IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v6y2016i4p65-d84587.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Systemic Analysis of Food Supply and Distribution Systems in City-Region Systems—An Examination of FAO’s Policy Guidelines towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Vanessa Armendáriz

    (DIAG—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Automatica e Gestionale “Antonio Ruberti”—Sapienza University of Rome, Via Ariosto 25, Roma 00185, Italy)

  • Stefano Armenia

    (DIAG—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Automatica e Gestionale “Antonio Ruberti”—Sapienza University of Rome, Via Ariosto 25, Roma 00185, Italy
    SYDIC—System Dynamics Italian Chapter ( www.systemdynamics.it ), Via Carlo Sereni 12, Rome 00146, Italy)

  • Alberto Stanislao Atzori

    (SYDIC—System Dynamics Italian Chapter ( www.systemdynamics.it ), Via Carlo Sereni 12, Rome 00146, Italy
    Dipartimento di Agraria, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, Sassari 07100, Italy)

Abstract

The world is continuously transforming to supply growing cities and urbanization processes are still driving important changes in our current food systems. Future sustainability constraints are emphasizing that Food Supply and Distribution Systems (FSDS) are deeply embedded in city-region systems with specific technical and socio-ecological characteristics. This paper aims to provide a systemic understanding on FSDS focusing the integration of urban and rural structures considering the system biophysical boundaries and societal targets. A qualitative framework model, based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s FSDS literature, has been developed by using Systems Thinking (ST) and System Dynamics (SD) approaches. The model analysis suggested that to increase sustainability and resilience of food systems large emphasis has to be maintained on: (i) estimation of local territorial carrying capacities; (ii) land use planning to enhance connections among rural supplies and city needs; (iii) city policies, to regulate emergent market size and local scale of production; (iv) technological efficiency at farm, distribution and market levels; (v) urban, peri-urban and rural functional linkages that considers social metabolic balances; (vi) rural development as a core point for building sustainable food systems and counteracting the urbanization growth. These key areas are relevant to test new paths of cities-regions reconfiguration towards the transition to resilient agri-food systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanessa Armendáriz & Stefano Armenia & Alberto Stanislao Atzori, 2016. "Systemic Analysis of Food Supply and Distribution Systems in City-Region Systems—An Examination of FAO’s Policy Guidelines towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:6:y:2016:i:4:p:65-:d:84587
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/6/4/65/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/6/4/65/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. J. Barkley Rosser, 2011. "Complex Evolutionary Dynamics in Urban-Regional and Ecologic-Economic Systems," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-1-4419-8828-7, June.
    2. Giampietro, Mario & Mayumi, Kozo & Ramos-Martin, Jesus, 2009. "Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM): Theoretical concepts and basic rationale," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 313-322.
    3. D. John Shaw, 2007. "World Food Summit, 1996," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: World Food Security, chapter 35, pages 347-360, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. D. John Shaw, 2007. "World Food Security," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-58978-0, September.
    5. Anu Ramaswami & Christopher Weible & Deborah Main & Tanya Heikkila & Saba Siddiki & Andrew Duvall & Andrew Pattison & Meghan Bernard, 2012. "A Social‐Ecological‐Infrastructural Systems Framework for Interdisciplinary Study of Sustainable City Systems," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(6), pages 801-813, December.
    6. Armendàriz, Vanessa & Armenia, Stefano & Atzori, Alberto Stanislao & Romano, Angelo, 2015. "Analyzing Food Supply and Distribution Systems using complex systems methodologies," 2015 International European Forum (144th EAAE Seminar), February 9-13, 2015, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 206211, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. van Bers, Caroline & Delaney, Aogán & Eakin, Hallie & Cramer, Laura & Purdon, Mark & Oberlack, Christoph & Evans, Tom & Pahl-Wostl, Claudia & Eriksen, Siri & Jones, Lindsey & Korhonen-Kurki, Kaisa & V, 2019. "Advancing the research agenda on food systems governance and transformation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102560, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Simon Berner & Hartmut Derler & René Rehorska & Stephan Pabst & Ulrike Seebacher, 2019. "Roadmapping to Enhance Local Food Supply: Case Study of a City-Region in Austria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Cheikh Mbow, 2020. "Use It Sustainably or Lose It! The Land Stakes in SDGs for Sub-Saharan Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Flavio Lupia & Valerio Baiocchi & Keti Lelo & Giuseppe Pulighe, 2017. "Exploring Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Potential for Food Production in Urban Areas," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-17, May.
    5. Ewelina M. Marek-Andrzejewska & Anna Wielicka-Regulska, 2021. "Targeting Youths’ Intentions to Avoid Food Waste: Segmenting for Better Policymaking," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Noël van Dooren & Brecht Leseman & Suzanne van der Meulen, 2021. "How New Food Networks Change the Urban Environment: A Case Study in the Contribution of Sustainable, Regional Food Systems to Green and Healthy Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dele Raheem & Anu Holopainen & Jana Koegst & Maija Tulimaa & Moaadh Benkherouf, 2022. "Promoting Sustainability within the Nordic-Arctic Region’s Food System: Challenges and Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.
    2. Kebede Manjur Gebru & Maggi Leung & Crelis Rammelt & Annelies Zoomers & Guus van Westen, 2019. "Vegetable Business and Smallholders’ Food Security: Empirical Findings from Northern Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-28, January.
    3. Sierra, Jaime Cevallos, 2016. "Estimating road transport fuel consumption in Ecuador," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 359-368.
    4. Mayumi, Kozo & Tanikawa, Hiroki, 2012. "Going beyond energy accounting for sustainability: Energy, fund elements and the economic process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 18-26.
    5. Nora McKeon, 2021. "Global Food Governance," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 64(1), pages 48-55, June.
    6. Pérez-Sánchez, Laura & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario, 2021. "The international division of labor and embodied working time in trade for the US, the EU and China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    7. Vincent Gitz & Alexandre Meybeck, 2011. "The establishment of the High Level Panel of Experts on food security and nutrition (HLPE). Shared, independent and comprehensive knowledge for international policy coherence in food security and nutr," Working Papers hal-00866427, HAL.
    8. Xiaoyue Wang & Shuyao Wu & Shuangcheng Li, 2017. "Urban Metabolism of Three Cities in Jing-Jin-Ji Urban Agglomeration, China: Using the MuSIASEM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-21, August.
    9. Irina Poleshkina, 2018. "Problems of Food Security in the Regions of the Far North of Russia," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(3), pages 820-835.
    10. Andreoni, Valeria, 2020. "The energy metabolism of countries: Energy efficiency and use in the period that followed the global financial crisis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    11. Recalde, Marina & Ramos-Martin, Jesús, 2012. "Going beyond energy intensity to understand the energy metabolism of nations: The case of Argentina," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 122-132.
    12. Couix, Quentin, 2020. "Georgescu-Roegen's Flow-Fund Theory of Production in Retrospect," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    13. Guerini, Mattia & Napoletano, Mauro & Roventini, Andrea, 2018. "No man is an Island: The impact of heterogeneity and local interactions on macroeconomic dynamics," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 82-95.
    14. Palola, Pirta & Bailey, Richard & Wedding, Lisa, 2022. "A novel framework to operationalise value-pluralism in environmental valuation: Environmental value functions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    15. Dosi, Giovanni & Fagiolo, Giorgio & Napoletano, Mauro & Roventini, Andrea & Treibich, Tania, 2015. "Fiscal and monetary policies in complex evolving economies," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 166-189.
    16. María Jesús Beltrán & Esther Velázquez, 2011. "Del metabolismo social al metabolismo hídrico," Documentos de Trabajo de la Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España 01_2011, Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España.
    17. Martinez-Hernandez, Elias & Leach, Matthew & Yang, Aidong, 2017. "Understanding water-energy-food and ecosystem interactions using the nexus simulation tool NexSym," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1009-1021.
    18. J. Barkley Rosser & Marina V. Rosser, 2017. "Complexity and institutional evolution," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 415-430, December.
    19. Pere Ariza-Montobbio & Susana Herrero Olarte, 2021. "Socio-metabolic profiles of electricity consumption along the rural–urban continuum of Ecuador: Whose energy sovereignty?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7961-7995, May.
    20. Saskia Van Broekhoven & Anne Lorène Vernay, 2018. "Integrating Functions for a Sustainable Urban System: A Review of Multifunctional Land Use and Circular Urban Metabolism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-24, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:6:y:2016:i:4:p:65-:d:84587. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.