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Transformation archetypes in global food systems

Dornelles, André Zuanazzi ; Boonstra, Wiebren J. ; Delabre, Izabela ; Denney, J. Michael ; Nunes, Richard J. ; Jentsch, Anke ; Nicholas, Kimberly A. LU orcid ; Schröter, Matthias ; Seppelt, Ralf and Settele, Josef , et al. (2022) In Sustainability Science 17(5). p.1827-1840
Abstract

Food systems are primary drivers of human and environmental health, but the understanding of their diverse and dynamic co-transformation remains limited. We use a data-driven approach to disentangle different development pathways of national food systems (i.e. ‘transformation archetypes’) based on historical, intertwined trends of food system structure (agricultural inputs and outputs and food trade), and social and environmental outcomes (malnutrition, biosphere integrity, and greenhouse gases emissions) for 161 countries, from 1995 to 2015. We found that whilst agricultural total factor productivity has consistently increased globally, a closer analysis suggests a typology of three transformation archetypes across countries: rapidly... (More)

Food systems are primary drivers of human and environmental health, but the understanding of their diverse and dynamic co-transformation remains limited. We use a data-driven approach to disentangle different development pathways of national food systems (i.e. ‘transformation archetypes’) based on historical, intertwined trends of food system structure (agricultural inputs and outputs and food trade), and social and environmental outcomes (malnutrition, biosphere integrity, and greenhouse gases emissions) for 161 countries, from 1995 to 2015. We found that whilst agricultural total factor productivity has consistently increased globally, a closer analysis suggests a typology of three transformation archetypes across countries: rapidly expansionist, expansionist, and consolidative. Expansionist and rapidly expansionist archetypes increased in agricultural area, synthetic fertilizer use, and gross agricultural output, which was accompanied by malnutrition, environmental pressures, and lasting socioeconomic disadvantages. The lowest rates of change in key structure metrics were found in the consolidative archetype. Across all transformation archetypes, agricultural greenhouse gases emissions, synthetic fertilizer use, and ecological footprint of consumption increased faster than the expansion of agricultural area, and obesity levels increased more rapidly than undernourishment decreased. The persistence of these unsustainable trajectories occurred independently of improvements in productivity. Our results underscore the importance of quantifying the multiple human and environmental dimensions of food systems transformations and can serve as a starting point to identify potential leverage points for sustainability transformations. More attention is thus warranted to alternative development pathways able of delivering equitable benefits to both productivity and to human and environmental health.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Agricultural productivity, Food systems, Sustainable development, Systemic efficiency, Transformations
in
Sustainability Science
volume
17
issue
5
pages
1827 - 1840
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85124849775
ISSN
1862-4065
DOI
10.1007/s11625-022-01102-5
project
Sustainable Land and Food Systems
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
da1ba01b-00c5-4a45-a7d8-eb9b7a1b0133
date added to LUP
2022-04-13 15:13:10
date last changed
2023-09-02 02:42:06
@article{da1ba01b-00c5-4a45-a7d8-eb9b7a1b0133,
  abstract     = {{<p>Food systems are primary drivers of human and environmental health, but the understanding of their diverse and dynamic co-transformation remains limited. We use a data-driven approach to disentangle different development pathways of national food systems (i.e. ‘transformation archetypes’) based on historical, intertwined trends of food system structure (agricultural inputs and outputs and food trade), and social and environmental outcomes (malnutrition, biosphere integrity, and greenhouse gases emissions) for 161 countries, from 1995 to 2015. We found that whilst agricultural total factor productivity has consistently increased globally, a closer analysis suggests a typology of three transformation archetypes across countries: rapidly expansionist, expansionist, and consolidative. Expansionist and rapidly expansionist archetypes increased in agricultural area, synthetic fertilizer use, and gross agricultural output, which was accompanied by malnutrition, environmental pressures, and lasting socioeconomic disadvantages. The lowest rates of change in key structure metrics were found in the consolidative archetype. Across all transformation archetypes, agricultural greenhouse gases emissions, synthetic fertilizer use, and ecological footprint of consumption increased faster than the expansion of agricultural area, and obesity levels increased more rapidly than undernourishment decreased. The persistence of these unsustainable trajectories occurred independently of improvements in productivity. Our results underscore the importance of quantifying the multiple human and environmental dimensions of food systems transformations and can serve as a starting point to identify potential leverage points for sustainability transformations. More attention is thus warranted to alternative development pathways able of delivering equitable benefits to both productivity and to human and environmental health.</p>}},
  author       = {{Dornelles, André Zuanazzi and Boonstra, Wiebren J. and Delabre, Izabela and Denney, J. Michael and Nunes, Richard J. and Jentsch, Anke and Nicholas, Kimberly A. and Schröter, Matthias and Seppelt, Ralf and Settele, Josef and Shackelford, Nancy and Standish, Rachel J. and Oliver, Tom H.}},
  issn         = {{1862-4065}},
  keywords     = {{Agricultural productivity; Food systems; Sustainable development; Systemic efficiency; Transformations}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{1827--1840}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Transformation archetypes in global food systems}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01102-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11625-022-01102-5}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}