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Food system concepts and definitions for science and political action

Nature Food volume 2, pages 748–750 (2021)Cite this article

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For fruitful deliberations and concerted action at the science–politics interface, the concepts of food systems and drivers of change need to be clearly understood and employed by all.

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Fig. 1: Interlinked systems.
Fig. 2: Food Systems Summit Action Tracks.

References

  1. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2020); https://go.nature.com/3l5xhJD

  2. von Braun, J. et al. Ending Hunger by 2030 – Policy Actions and Costs (Center for Development Research, 2020); https://go.nature.com/3zXLxul

  3. Nguyen, H. Sustainable Food Systems: Concept and Framework (FAO, 2018); https://go.nature.com/3hgKcHP

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  8. von Braun, J. in Agriculture and Rural Development in a Globalizing World (eds Pingali, P. & Feder, G.), Ch. 14, 273–291 (Routledge, 2017).

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the peer review of a background paper on which this Comment is based by reviewers P. Pinstrup-Andersen (Copenhagen University), P. Scheelbeek (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), M. Dev (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research), Z. Jing (Nanjing Agricultural University) and M. Toure (The World Academy of Sciences).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Development Research, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany

    Joachim von Braun

  2. BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Kaosar Afsana

  3. Wageningen University & Research Executive Board, Wageningen, the Netherlands

    Louise Ottilie Fresco

  4. The World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries (TWAS), Khartoum, Sudan

    Mohamed Hassan

  5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

    Maximo Torero

Authors
  1. Joachim von Braun
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  2. Kaosar Afsana
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  3. Louise Ottilie Fresco
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  4. Mohamed Hassan
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  5. Maximo Torero
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Correspondence to Joachim von Braun.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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von Braun, J., Afsana, K., Fresco, L.O. et al. Food system concepts and definitions for science and political action. Nat Food 2, 748–750 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00361-2

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