Food Systems Modelling

Food Systems Modelling presents the use of models, both conceptual and computational, to understand the human, commercial, social, political and natural systems that provide our food. The book emphasizes sustainability, including the impact of agriculture and food production on profits, people and environment, with a particular focus on the ability of humanity to continue producing food in the midst of global environmental change.

Food Systems Modelling deciphers what models can teach us about food system sustainability. No one can master all the fields currently contributing to the science of food system sustainability, and yet we need multiple approaches to get a picture of the entire system. This book's coverage explores how each branch of modelling views the world and synthesizes what the pieces might mean when considered together.

Organized in three parts, the first part introduces three fundamental concepts: the purpose of models, the definition of a food system, and the importance of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary inquiry. The second part delves into specific branches of modelling that have been used to study the sustainability of food systems. The third, and final, part wrestles with the challenge of communicating modelling research and appropriately integrating multiple dimensions of sustainability simultaneously.

Food Systems Modelling will be a welcomed reference for food scientists, agricultural scientists, nutritionists, environmental scientists, ecologists, economists, those working in agribusiness and food supply chain management, community and public health, and urban and regional planning, as well as academicians and graduate students interested in sustainability of food systems.