Agri-food Systems Overview

Principles

Definition

Agri-food systems is a comprehensive research concept and analytical framework that examines the complex network of activities, actors, and outcomes involved in the production, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal of food. As a field, it investigates the intricate interconnections between agricultural practices, market dynamics, consumer behaviour, and the environmental, social, economic, and health impacts across multiple scales, emphasizing a systemic, multi-disciplinary perspective crucial for addressing global challenges such as food security, sustainability, and public health.

Ontological type

Sustainability Dimensions

Core Components

Key Actors

Key developments

Key Figures

Systems Governance Emergence era

Joe Nasr [1] emerges as a central figure in the Systems Governance Emergence era (1980-2000) of agri-food studies, with affiliations across urban planning and related research institutions during this period. His notable contribution, Urban agriculture: food, jobs and sustainable cities [2], argues that city-based farming can advance food security, employment, and ecological resilience, thereby informing governance tools and cross-sector policy design in this era. Nasr [1] highlighted the potential of urban agriculture to act as a systemic node in commodity chains and policy networks, a perspective that underpinned later efforts to improve policy coherence and crisis-response architectures. Nasr [1] further argued that integrating urban food production into city planning could yield tangible benefits for jobs and sustainable development, reinforcing the governance emphasis on stability and resilience in the era.

Agroecology Institutionalization era

Dana Cordell [1] is associated with Linköping University [3] and the University of Technology Sydney [4] in Agroecology Institutionalization (2001-2014). Her key contribution includes The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought [7], which highlighted phosphorus stewardship and nutrient management as central to agroecology in this era. Terry Marsden [2] is associated with Cardiff University [5] and the University of Oxford [6] in Agroecology Institutionalization (2001-2014). His key contribution includes Understanding Alternative Food Networks: Exploring the Role of Short Food Supply Chains in Rural Development [8] (2003), which advanced the role of short supply chains for rural development and policy tools in agroecology.

Planetary-Boundary Transformation era

Walter C. Willett [1] is a leading figure in agri-food research during this era, with affiliations at Harvard University [3] and the University of California, San Francisco [4]. His 2018 paper 'Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits' (co-authored with Mario Herrero [2]) [7] offered actionable options to align the food system with planetary boundaries, a contribution that helped anchor planetary-boundary thinking in policy-relevant research for this era. Mario Herrero [2] is a prominent scholar associated with Cornell University [5] and the New York State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences [6] during this era. His contributions, through the same paper [7], include outlining systemic, global-scale options for staying within environmental limits, underscoring the rise of transdisciplinary, nexus-informed approaches to planetary-boundary transformation in agri-food research.