Basis For Monitoring The Performance Of Sustainable Development Goals In Organic Food Systems

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 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 showcase how mindset qualities such as those found in organic food systems (OFS) and their resulting driving forces are converging with the trajectories of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other food system transformation agendas. The hypotheses that shall be valorized in this dissertation are the following: (1) Drivers in OFS convey narratives that appeal to the human need for self-determination, and transcendence, evoking sustainable happiness and personal responsibility; (2) OFS Drivers promote a paradigm shift that is conducive to achieving the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and (3) OFS Drivers around the world display specific sustainability patterns, irrespective of geographical-climatic, political-economic, and socio-cultural conditions. Through integrated fi ndings from actor-centered mixedmethods grounded theory (MM-GT) research involving the documentation of eleven case territories, this work identifi ed a pattern of global mindset attributes that drives OFS actors toward holistic human and sustainable development.

This publication offers a systemic analysis of sustainability in the food system, taking as its framework the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. Targeted chapters from experts in the field cover main challenges in the food system and propose methods for achieving long term sustainability. Authors focus on how sustainability can be achieved along the whole food chain and in different contexts. Timely issues such as food security, climate change and migration and sustainable agriculture are discussed in depth. The volume is unique in its multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach. Chapter authors come from a variety of backgrounds, and authors include academic professors, members of CSO and other international organizations, and policy makers. This plurality allows for a nuanced analysis of sustainability goals and practices from a variety of perspectives, making the book useful to a wide range of readers working in different areas related to sustainability and food production. The book is targeted towards the academic community and practitioners in the policy, international cooperation, nutrition, geography, and social sciences fields. Professors teaching in nutrition, food technology, food sociology, geography, global economics, food systems, agriculture and agronomy, and political science and international cooperation may find this to be a useful supplemental text in their courses.

Taking a food systems approach is a promising strategy for improving diets. Implementing such an approach would require the use of a comprehensive set of metrics to characterize food systems, set meaningful goals, track food systems performance, and evaluate the impacts of food systems interventions. Food systems metrics are also useful to structure debates and communicate to policy makers and the general public. This paper provides an updated analytical framework of food systems and uses this to systematically identify relevant metrics and indicators based on data availability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The list of indicators partly overlaps with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators, but these do not cover all aspects of the food system. We conclude that public data are relatively available on food systems drivers and outcomes, and on some, but not all, of the activities. With only minor additional investments, existing surveys could be extended to cover a large part of the required additional data. For some indicators, targeted data collection efforts are needed. Because of the overlap with the SDG indicators, part of the collected data could serve not only to describe and monitor food systems, but to track progress towards attaining the SDGs.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This important compilation presents an in-depth view spanning past values and practices, present understandings, and potential futures, and covering a range of concrete case studies on sustainable development of organic agriculture. The book explores the very different facets of organic and sustainable agriculture. Part I of this book delves into the ways that people have approached organic agriculture in sociological, scientific, and economic terms. Part II looks ahead to the future of organic agriculture, presenting opportunities for further progress. Part III consists of an extensive bibliography chronologically developing the progress of organic and sustainable agriculture over two thousand years. The book Studies the cultural dimension of organic consumption Presents how sustainable agriculture can reduce and mitigate the impact of climate change on crop production Looks at the impact of agriculture on both famine and rural poverty in an ecofriendly and socially inclusive manner Examines six of the oldest grain-crop-based organic comparison experiments in the US, looking at the environmental and economic outcomes from organic agroecosystems, to both producers and policymakers Reviews the role of experimentation and innovation in developing sustainable organic agriculture Looks at the challenges of organic farmers Discusses ways to ensure sustainability and resilience of farming Looks at ways to change the mindset of farmers especially in traditional farming communities Explores the development of organic and sustainable agriculture through more than 500 years, ending with the early twenty-first century. Altogether, the chapters provide a nuanced look at the development of organic and sustainable agriculture, with the conclusion that organic is not enough to be sustainable.

The aim of this report is to present an overview of the 17 Goals using data currently available to highlight the most significant gaps and challenges.

This report aims to highlight the current strengths of the institutional DRR system for agriculture in Belarus as well as indicate existing gaps and capacity needs to further enhance it. A comprehensive assessment is conducted, which includes a general overview of the country’s agricultural sector and outlines the most frequent natural hazards that are impacting the sector. It is followed by an analysis of the existing legal, policy and institutional structure and discusses various components of the system, including e.g. the functioning of early warning systems, assessments of disaster risks, post-disaster needs assessments, including damages and losses assessments and the availability of agricultural insurance for farmers. It concludes by providing recommendations for capacity building interventions to strengthen the current system to reduce the adverse impacts of natural hazards, in particular, floods, landslides and droughts, and climate change on agriculture in Belarus.

After the United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to "end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all," researchers and policy makers highlighted the importance of targeted investment in science, technology, and innovation (STI) to make tangible progress. Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainable Development Goals showcases the roles that STI solutions can play in meeting on-the-ground socio-economic and environmental challenges among domestic and international organizations concerned with the SDGs in three overlapping areas: agriculture, health, and environment/energy. Authors and researchers from 31 countries tackle both big-picture questions, such as scaling up the adoption and diffusion of new sustainable technologies, and specific, localized case studies, focusing on developing and middle-income countries and specific STI solutions and policies. Issues addressed include renewable energy, automated vehicles, vaccines, digital health, agricultural biotechnology, and precision agriculture. In bringing together diverse voices from both policy and academic spheres, this volume provides practical and relevant insights and advice to support policy makers and managers seeking to enhance the roles of STI in sustainable development.

This book explores how integrated management of environmental resources via a Nexus Approach can help to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It takes a process-oriented view on what should or needs to be done to implement a Nexus Approach and how this relates to SDGs. After sketching the background and conceptual outline, contributions to the book explore key aspects of monitoring and implementation. Specifically, they: focus on the importance of monitoring resource use and how to advance it at the international level to support SDG implementation, exemplify the resources perspective on the nexus approach by exploring how to close the nitrogen cycle and stay within planetary boundaries, elaborate on proven and emerging strategies for nexus implementation, highlighting means to enhance, monitor and analyse stakeholder participation, explain how the horizontal and vertical nexus dimensions interact and can support SDG implementation. The book sheds new light on key aspects of the interrelation between SDGs and the Nexus Approach and provides specific recommendations how to advance it.