The Imperative of Systems Thinking Approach in Driving Food Systems Transformation through Science and Innovation

Abstract

As the world became progressively aware that increasing production did not solve global hunger and health problems, the issue of the environmental and social costs of focusing solely on food security and nutrition came to the fore. The term ‘food systems transformation’ was introduced as a radical idea of rethinking the key outcomes of food systems. A complete rethink of the attributes of food systems, including its purpose, rules, and power structures. Food system transformation processes would ideally reshape the way a food system is organized for the desired outcomes: food security, healthy diets, economic wellbeing, social wellbeing and environmental sustainability. Most of the social, economic, moral, and environmental challenges are interconnected and interact with each. Fully understanding the causes and solutions to these challenges is not possible when handled in isolation. Food systems are complex adaptive systems consisting of several actors, linkages, dynamics, etc. These complexity means food systems exhibit unpredictable behaviour, with nonlinear change, tipping points, and unintended responses to shocks and interventions. Systems thinking is a high-level approach to thinking, acting and practice necessary to effect transformational change in any domain. For food systems transformation to be inclusive, science and technology-based innovations must be accompanied by institutional innovations (social, business and policy innovations), underpinned by science (basic sciences and applied sciences, natural sciences and social sciences). Also, innovations need to be aligned with sustainability concerns. All these certainly requires attention and joint engagement by researchers from all areas of the food system-related disciplines.