OUR WRITING KeywordsAgri-food systemAgricultural biodiversityAgricultural innovationAgricultural intensificationAgricultural lossesAgricultural monocultureAgricultural productionAgricultural productivityAgricultural yieldAgroecologyAgroforestry/silvopastureAlcoholic drinksAlternative food movementAlternative proteinAlternatives to intensive farmingAnimal feedAnimal welfareAnthropoceneAnthropocentrismAquacultureArable crops and arable landBeefBig foodBiodiversityBiodiversity conservationBioenergyBiological nitrogen fixationBiotechnologyCarbon footprintCarbon sequestrationCarbon sinksCarbon sinks and sequestrationChicken/poultryClimate changeClimate change impactsClimate policyCommunicable diseasesConservation biologyConsumer food choice appsConsumer perceptions and preferencesConsumptionConsumption and production trendsConventional agricultureCorporate food regimeCrop diversityCrop systemsCrop-livestock integrationCulture & communityDairyDeforestationDeforestation riskDevelopment policiesDietary guidelinesDietary surveyEcomodernismEconomics, business, and tradeEcosystemEcosystem restorationEcosystem servicesEcosystems & biodiversityEcosystems and ecosystem servicesEnvironmental & Social ImpactsEnvironmental impact assessmentsEnvironmental policyFarmingFarming systemsFeed conversion efficiencyFish stocks/overfishingFish/aquatic typesFisheriesFlexitarianismFood and agriculture policyFood and healthFood chainFood consumptionFood cultureFood justiceFood policyFood securityFood sovereigntyFood supplements/nutritional enhancementFood System TransformationFood systemsFood systems thinkingFood systems: an introductionFood systems: research methodsFood waste/surplus foodFruitFuture of foodGenderGHG emission trendsGHG emissions and mitigationGHG impacts and mitigationGHGsGlobal healthGlobal warming potentialGovernance, policy, and powerGrazed and confusedGrazing and grasslandGreen economy/alternative economic modelsGWP*Health and nutrition policyHealth concernsHorticulture and fruit treesHousehold food consumptionHuman health & wellbeingHungerIndustrial food manufacturingIndustry actions/CSRInequalityInsectsIntensive agricultureInvasive speciesInvestmentLand governanceLand sparing - sharingLand systems & changeLand useLand use and land use changeLegumes/pulsesLife cycleLife cycle analysisLivestockLivestock on LeftoversLocal foodMalnutritionMalnutrition/undernourishmentMarine and aquatic ecosystemsMarketsMeatMeat and taboos/religious beliefsMeat, Dairy & LivestockMethaneMilkMitigation policiesMonogastricMultiple burdens of malnutritionNitrogenNitrogen fixationNon-communicable diseasesNutritionNutritionismOrganicOrganic farmingOvernutritionPalm oilPlant/crop sciencePolitical economyPolitics & ParadigmsPorkPost-harvest lossesPoverty alleviationPower & ProteinProduction efficiency/intensityProteinProtein malnutrition and PEM (Protein-energy malnutrition)Public attitudesRegenerative agricultureRegenerative grazingResearch methodsResilience and vulnerabilityRewildingRuminantRuminantsScaleScience and backgroundSmallholder (farms)Soil healthSoilsSoySoy MoratoriumSpotlight onStandards/certificationStorage and refrigerationSubstitutes for meat & dairySupply chainsSustainable development goalsSustainable food securitySustainable healthy dietsSustainable intensificationTechnology & innovationThe Great Protein FiascoTradeUltra-processed foodUltra-processed food (UPF)UndernutritionUrban agricultureUrban food systemsVegetablesVegetarianism/veganismWater footprintWater managementWater use/consumptionWritten materialsZoonotic diseases TypeEssayExplainerLetterboxPublication RegionAfricaAsiaAustralasiaEuropeGlobalLatin America and the CaribbeanMiddle-eastNorth America Year20122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 Image Essay Spotlight on urban, vertical and indoor agriculture This post is written by Helen Breewood, research and communications officer at the FCRN. She blogs about global sustainability issues at The Progress Motive. You can find her on Twitter. She is writing this post in her personal capacity. Read Image Essay Feeding the melting pot: Inclusive sustainable diets in the multi-ethnic city Anke Brons is a PhD Candidate in environmental sociology at Aeres University of Applied Sciences, Almere and Wageningen University. Her research focuses on inclusive healthy and sustainable food systems in a Western urban context. She holds an MSc degree in International Development Studies from Wageningen University. You can find her on Twitter. Read Image Explainer What is the nutrition transition? Changes in diet and lifestyle can be caused by many factors and can, in turn, cause changes in health. This building block explains what the nutrition transition is and its implications for health and environmental sustainability. Last update: 12 October, 2018 https://www.doi.org/10.56661/39a7336f Read Image Explainer What is the connection between infectious diseases in humans and livestock? Diseases that pass between animals and humans are responsible for many of the diseases affecting people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Animals (wild and domestic) also play an important role in the emergence and spread of entirely novel human diseases, with the potential for large impacts on human health, such as bird flu. Another aspect of this to which livestock contribute, is the rise and spread of resistance to antibiotic drugs. One outcome of sustainable food systems is that they should be health promoting. It is, therefore, useful to understand the interconnection between infectious diseases in human and animals, and how these risks may be amplified or reduced by changes in farming systems. Read Image Essay Hacknights: a new way to explore food, diet and sustainability issues – and to get people talking! In this blog post, Christian Reynolds (Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield) discusses "Hacknights" for exploring diet and climate data, run by the Greenhouse Gas and Dietary Choices Open source Toolkit project. This blog post has been published in collaboration with the UK Data Service - read the corresponding post on the Data Impact Blog here. Read Image Explainer What is the land sparing-sharing continuum? Agricultural production is responsible for the majority of global land use. The use of land to produce food almost always comes into conflict with goals for the conservation of nature and wildlife. This building block explains the land sparing-sharing continuum, which encompasses two fundamentally different approaches to balancing goals for food production and biodiversity conservation. Last update: 14 August, 2018 https://www.doi.org/10.56661/4d83249a A shorter written version of this summary is available here. Read Image Essay Building a better food system through institutional partnerships Riana Topan is a campaign manager with Humane Society International/Canada, which together with its affiliates is the largest animal protection organisation in the world. She works to protect farm animals by advocating for higher-welfare policies and regulations, and supports institutions in offering plant-based food options that are better for the animals, the environment, and human health. You can reach her here. Read Image Essay Simple but not simplistic: can product badges encourage more sustainable consumption? This article is written by James Hand, co-founder of Giki Social Enterprise. Before founding Giki in 2017, James spent 20 years in Asset Management, most recently as Co-CIO at Investec with experience in big data, behavioural finance, company research and ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing. Read Image Essay Soybeans, food insecurity and agroecology: multidisciplinary food sustainability in Bolivia This blog post is by Dr Johanna Jacobi, Senior Research Scientist in the Sustainability Governance Cluster at the University of Bern’s Centre for Development and Environment. Johanna Jacobi is a geographer and biologist who has been living and working in Bolivia for six years. She currently implements research in two projects, one about 'food sustainability' (the topic of this blog), and one about 'high-quality coffee and coffee cherry value chains in the origin countries Colombia and Bolivia'. She is interested in agroecology as a science, a set of practices and a social movement and is also a member of SOCLA (Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology). One key topic in her research activities has been agroforestry and its role in food security and the resilience of farming systems. Read VIEW MORE
Image Essay Spotlight on urban, vertical and indoor agriculture This post is written by Helen Breewood, research and communications officer at the FCRN. She blogs about global sustainability issues at The Progress Motive. You can find her on Twitter. She is writing this post in her personal capacity. Read
Image Essay Feeding the melting pot: Inclusive sustainable diets in the multi-ethnic city Anke Brons is a PhD Candidate in environmental sociology at Aeres University of Applied Sciences, Almere and Wageningen University. Her research focuses on inclusive healthy and sustainable food systems in a Western urban context. She holds an MSc degree in International Development Studies from Wageningen University. You can find her on Twitter. Read
Image Explainer What is the nutrition transition? Changes in diet and lifestyle can be caused by many factors and can, in turn, cause changes in health. This building block explains what the nutrition transition is and its implications for health and environmental sustainability. Last update: 12 October, 2018 https://www.doi.org/10.56661/39a7336f Read
Image Explainer What is the connection between infectious diseases in humans and livestock? Diseases that pass between animals and humans are responsible for many of the diseases affecting people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Animals (wild and domestic) also play an important role in the emergence and spread of entirely novel human diseases, with the potential for large impacts on human health, such as bird flu. Another aspect of this to which livestock contribute, is the rise and spread of resistance to antibiotic drugs. One outcome of sustainable food systems is that they should be health promoting. It is, therefore, useful to understand the interconnection between infectious diseases in human and animals, and how these risks may be amplified or reduced by changes in farming systems. Read
Image Essay Hacknights: a new way to explore food, diet and sustainability issues – and to get people talking! In this blog post, Christian Reynolds (Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield) discusses "Hacknights" for exploring diet and climate data, run by the Greenhouse Gas and Dietary Choices Open source Toolkit project. This blog post has been published in collaboration with the UK Data Service - read the corresponding post on the Data Impact Blog here. Read
Image Explainer What is the land sparing-sharing continuum? Agricultural production is responsible for the majority of global land use. The use of land to produce food almost always comes into conflict with goals for the conservation of nature and wildlife. This building block explains the land sparing-sharing continuum, which encompasses two fundamentally different approaches to balancing goals for food production and biodiversity conservation. Last update: 14 August, 2018 https://www.doi.org/10.56661/4d83249a A shorter written version of this summary is available here. Read
Image Essay Building a better food system through institutional partnerships Riana Topan is a campaign manager with Humane Society International/Canada, which together with its affiliates is the largest animal protection organisation in the world. She works to protect farm animals by advocating for higher-welfare policies and regulations, and supports institutions in offering plant-based food options that are better for the animals, the environment, and human health. You can reach her here. Read
Image Essay Simple but not simplistic: can product badges encourage more sustainable consumption? This article is written by James Hand, co-founder of Giki Social Enterprise. Before founding Giki in 2017, James spent 20 years in Asset Management, most recently as Co-CIO at Investec with experience in big data, behavioural finance, company research and ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing. Read
Image Essay Soybeans, food insecurity and agroecology: multidisciplinary food sustainability in Bolivia This blog post is by Dr Johanna Jacobi, Senior Research Scientist in the Sustainability Governance Cluster at the University of Bern’s Centre for Development and Environment. Johanna Jacobi is a geographer and biologist who has been living and working in Bolivia for six years. She currently implements research in two projects, one about 'food sustainability' (the topic of this blog), and one about 'high-quality coffee and coffee cherry value chains in the origin countries Colombia and Bolivia'. She is interested in agroecology as a science, a set of practices and a social movement and is also a member of SOCLA (Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology). One key topic in her research activities has been agroforestry and its role in food security and the resilience of farming systems. Read
