A Research Agenda for Food Systems

Publisher’s summary

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.

Illuminating the global food system as a highly dynamic set of interconnecting interests and sub-systems that drives rapid technological, societal, and cultural change, this cutting-edge Research Agenda examines the pressing issues that confront food systems, and the emerging responses to them.

Chapters from internationally renowned specialists address the pressing issues facing food systems, including the growing concentration and power of large agri-food corporations, the contribution of food production to climate breakdown, the exploitation of agricultural labour, food poverty, and the reconfiguration of animal bodies. Reviewing possible ‘solutions’, chapters then examine the potential for a digital agricultural revolution, the contribution of alternative proteins in dietary change, and the emergence of regionalized and regenerative food systems. The book concludes with a look towards hybrid foodscapes, exploring how design can help us to re-imagine our stake in food systems of the future.

Interdisciplinary, holistic, and accessible in its approach, this innovative book will prove vital to students and scholars engaged in the study of food – from production to consumption – as well as those concerned with policymaking in the fields of public health and nutrition, food governance, sustainability, and environmental advocacy.

Reference

Sage, C. L. (ed.) (2022). A Research Agenda for Food Systems, Elgar Research Agendas.Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.

Read more here. Open access to Chapters 1 and 2 can be found here. See also the TABLE explainer An overview of food system challenges.