Operationalizing complexity: Why global food security demands a deeper commitment to systems thinking

As the global community grapples with a “polycrisis” of climate change, geopolitical instability, and rising food insecurity, the traditional tools of agricultural development are hitting a wall. For decades, the primary strategy of agricultural research for development (AR4D) has been a “hard” mechanistic approach: developing a high-tech solution and attempting to scale it linearly across the globe. However, a groundbreaking new study published in Agricultural Systems suggests that this reductionist mindset is no longer enough to transform our food systems.

The research, led by Hanna Ewell and an international team of scientists, including experts from various CGIAR centers, argues that the key factor in global food security is “systems literacy”. Defined as the capacity to understand and operationalize diverse systems approaches for specific problems, systems literacy is the difference between treating symptoms and addressing root causes.

The CGIAR case study: A mirror for global research

The authors focused their investigation on CGIAR, the world’s largest global research partnership for food security. With over 50 years of history, CGIAR provides a unique lens into the struggle of modern science to adapt to complexity. Despite a long-standing commitment to systems-aware research, ranging from farming systems research in the 1970s to recent food systems narratives, the study found that systems thinking remains underutilized, ad-hoc, and scattered within the organization.

Through a literature review and 19 in-depth interviews with researchers, donors, and practitioners, the study revealed a significant capability gap: while many claim to take a systems approach, the reality is often heuristic rather than genuinely systemic.