IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/envsyd/v36y2016i1d10.1007_s10669-016-9584-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards metrics of sustainable food systems: a review of the resilience and vulnerability literature

Author

Listed:
  • Paolo Prosperi

    (Bioversity International, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II)

  • Thomas Allen

    (Bioversity International, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II)

  • Bruce Cogill

    (Bioversity International)

  • Martine Padilla

    (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM/IAMM - UMR Moïsa, Markets, Organizations, Institutions and Operators’ Strategies))

  • Iuri Peri

    (University of Catania)

Abstract

Food and nutrition security is a persisting global issue and, in addition, food systems are now facing a new set of intersecting economic, social and environmental challenges. Recurrent socio-economic and biophysical changes put the sustainability of food systems at risk. There is an urgent need to develop knowledge-based tools to assess and monitor food sustainability and to identify pathways for food security and resource conservation. The systemic nature of these interactions calls for multidimensional approaches and integrated assessments for decision-making to guide change. This paper reviews social–ecological system frameworks with the view to conceptualize the sustainability issues that affect the food systems. It is argued that the understanding of the food systems as social–ecological systems, and inputs from the theories of vulnerability and resilience in particular, can provide the concepts necessary to understand and model the complex system dynamics involved in the multiple interactions between human and natural components.

Suggested Citation

  • Paolo Prosperi & Thomas Allen & Bruce Cogill & Martine Padilla & Iuri Peri, 2016. "Towards metrics of sustainable food systems: a review of the resilience and vulnerability literature," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 3-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:36:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10669-016-9584-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10669-016-9584-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10669-016-9584-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10669-016-9584-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Glwadys A. Gbetibouo & Claudia Ringler & Rashid Hassan, 2010. "Vulnerability of the South African farming sector to climate change and variability: An indicator approach," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(3), pages 175-187, August.
    2. Paolo Prosperi & Iuri Peri, 2014. "Concepts and methods for sustainability assessment: Insights from food security," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(1), pages 23-34.
    3. David Tilman & Michael Clark, 2014. "Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health," Nature, Nature, vol. 515(7528), pages 518-522, November.
    4. Robin Leichenko & Karen O'Brien, 2002. "The Dynamics of Rural Vulnerability to Global Change: The Case of southern Africa," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, March.
    5. Strunz, Sebastian, 2012. "Is conceptual vagueness an asset? Arguments from philosophy of science applied to the concept of resilience," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 112-118.
    6. Foran, Tira & Butler, James R.A. & Williams, Liana J. & Wanjura, Wolf J. & Hall, Andy & Carter, Lucy & Carberry, Peter S., 2014. "Taking Complexity in Food Systems Seriously: An Interdisciplinary Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 85-101.
    7. S. Eriksen & P. Kelly, 2007. "Developing Credible Vulnerability Indicators for Climate Adaptation Policy Assessment," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 495-524, May.
    8. Paolo Prosperi & Thomas Allen & Martine Padilla & Iuri Peri & Bruce Cogill, 2014. "Sustainability and Food & Nutrition Security," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(2), pages 21582440145, June.
    9. W. Adger & P. Kelly, 1999. "Social Vulnerability to Climate Change and the Architecture of Entitlements," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 253-266, September.
    10. Neil Adger, W., 1999. "Social Vulnerability to Climate Change and Extremes in Coastal Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 249-269, February.
    11. Haddad, Lawrence, 2013. "How should nutrition be positioned in the post-2015 agenda?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 341-352.
    12. Roxana Liliana Ciurean & Dagmar Schroeter & Thomas Glade, 2013. "Conceptual Frameworks of Vulnerability Assessments for Natural Disasters Reduction," Chapters, in: John P. Tiefenbacher (ed.), Approaches to Disaster Management - Examining the Implications of Hazards, Emergencies and Disasters, IntechOpen.
    13. Barbara Vinceti & Céline Termote & Amy Ickowitz & Bronwen Powell & Katja Kehlenbeck & Danny Hunter, 2013. "The Contribution of Forests and Trees to Sustainable Diets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(11), pages 1-28, November.
    14. Glwadys A. Gbetibouo & Claudia Ringler & Rashid Hassan, 2010. "Vulnerability of the South African farming sector to climate change and variability: An indicator approach," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34, pages 175-187, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sydney Pryor & Trevor Casey & William H. Dietz, 2024. "Conceptualizing Agrifood Systems for a Healthy, Sustainable, and Just Transformation: A Systematic Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Yi Gu & Jinyu Sun & Jianming Cai & Yanwen Xie & Jiahao Guo, 2024. "Urban Planning Perspective on Food Resilience Assessment and Practice in the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-27, October.
    3. Monika Zurek & Aniek Hebinck & Adrian Leip & Joost Vervoort & Marijke Kuiper & Maria Garrone & Petr Havlík & Thomas Heckelei & Sara Hornborg & John Ingram & Anneleen Kuijsten & Lindsay Shutes & Johann, 2018. "Assessing Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security of the EU Food System—An Integrated Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Cameron McCordic & Bruce Frayne & Naomi Sunu & Clare Williamson, 2022. "The Household Food Security Implications of Disrupted Access to Basic Services in Five Cities in the Global South," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, April.
    5. Zachary A. Collier & James H. Lambert & Igor Linkov, 2016. "Introduction to the first general issue of 2016," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 1-2, March.
    6. Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi & Tendai Polite Chibarabada & Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo & Vongai Gillian Murugani & Laura Maureen Pereira & Nafiisa Sobratee & Laurencia Govender & Rob Slotow & Albert The, 2018. "Mainstreaming Underutilized Indigenous and Traditional Crops into Food Systems: A South African Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Sungyoon Lee & Jennifer Dodge & Gang Chen, 2022. "The cost of social vulnerability: an integrative conceptual framework and model for assessing financial risks in natural disaster management," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(1), pages 691-712, October.
    8. Federica Consentino & Gabriella Vindigni & Daniela Spina & Clara Monaco & Iuri Peri, 2023. "An Agricultural Career through the Lens of Young People," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.
    9. Virginia Vallejo-Rojas & Marta G. Rivera-Ferre & Federica Ravera, 2022. "The agri-food system (re)configuration: the case study of an agroecological network in the Ecuadorian Andes," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1301-1327, December.
    10. Thomas Allen & Paolo Prosperi & Bruce Cogill & Martine Padilla & Iuri Peri, 2019. "A Delphi Approach to Develop Sustainable Food System Metrics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(3), pages 1307-1339, February.
    11. Mequanint B. Melesse & Marrit Berg & Christophe Béné & Alan Brauw & Inge D. Brouwer, 2020. "Metrics to analyze and improve diets through food Systems in low and Middle Income Countries," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(5), pages 1085-1105, October.
    12. Yevheniia Varyvoda & Douglas Taren, 2022. "Considering Ecosystem Services in Food System Resilience," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-16, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Allen & Paolo Prosperi & Bruce Cogill & Martine Padilla & Iuri Peri, 2019. "A Delphi Approach to Develop Sustainable Food System Metrics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(3), pages 1307-1339, February.
    2. Mohammad Ehsanul Kabir & Palash Kamruzzaman, 2022. "Exploring the Drivers of Vulnerability Among Disadvantaged Internal Migrants in Riverbank Erosion Prone Areas in North-West Bangladesh," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 17(1), pages 57-83, April.
    3. Kathryn J. Bowen & Sharon Friel & Kristie Ebi & Colin D. Butler & Fiona Miller & Anthony J. McMichael, 2011. "Governing for a Healthy Population: Towards an Understanding of How Decision-Making Will Determine Our Global Health in a Changing Climate," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Sofia Mardero & Birgit Schmook & Jorge Omar López-Martínez & Lizette Cicero & Claudia Radel & Zachary Christman, 2018. "The Uneven Influence of Climate Trends and Agricultural Policies on Maize Production in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Deressa, Temesgen & Hassan, Rashid M. & Ringler, Claudia, 2008. "Measuring Ethiopian farmers' vulnerability to climate change across regional states:," IFPRI discussion papers 806, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Nikolaos A. Skondras & Demetrios E. Tsesmelis & Constantina G. Vasilakou & Christos A. Karavitis, 2020. "Resilience–Vulnerability Analysis: A Decision-Making Framework for Systems Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Ognjen Žurovec & Sabrija Čadro & Bishal Kumar Sitaula, 2017. "Quantitative Assessment of Vulnerability to Climate Change in Rural Municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-18, July.
    8. Julie Wilk & Mattias Hjerpe & Wei Yang & Hua Fan, 2015. "Farm-scale adaptation under extreme climate and rapid economic transition," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 393-407, June.
    9. Kerstin Krellenberg & Juliane Welz, 2017. "Assessing Urban Vulnerability in the Context of Flood and Heat Hazard: Pathways and Challenges for Indicator-Based Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 709-731, June.
    10. Mathilde Closset & Sosso Feindouno & Patrick Guillaumont & Catherine Simonet, 2017. "A Physical Vulnerability to Climate Change Index: Which are the most vulnerable developing countries?," Post-Print hal-01719925, HAL.
    11. Mohmmed, Alnail & Li, Jianhua & Elaru, Joshua & Elbashier, Mohammed M.A. & Keesstra, Saskia & Artemi, Cerdà & Martin, Kabenge & Reuben, Makomere & Teffera, Zeben, 2018. "Assessing drought vulnerability and adaptation among farmers in Gadaref region, Eastern Sudan," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 402-413.
    12. Muhammad Ziaul Hoque & Shenghui Cui & Lilai Xu & Imranul Islam & Jianxiong Tang & Shengping Ding, 2019. "Assessing Agricultural Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change in Coastal Bangladesh," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-21, November.
    13. S. Eriksen & P. Kelly, 2007. "Developing Credible Vulnerability Indicators for Climate Adaptation Policy Assessment," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 495-524, May.
    14. Abdullah Mamun & Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam & G. M. Monirul Alam & Md Nazirul Islam Sarker & Michael Odei Erdiaw-Kwasie & Humnath Bhandari & Javed Mallick, 2023. "Livelihood vulnerability of char land communities to climate change and natural hazards in Bangladesh: an application of livelihood vulnerability index," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(2), pages 1411-1437, January.
    15. Mequanint B. Melesse & Marrit Berg & Christophe Béné & Alan Brauw & Inge D. Brouwer, 2020. "Metrics to analyze and improve diets through food Systems in low and Middle Income Countries," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(5), pages 1085-1105, October.
    16. Jones, Lindsey & d'Errico, Marco, 2019. "Whose resilience matters? Like-for-like comparison of objective and subjective evaluations of resilience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-1.
    17. Brian C. Thiede & Abbie Robinson & Clark Gray, 2024. "Climatic Variability and Internal Migration in Asia: Evidence from Big Microdata," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 50(2), pages 513-540, June.
    18. Delphine Boutin, 2014. "Climate vulnerability, communities' resilience and child labour," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 124(4), pages 625-638.
    19. H.M. Tuihedur Rahman & Gordon M. Hickey, 2020. "An Analytical Framework for Assessing Context-Specific Rural Livelihood Vulnerability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-26, July.
    20. Barnett, Jon, 2001. "Adapting to Climate Change in Pacific Island Countries: The Problem of Uncertainty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 977-993, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:36:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10669-016-9584-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.