Unpacking the ‘Food Systems’ Buzzword

Food systems come in many forms: from traditional to industrial, local to global, regenerative to technological, and plenty more. Each of these systems have their own unique structures, principles and challenges: While informal roadside markets bring essential income to many rural families, they may also perpetuate inequalities, primarily led by women who cannot access formal markets; likewise, while participation in global food systems through international exports may promise higher incomes, they require producers to continually conform to changing market demands and regulations.

Today, food production must adapt to climate change, feed a growing population, and ensure resilient livelihoods for agricultural communities. Faced with these needs, calls for ‘food systems transformation’ are growing. However, while the term ‘food systems’ has become the basis of dialogue and decision-making on food and agriculture, there is no agreed definition of this multifaceted term; to effectively tackle the challenges we face, let’s start with the question: What are food systems?