PUBLICATION

Defining barriers to food systems sustainability: a novel conceptual framework

Publication date: 17 | 10 | 2024

The transformation of food systems emerges as a critical challenge necessitating a deep, holistic comprehension of the complex and multifaceted barriers that hinder progress towards sustainability.

The existing literature is not consistent in identifying these barriers. Building upon existing work, this paper introduces a comprehensive, integrated, and interdisciplinary framework to dissect the nature and origins of the barriers to food system sustainability. Our framework categorizes these impediments into five domains: political economy, socio-technical, socio-cultural, biophysical, and socio-economic barriers, and highlights their intricate interplay and interconnected nature. We pinpoint the foundational role of political economy barriers as the cornerstone of a “system of barriers” that create or perpetuate unsustainability. This framework not only advances academic knowledge by providing a structured basis for analysing sustainability barriers but also serves as a practical tool for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, to foster transdisciplinarity and develop targeted interventions. We call for further empirical research, emphasizing the need for comparative analyses, longitudinal studies, and the exploration of feedback loops and non-linear dynamics between barriers, to inform effective and sustainable food system transformation strategies.

 

Defining barriers to food systems sustainability: a novel conceptual framework

 

 

 

 

OTHER NEWS

Cost and affordability of healthy diets in Vietnam

17-10-2024

Objectives: To estimate the cost and affordability of healthy diets recommended by the 2016–2020 Vietnamese food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG).

Conceptualizing sustainable diets in Vietnam: Minimum metrics and potential leverage points

17-10-2024

Like many countries, the Vietnamese government and international aid organizations in Vietnam have considerable interest in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which are inextricably linked with sustainable diets. The authors grounded the development of our conceptual framework in a Vietnamese context from the outset of the study, while also drawing from the scientific literature to incorporate the breadth of knowledge and theory available on sustainable diets.

Child stunting is associated with child, maternal, and environmental factors in Vietnam

17-10-2024

Child stunting has immediate and long-term consequences including increased morbidity and mortality as well as detrimental impacts on child development and adult health, and it contributes to the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, hindering economic development Therefore, the authors want to improve understanding of the determinants of child stunting in Vietnam nationally and among vulnerable subpopulations by assessing associations of hypothesized child-, maternal-, household- and environment-level determinants of stunting in children 6–59 months using nationally representative data from the 2015 Vietnam Nutrition Surveillance System.

Bottom-up participatory prioritization and identification of potential actions and interventions in three A4NH benchmark sites in Vietnam

17-10-2024

Included in the A4NH program, The authors researchers recommend future work that documents the engagement process with local stakeholders to prioritize local food systems’ issues and identify possible demand based actions, interventions, or local policy in three benchmark sites.

Assessing food consumed away from home in low-and middle-income countries by developing specific modules for household surveys: Experimental evidence from Vietnam and Burkina Faso

17-10-2024

The rise in food consumption away from home poses health risks and remains under-researched in many countries. This study developed and tested survey modules in Burkina Faso and Vietnam to capture its economic and nutritional impacts, revealing limitations and emphasizing the need for improved tools to measure this behavior accurately.

Diet Quality Index and Food Choice Motives in Vietnam: The Roles of Sensory Appeal, Mood, Convenience, and Familiarity

16-10-2024

Firstly, this paper provides additional evidence and proof-of-concept for the food choice questionnaire as a research tool in Vietnam. Secondly, demonstrating the use of a country-specific diet quality measure Diet Quality Index–Vietnam (DQI-V). Thirdly, assessing the relationship between DQI-V and food choice questionnaire (FCQ)

Are Policies in Vietnam Promoting a Healthy Food Environment?

16-9-2024

The rising prevalence of unhealthy diets and related health issues in Vietnam has prompted researchers to analyze the impact of current policies on food environments. This study, conducted under the SHiFT initiative, investigates the strengths and gaps in Vietnam’s multi-sectoral policy landscape, providing insights and recommendations for promoting healthier food systems.