DIGGING DEEPER: Bringing a Systems Approach to Food Systems: Another Argument for Adaptability

Authors

  • Kate Clancy Johns Hopkins University; Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture; Tufts University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2015.052.007

Keywords:

Systems Thinking, Adaptability

Abstract

First paragraph:

I thought of some of the systems concepts I've been writing about here when I saw the paper by Marty Heller and Greg Keoleian in the Journal of Industrial Ecology last fall (2014). In it they reported that a shift from the present-day average American diet to a diet based on the current USDA dietary recommendations results in an 11% increase in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). On the other hand, a shift to a 2,000 calorie diet (Americans now "consume" an average of about 2500 calories according to the USDA's retail-level food availability data [Heller & Keoleian, 2014]) results in only a 2% overall decrease in GHGE. Most people would expect larger decreases in GHGE given the 20% decrease in calories and considerable decreases in recommended meat consumption. But the shifts to food patterns needed to move to a healthier diet include the substitution of dairy products for meat proteins, and solid fats and added sugars represent relatively low emissions per calorie. The authors state that this may be a surprising result—but it shouldn't be if one has been following the research on foodprints for a while. What I find of most interest, however, is how the new science in the article again calls forth a need to understand the complexity in dynamic food systems, including feedback and how it is heard and treated, and heterogeneity—many actors who have different goals and decision-making procedures. What follows from this reality is the need for adaptability, clear thinking, and overcoming innate biases....

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Author Biography

Kate Clancy, Johns Hopkins University; Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture; Tufts University

Kate Clancy is a food systems consultant, visiting scholar at the Center for a Livable Future, Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, senior fellow at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, and adjunct professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She received her bachelor's and Ph.D. degrees in nutrition at the University of Washington and the University of California Berkeley, respectively. She has studied food systems for over 40 years and has held positions in several universities, the federal government and two nonprofit organizations. Her present interests are regional food systems, food security, agriculture of the middle, and policies at all levels to encourage the development of resilient food systems.

Kate Clancy

Published

2015-02-17

How to Cite

Clancy, K. (2015). DIGGING DEEPER: Bringing a Systems Approach to Food Systems: Another Argument for Adaptability. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 5(2), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2015.052.007

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