Sustainable Food Systems

In the aftermath of the food price spikes of 2008, scholars and policymakers have become much more aware of the dynamics of food security and its inherent relationship with sustainability. A new paradigm is emerging, which is the ecosystem-based and more localised, as we can see in developments, at least in the UK. Increasing population and demand for food is meeting a potentially diminishing resource base that can give rise to conflicts over increasingly scarce resources – although much depends on the proportion of protein and vegetables in the diet. We could already feed 9 billion people on a plant-based diet. The various chapters look at governance, procurement policies, sustainable food supply chains, bio-security, the new rural – urban interface and the key importance of urban strategies for food security and sustainability, especially given continued migration into cities. Overall, the book gives a good analysis of the social, economic and political drivers that can create a more sustainable food system, linking research, practice and policy.