GECAFS understanding of Food Systems

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GECAFS understanding of Food Systems

• P. Ericksen
• December 2005
• Kathmandu, Nepal

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GECAFS Approach to Food Systems

• Comprehensive and broad definition
• Facilitates examination of links to Global
  Environmental Change (GEC)
• Water stress and management in particular (access
  and availability)
• Interdisciplinary approach food systems as
  social-ecological systems (SES)
• (cf. Berkes and Folke 1998) social mechanisms
  behind system management

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Food Systems Concepts questions defined

• What parameters describe food systems so as to
  facilitate GECAFS research?
• Within given food systems, which parameters are
  most sensitive to GEC?
• Who are the agents within each major food system,
  what are their roles, and how do they interact?

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A Food System

• is a set of dynamic interactions between and
  within the human and biogeophysical environments
  which result in the production, processing,
  distribution, preparation and consumption of
  food.
• (definition based on FAO viewpoint)
• should involve interactions designed to provide
  food security.
• operate through connections between related
  determinants operating in one or more major
  components.
• fail to deliver food security when determinants,
  and/or the links between them, are disrupted by
  GEC or other stresses.
• Includes social AND environmental components

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Generally food systems comprise a number of human
activities involved in..

• Producing food
• Processing packaging food
• Distribution retailing food
• Consuming food

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Food Security

• is the principal objective of food systems
• exists when all people, at all times, have
  physical and economic access to sufficient, safe,
  and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs
  and food preferences for an active and healthy
  life.
• (definition from the World Food Summit)
• emphasizes access for individuals, households,
  communities to food.
• is an integrated concept.

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Components of Food Security Key Elements
FOOD UTILISATION
FOOD ACCESS

• Affordability
• Allocation
• Preference

• Nutritional Value
• Social Value
• Food Safety

FOOD AVAILABILITY

• Production
• Distribution
• Exchange

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Food System OUTCOMES Contributing to

• Other societal goals
• Income
• Employment
• Wealth
• Social political capital
• Human capital
• Infrastructure
• Peace
• Insurance

• Environmental Security / Natural Capital
• Ecosystems stocks, flows
• Ecosystem services
• Access to NC assured

Food Security
FOOD UTILISATION
FOOD ACCESS

• Affordability
• Allocation
• Preference

• Nutritional Value
• Social Value
• Food Safety

FOOD AVAILABILITY

• Production
• Distribution
• Exchange

• Food System ACTIVITIES
• Producing food resource inputs, farmers, raw
  materials
• Processing packaging food
• Distribution retailing food marketing,
  advertising, trade
• Consuming food acquisition, preparation,
  consumption

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Food Availability

• Amount, type, and quality of food a unit
  (household, village, region) has at its disposal
  to consume

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Availability - Production

• How much and what kind of food is available to
  the household from local production.
• Determinants include
• land holding sizes, tenancy arrangements
• irrigation availability,
• etc.

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Availability - Distribution

• How food is made available (ie physically moved),
  in what form, when and to whom.
• Determinants may include
• Transportation and infrastructure
• Public safety nets
• Post harvest processing, storage

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Availability- Exchange

• A given units ability to obtain food via
  exchange mechanisms such as barter, trade, loans,
  purchase.
• Determinants include
• Income levels, remittances
• Purchasing power
• Local customs
• Social networks

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Access to Food

• The strategies households, communities, regions
  employ to obtain the type, quality, and quantity
  of food they require.

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Access - Affordability

• The purchasing power of households or communities
  relative to the price of food.
• Determinants
• Pricing policies
• Season and geographic variability in price
• Form in which households are paid

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Access Allocation

• The mechanisms governing when, where and how food
  can be accessed.
• Determinants
• Markets!
• Government policies

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Access - preference

• Social or cultural norms and values that
  influence demand for certain types of food.
• Determinants
• Religion
• Season
• Advertising
• Preparation requirements

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Food Utilization

• Household or community capacity (incl.
  Strategies) to consume food.
• Has traditionally been the entry point for
  analysis of food security from a nutritional
  standpoint

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Utilization Nutritional value

• How much of daily requirements of calories,
  vitamins, protein and micronutrients are provided
  by food consumed?
• Determinants
• Diversity of diet
• Type of primary protein
• Disease incidence

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Utilization Social Value

• All social and cultural aspects of consumption.
• Understanding the determinants requires insight
  into community and household relations
• Kinship customs
• Holidays

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Utilization food safety

• Can households process and prepare food without
  risk of contamination or decrease in nutritional
  value
• Determinants
• Facilities for cooking
• Access and availability of safe drinking water
• Hygiene practices

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Food system activities (examples)

• Producing food land preparation, input
  acquisition, planting
• Processing packaging food transformation into
  secondary product (content and profit modified/
  enhanced), packaging
• Distribution retailing food transport, sale
  in market, advertising
• Consuming food purchase, preparation, eating

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Example of links between activities
Natl govt
Food processing
Large City
District
Food wholesale market
Town Govt
Forests
Town
Local market
Town
Rivers
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Outputs from FS descriptions

• Key activities and ACTORS
• Key outcomes and determinants
• Policy and institutional links
• Linkages among activities

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Food System OUTCOMES Contributing to

• Other societal goals
• Income
• Employment
• Wealth
• Social political capital
• Human capital
• Infrastructure
• Peace
• Insurance

• Environmental Security / Natural Capital
• Ecosystems stocks, flows
• Ecosystem services
• Access to NC assured

Food Security
FOOD UTILISATION
FOOD ACCESS

• Affordability
• Allocation
• Preference

• Nutritional Value
• Social Value
• Food Safety

FOOD AVAILABILITY

• Production
• Distribution
• Exchange

• Food System ACTIVITIES
• Producing food resource inputs, farmers, raw
  materials
• Processing packaging food
• Distribution retailing food marketing,
  advertising, trade
• Consuming food acquisition, preparation,
  consumption

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In Break-out Groups

• Which gaps are most important to fill (refer to
  matrix)?
• Which areas are most uncertain?
• How to add in activities?
• Another matrix?
• Draw links to outcomes?