Conveners
Systems science for sustainability transitions in agri-food systems
- Katrien Descheemaeker (WUR)
Description
Key Points of the Session:
Agrifood systems face unprecedented challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity, geopolitical instability, and persistent inequalities. These challenges are highly interconnected and often characterised by feedback loops, trade-offs, and unintended consequences. As a result, there is growing recognition that reductionist approaches alone are insufficient to understand and address these complex sustainability challenges.
Systems science offers a complementary approach by focusing on interactions, feedbacks, cross-scale dynamics, and emergent properties such as resilience and sustainability. Systems approaches can help identify leverage points for change, anticipate unintended consequences, and support more integrated and adaptive forms of governance and management.
Expected learning outcomes and key discussion points:
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:
· Explain the basic principles and key elements of systems science.
· Recognise the value, strengths and weaknesses of systems approaches for understanding complex agrifood challenges.
· Identify priorities for future research and teaching in systems science for sustainable agrifood systems
· Form new connections to operationalize the priorities.