Speaker: Dr Christian Reynolds, City St George's University of London

Food systems research is expanding rapidly, but what kinds of knowledge are most visible to policymakers, who produces and funds that knowledge, and where do important gaps remain? This seminar presents findings from a bibliographic mapping of 7.218 policy documents, 26,692 academic publications and 14,656 research grants across the EU, UK, EEA, and Switzerland using Dimensions and Overton databases. By tracing connections between policy citations, published research, funders, institutions and collaborations, the analysis provides a distinctive view of research that enters policy-facing evidence systems.

The findings reveal a substantial but concentrated funding landscape and strong research capacity around climate action, land, health and food security. Nearly half of the mapped documents address climate, food, and health together, suggesting a meaningful foundation for systems-oriented research. However, equity, gender, poverty, institutional change and systems governance are considerably less variable. The field also appears stronger at diagnosing food system problems than at explaining how change can be implemented, evaluated and made economically and politically feasible.

The presentation will consider what these patterns mean for researchers, funders and policymakers. It will conclude by identifying opportunities for more inclusive collaboration, research synthesis and investment in the connective infrastructure between evidence and action.

Can attend online or in-person.