Transforming food systems: The quest for sustainability

Abstract

There is an almost universal recognition that modern agri-food supply chains are unsustainable. They are seen as both contributing to and vulnerable to climate change, too reliant on environmentally-damaging synthetic inputs, as undermining biodiversity, generating significant losses and waste and failing to deliver the nutritious food required for a healthy, balanced diet. Transforming food systems: The quest for sustainability addresses one of the greatest global challenges of our time: how to reform food systems so they are more sustainable but still able to produce the food we need. The book traces the evolution of the current global food production system and reviews competing approaches to achieving more sustainable production, starting with ‘reformist’ approaches which promote new technologies as a way forward, such as genetic modification and synthetic foods. This collection also considers the pros and cons of ‘progressive’ approaches, such as regenerative and organic agriculture, as well as the more radical solutions which seek to achieve a more fundamental reform of the food system. As the world tackles the central question of how food should be produced in the future, this book provides readers with an authoritative guide to the various solutions on offer and how to assess which road we should take.