Introduction to the Special Issue: More Than Value$ in the Food System

First paragraph: This special issue draws attention to the diverse values applied to, embedded in, and emerging from food systems. Although scholarship has long rec­ognized that a range of values is at play in food systems—and the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development has been paramount to showcasing this type of research—the dominant perspective continues to elevate a highly central­ized model that prioritizes the values of maximi­za­tion (of yield and profit) above all else. Yield and profit are no doubt important, but the unparalleled emphasis they receive obscures the other important social and environmental values that inform how and why people engage in food systems. As so many food system scholars have previously articu­lated, what we need for relevant, inclusive, and effective policies are accurate representations of food systems and the actors who construct and maintain them. The position of this special issue is that transdisciplinary research is critical to ask and answer questions about values in ways that embrace complexity. . . .