resilience extends beyond ecology and natural resource management to fields such as international development, health, food security, community planning and disaster management (Xu, Marinova & Guo 2014). Scheffer M Increasing emphasis on local and regional food systems could foster more rapid innovation and the ability to adapt to global-change forces (Ostrom 2010). The physical separation of production and consumption activities has also displaced environmental impacts of production to exporting countries. Abson DJ Ultimately, these case studies illustrate how integrating multiple strategies, or “wedges,” can have a cumulative effect on food system resilience that is dependent on local or regional context. 2014) by sourcing food from multiple scales of distribution and diverse markets and supporting polycentric loci of decisionmaking. Boxes 3 and 4 provide further examples of food system strategies in Malawi and Brazil, respectively, that have successfully integrated issues of gender, equity, or justice with production and distribution strategies. This means that current projections conflate “wants” influenced by policy and commercial interests for resource-intensive diets with the “needs” of those without effective demand (e.g., those lacking consumer purchasing power and access sufficient to match the level of their basic food needs; Loos et al. Njuku J Resilience: Resilience is the capacity of a system to withstand shocks and external pressures while maintaining its basic structure, processes, and functions. This health-centered approach focuses on the type of food produced, by whom, and for whom, which allows production gains to translate to human health benefits. Food-demand projections have been converted into food-production goals used to justify policies that support the simplification and intensification of production and distribution systems with implications for food accessibility (Loos et al. Smith RG, Msachi R Some metrics can address both resilience and sustainability since they affect both long- and short-term outcomes. Simultaneously, growing social and economic inequalities contribute to the coexisting challenges of malnutrition and overconsumption (Dixon et al. 2015). Source: Thomson Reuters Web of Science. The following are illustrative examples of personal resilience. Conflicts, natural disasters, climate change, food price volatility and health crises related to food safety and agriculture. Lucht W Fischer J, MacDonald GK Although the total quantity of food produced in the city is relatively low, increased vegetable consumption and social networks have been strengthened, and support for urban agricultural programs has increased substantially (FAO 2014). Carpenter S Resilience has multiple levels of meaning: as a metaphor related to sustainability, as a property of dynamic models, and as a measurable quantity that can be assessed in field studies of SES. Smallholder producers and local consumers in many regions are vulnerable to disturbances such as extreme weather events, land grabs, and limited access to resources. Sustainability measurements might include: CO2e per unit of food produced, Btu fossil energy per unit of food produced, annual soil erosion rate, nutrient fluxes, and average net profit per unit of land over many years. In contrast, the GHI of Malawi declined by 54% over this same period while investing approximately 10% of the national budget in fertilizer subsidy programs, and India's GHI declined by 40% (IFPRI 2015). The challenges and counter-measures discussed can play an important role in shaping a picture of the hurdles all network operators, regardless of their size and maturity, will have to face in several cases. to resilience in food systems. Walker B Personal resilience is the ability to remain productive and positive when faced with stress, uncertainty and change. The expansion of trade has therefore helped to increase food availability in many net-importing countries—but potentially at the cost of reduced resilience through reliance on foreign sources of food over which these countries have little to no agency and cannot always afford. Physical separation of production to exporting countries flour ) and the Gordon Betty... 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