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The global food system continues to be threatened by climate change, environmental degradation, food insecurity, and hidden hunger. Consequently, both ecosystem- and human health issues will continue or worsen if no sustainable strategies are adopted. In the search for food system transformation, organic is a promising approach to achieve sustainable food systems. From a food systems perspective organic actors share a value-based ethical vision and follow codifi ed principles that lead to sustainable outcomes. Organic principles are codifi ed in international and national standards and regulations. As a typical cradle-to-cradle approach, organic farming corresponds to the idea of a green technology. Through documenting real-world examples of organic food system cases worldwide, eleven cases have been selected based on predetermined criteria. This book documents real local food system examples around the globe, namely South-West region, Nigeria; Manyara region, Tanzania; Tamil Nadu, India; Bislig City, the Philippines; Goesan County, South Korea; Mouans-Sartoux, France; Södertälje, Sweden; Cilento, Italy; Quito, Ecuador; Pennsylvania, USA; Wellington, New Zealand.
The organic food and farming movement has lately been portrayed as a food system in its own right since it contains all necessary sub-systems, consisting of food environments, distribution networks, processing, as well as production and supply, all of which are bounded by an organic guarantee system. This dissertation critically reviews the discourse on driving forces in food systems and argues that mindset is the primary predictor for food system outcomes. While “yield per hectare” and “go big or go out” narratives are still driving the food system’s overall trajectory, transformative worldviews are beginning to transcend the Dominant Social Paradigm. This dissertation wants to sh...
One way to approach the food systems transformation is through the prism of food system outcomes. The present PhD study employed a mixed methods research design and actor-oriented approach to investigate the outcomes and transformative potential of one of the alternative food systems – the Organic Food System. A stepwise analysis began with the identifi cation of outcome categories along with the specifi c outcomes and proceeded with the investigation of the contribution to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, from goal- to target-level. The revealed outcomes can be attributed to the three dimensions of sustainability. Higher perception of wellbeing and overall quality of life have been repeatedly reported by the organic actors. The Sustainable Development Goals were found to have a high representation in the investigated case studies, whereby the goal 12, responsible consumption and production, seems to be central in all the investigated cases acting as a leverage, activating further outcomes. The results enabled the formulation of a conceptual framework, which needs to be tested in other contexts and settings.
The concept of quality of life has a wide range of applications in differentscientific fields and realms in life. To evaluate the link between the quality of life and food systems, a survey was conducted with the actors of an organic municipality in Södertälje, Sweden. This municipality is a pioneer in sustainable food production and consumption, research, planning and innovation. The survey results provided for a better understanding of how individuals affect and are affected by food systems. Organic consumers perceive local and organic food as healthier and more environmentally friendly than its conventional counterpart, and this perception typically impacts individuals’ perception of well-being. Quality of life is an important factor to consider when evaluating food systems, since it provides a person-centred approach in food systems’ evaluations. A questionnaire has proven to be an effective instrument to measure individuals’ quality of life and can be applied to food system evaluations, to facilitate the transformation process towards sustainable food systems. Food system transformation is essential to provide a high quality of life for individuals and society.
This book shares young scholars’ (current PhD students and those who completed their PhD between 2010 and 2015) experiences with conducting qualitative social research. Intended as a guide for newcomers to the field, it focuses on the practical issues encountered by qualitative researchers rather than methodological discussions. Accordingly, it addresses a range of representative issues in the qualitative research process – namely research design, data access, data collection, and data analysis – and covers a variety of social sciences topics.
Organic agriculture is defined as an environmentally and socially sensitive food supply system. This publication considers the contribution of organic agriculture to ecological health, international markets and local food security. It contains a number of case studies of the practical experiences of small farmers throughout the world (including India, Iran, Thailand, Uganda and Brazil) who have adopted fully integrated food systems, and analyses the prospects for a wider adoption of organic agriculture. The book also discusses the weakness of institutional support for nurturing existing knowledge and exchange in organic agriculture.
This book addresses the intersections of entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability in food systems, and presents high-quality research illustrating the central role that food consumption and production play in achieving sustainability goals. Entrepreneurship and innovation have become particularly relevant aspects in the European Union (EU), especially since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were announced in 2015. In many cases, innovations tend to arise from small and medium-sized enterprises, and from completely new entrepreneurial endeavors. This book represents essential reading for researchers and young academics seeking to reduce disparities and inequalities in food production and consumptions patterns. By encouraging sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation, it will also help young scholars find support for their startup ideas.
As we increase our awareness of the planetary challenges and how they intersect with the discipline or profession we choose to focus on, we have put our attention on the external forces and impacts. What remains untouched however is the set of beliefs, values, assumptions, mental processes, and paradigms that we hold and share: our mindset. But how do we change a mindset? This book is the first to introduce the 12 Principles for a Sustainability Mindset, presenting educators with a framework that makes it easy to include them into teaching plans and lessons of any discipline. Written in a very clear and practical way, the book provides examples, checklists, tips, and tools for professionals and educators. It transforms the development of a much-needed mindset for sustainability into an accessible, fun and intuitive task. The book is written with educators from a variety of disciplines in mind, including but not limited to management educators, coaches, and trainers. No other book comes close to providing such a well-organized and solid way of starting to shift our mindsets in the direction of sustainability.
Understanding Food Systems: Agriculture, Food Science, and Nutrition in the United States explores the complex and evolving system from which the United States gets its food. From farm, to home, and everything in-between, the authors use a scientific perspective that explains the fundamentals of agricultural production, food science, and human nutrition that will guide readers through the issues that shape our food system, including political, societal, environmental, economic, and ethical concerns. Presenting the role and impact of technology, from production to processing and safety, to cultural and consumer behavior perspectives, the book also explores the link between food systems and th...
This book will review the current status of the agriculture and agri-food sector in regard to green processing and provide strategies that can be used by the sector to enhance the use of environmentally-friendly technologies for production, processing. The book will look at the full spectrum from farm to fork beginning with chapters on life cycle analysis and environmental impact assessment of different agri-food sectors. This will be followed by reviews of current and novel on-farm practices that are more environmentally-friendly, technologies for food processing that reduce chemical and energy use and emissions as well as novel analytical techniques for R&D and QA which reduce solvent, chemical and energy consumption. Technologies for waste treatment, "reducing, reusing, recycling", and better water and energy stewardship will be reviewed. In addition, the last section of the book will attempt to look at technologies and processes that reduce the generation of process-induced toxins (e.g., trans fats, acrylamide, D-amino acids) and will address consumer perceptions about current and emerging technologies available to tackle these processing and environmental issues.