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Assessing Community Contributions to Sustainable Food Systems: Dietitians Leverage Practice, Process and Paradigms

Author

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  • Liesel Carlsson

    (Blekinge Institute of Technology
    Acadia University)

  • Edith Callaghan

    (Blekinge Institute of Technology
    Acadia University)

  • Göran Broman

    (Blekinge Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Food systems are not sustainable, and efforts to address this are paralyzed by the complex networks of food system actors and factors that interact across sectoral and geographic scales. Actions at the community level can positively contribute toward globally sustainable food systems (SFS). Assessing such contributions has two central challenges: 1) a lack of methods that support alignment between communities and across scales, balanced against the need to involve the community in developing relevant indicators; and 2) the absence of adequate, fine grained data relevant to the community. Addressing these two challenges, this paper illustrates a proposed procedure that supports community engagement with, and assessment of, their contributions. Engaged by a community of Canadian dietitians, researchers used the Delphi Inquiry method, guided by the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, to address the first challenge, and causal loop diagrams informed by the Cultural Adaptation Template to address the second. Indicators were developed for dietitian-identified actions and outcomes for SFS. Modeling indicator interactions provide insight into how some actions are influenced by and reinforce the value placed on SFS within the professional cultural paradigm, as well as priority areas for action and measurement. Process-oriented assessment is useful in the context of partial and subjective understandings of a dynamic system, and supports continual adjustment in action. This article offers theoretical and practical insight for community engagement in addressing some of the systemic challenges in food systems. It accommodates community-based knowledge, applies process-indicators, and emphasizes the importance of cultural paradigms as a driving force of community-level actions, and overall system change. Under current conditions, facilitating SFS literacy among dietitians can amplify adaptations for broader SFS development.

Suggested Citation

  • Liesel Carlsson & Edith Callaghan & Göran Broman, 2021. "Assessing Community Contributions to Sustainable Food Systems: Dietitians Leverage Practice, Process and Paradigms," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 34(5), pages 575-601, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:34:y:2021:i:5:d:10.1007_s11213-020-09547-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11213-020-09547-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thomaz Wood & Edvalter Becker Holz & Renato Souza, 2023. "When Rigor Meets Relevance: the Development of Hybrid Actionable Knowledge Production Systems," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 1-29, February.

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