Addressing the Food–Health–Environmental Nexus for Agri-Food System Sustainability
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 13279
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food policy; agricultural policy; agricultural economics; sustainable food systems; life cycle assessment; life cycle costing; multi-criteria analysis; social network analysis; social impact assessment; participatory methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food quality; rural development; organic agriculture; production; sustainable agriculture; food and nutrition; agriculture; customer satisfaction; production management; sustainability
Special Issue Information
Dear colleagues,
The environmental impacts of mainstream agri-food systems are relatively well understood and include climate change and contamination, pollution, and degradation of natural resources, which generate effects on the biophysical system, via multiple and interconnected pathways. Those rooted interactions are associated with impacts on human health, i.e., the food–health–environment nexus, in the words of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES Food). Health risks are highly diverse and mutually reinforcing, including the exposure of farmers and farm workers to contaminants and pollutants in the workplace and of the public in the surrounding environment, as well as the consumption of unsafe and unhealthy food by whole populations. Poor living conditions and poverty can intensify the severity and prevalence of negative health impacts, by increasing people’s vulnerability, which makes the food–health–environment nexus an area of growing attention and concern. Researchers are called to contribute to the existing knowledge about the food–health–environment nexus, to support the development of solutions to address the environmental and health impacts of agri-food systems simultaneously, with practical implications for strategic decision making by policy makers and in the agribusiness. This adds to the constant need of work to address the global food security challenge in the long term, which involves producing more food with fewer resources to feed a fast-growing population. The purpose of this Special Issue is to offer insights into how different practices, systems, technologies, and approaches to food production and consumption can create positive synergies in the food–health–environment nexus, by boosting the positive externalities on the environment and human health, while mitigating the negative ones. Qualitative and quantitative studies addressing the environmental and health aspects of food production and/or consumption will be considered for publication, including field experiments, case studies, theoretical, and literature review studies. Systems thinking and holistic approaches combining the environmental, economic, and social dimension of sustainability are encouraged, e.g., providing evidence from life cycle sustainability assessment or system dynamics models, among others.
Dr. Oriana Gava
Dr. Giovanna Sacchi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- systems thinking
- agricultural sustainability
- sustainable consumption
- agricultural policy
- food policy
- environmental impacts
- health impacts
- food security
- nutrition security
- food safety
- sustainability transitions
- alternative food systems
- consumer studies
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