Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Perspective
  • Published:

Degrowth as a plausible pathway for food systems transformation

Nature Food volume 6, pages 19–24 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Food systems require urgent transformation towards social and ecological sustainability. Degrowth posits a radical pathway of transformation to reduce ecological impacts while increasing well-being and reducing inequality. Here we highlight that degrowth and food systems—albeit both linked to transformation—are not well integrated. We conduct a conceptual exploration of the potential alignment between key food systems and degrowth transformation measures, arguing for complementary and reciprocal perspectives to theorize and enact transformation. Finally, we offer concrete practical actions to integrate degrowth and food systems, thereby widening the narrative and analytical lens of social–ecological transformation.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Alignment between goals and objectives of degrowth and food systems transformation.
Fig. 2: Actions to widen the lens of social–ecological transformation.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hickel, J. What does degrowth mean? A few points of clarification. Globalizations 18, 1105–1111 (2021).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Hickel, J. Is it possible to achieve a good life for all within planetary boundaries? Third World Q. 40, 18–35 (2019).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. O’Neill, D. W., Fanning, A. L., Lamb, W. F. & Steinberger, J. K. A good life for all within planetary boundaries. Nat. Sustain. 1, 88–95 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Dengler, C. & Seebacher, L. M. What about the Global South? Towards a feminist decolonial degrowth approach. Ecol. Econ. 157, 246–252 (2019).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Hanaček, K., Roy, B., Avila, S. & Kallis, G. Ecological economics and degrowth: proposing a future research agenda from the margins. Ecol. Econ. 169, 106495 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Fanzo, J. et al. Viewpoint: rigorous monitoring is necessary to guide food system transformation in the countdown to the 2030 global goals. Food Policy 104, 102163 (2021).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Webb, P. et al. The urgency of food system transformation is now irrefutable. Nat. Food 1, 584–585 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Willett, W. et al. Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet 393, 447–492 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. EAT–Lancet 2.0 Commission. EAT–Lancet Commission 2.0: securing a just transition to healthy, environmentally sustainable diets for all. Lancet 402, 352–354 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Béné, C. Why the Great Food Transformation may not happen—a deep-dive into our food systems’ political economy, controversies and politics of evidence. World Dev. 154, 105881 (2022).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Canfield, M., Anderson, M. & McMichael, P. UN Food Systems Summit 2021: dismantling democracy and resetting corporate control of food systems. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 5, 661552 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Clapp, J. The problem with growing corporate concentration and power in the global food system. Nat. Food 2, 404–408 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Benton, T. G. Academics can do more to disrupt and reframe the solution space for food system transformation. Nat. Food 4, 928–930 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. McGreevy, S. R. et al. Sustainable agrifood systems for a post-growth world. Nat. Sustain. 5, 1011–1017 (2022).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Brouwer, I. D., McDermott, J. & Ruben, R. Food systems everywhere: improving relevance in practice. Glob. Food Secur. 26, 100398 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Slater, S., Baker, P. & Lawrence, M. An analysis of the transformative potential of major food system report recommendations. Glob. Food Secur. 32, 100610 (2022).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Béné, C. et al. When food systems meet sustainability—current narratives and implications for actions. World Dev. 113, 116–130 (2019).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  18. The Politics of Knowledge: Understanding the Evidence for Agroecology, Regenerative Approaches, and Indigenous Foodways (Global Alliance for the Future of Food, 2021).

  19. Fitzpatrick, N., Parrique, T. & Cosme, I. Exploring degrowth policy proposals: a systematic mapping with thematic synthesis. J. Clean. Prod. 365, 132764 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Herrero, M. et al. Innovation can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable food system. Nat. Food 1, 266–272 (2020).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Vincent, O. & Brandellero, A. Transforming work: a critical literature review on degrowth, post-growth, postcapitalism and craft labor. J. Clean. Prod. 430, 139640 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Haberl, H. et al. Contributions of sociometabolic research to sustainability science. Nat. Sustain. 2, 173–184 (2019).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  23. van der Ploeg, J. D. et al. The economic potential of agroecology: empirical evidence from Europe. J. Rural Stud. 71, 46–61 (2019).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  24. Dalin, C. & Rodríguez-Iturbe, I. Environmental impacts of food trade via resource use and greenhouse gas emissions. Environ. Res. Lett. 11, 035012 (2016).

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  25. D’Odorico, P., Carr, J. A., Davis, K. F., Dell’Angelo, J. & Seekell, D. A. Food inequality, injustice, and rights. BioScience 69, 180–190 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Geyik, O., Hadjikakou, M., Karapinar, B. & Bryan, B. A. Does global food trade close the dietary nutrient gap for the world’s poorest nations? Glob. Food Secur. 28, 100490 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. World Food and Agriculture—Statistical Yearbook 2022 (FAO, 2022); http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc2211en

  28. Gräbner-Radkowitsch, C. & Strunk, B. Degrowth and the Global South: the twin problem of global dependencies. Ecol. Econ. 213, 107946 (2023).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  29. Vetter, A. The Matrix of Convivial Technology—assessing technologies for degrowth. J. Clean. Prod. 197, 1778–1786 (2018).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Barrett, C. B. et al. Bundling innovations to transform agri-food systems. Nat. Sustain. 3, 974–976 (2020).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  31. A Long Food Movement: Transforming Food Systems by 2045 (IPES-Food & ETC Group, 2021).

  32. Klerkx, L. & Rose, D. Dealing with the game-changing technologies of Agriculture 4.0: how do we manage diversity and responsibility in food system transition pathways? Glob. Food Secur. 24, 100347 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Prause, L., Hackfort, S. & Lindgren, M. Digitalization and the third food regime. Agric. Hum. Values 38, 641–655 (2021).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  34. Gomiero, T. Agriculture and degrowth: state of the art and assessment of organic and biotech-based agriculture from a degrowth perspective. J. Clean. Prod. 197, 1823–1839 (2018).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  35. Lenzen, M., Keyβer, L. & Hickel, J. Degrowth scenarios for emissions neutrality. Nat. Food 3, 308–309 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Barlow, N. et al. Degrowth & Strategy: How to Bring about Social-Ecological Transformation (MayFly, 2022); https://www.degrowthstrategy.org/

  37. Bentz, J., O’Brien, K. & Scoville-Simonds, M. Beyond ‘blah blah blah’: exploring the ‘how’ of transformation. Sustain. Sci. 17, 497–506 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Kwasny, T., Dobernig, K. & Riefler, P. Towards reduced meat consumption: a systematic literature review of intervention effectiveness, 2001–2019. Appetite 168, 105739 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Feola, G. Societal transformation in response to global environmental change: a review of emerging concepts. Ambio 44, 376–390 (2015).

    Article  ADS  PubMed  MATH  Google Scholar 

  40. Scoones, I. et al. Transformations to sustainability: combining structural, systemic and enabling approaches. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 42, 65–75 (2020).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  41. Guerrero Lara, L. et al. Degrowth and agri-food systems: a research agenda for the critical social sciences. Sustain. Sci. 18, 1579–1594 (2023).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  42. IPCC Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change (eds Shukla, P. R. et al.) (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2022).

  43. HLPE Nutrition and Food Systems: A Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security (FAO, 2017); https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=I7846E

  44. Røpke, I. Econ 101—in need of a sustainability transition. Ecol. Econ. 169, 106515 (2020).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  45. Allen, P. & Gillon, S. Critical pedagogy for food systems transformation: identifying and addressing social-justice problems in food systems and society. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.847059 (2022).

  46. Dorin, B. & Joly, P. B. Modelling world agriculture as a learning machine? From mainstream models to Agribiom 1.0. Land Use Policy 96, 103624 (2020).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  47. Hardt, L. & O’Neill, D. W. Ecological macroeconomic models: assessing current developments. Ecol. Econ. 134, 198–211 (2017).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  48. Li, M. et al. Integrated assessment modelling of degrowth scenarios for Australia. Econ. Syst. Res. https://doi.org/10.1080/09535314.2023.2245544 (2023).

  49. Bodirsky, B. L. et al. Integrating degrowth and efficiency perspectives enables an emission-neutral food system by 2100. Nat. Food 3, 341–348 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  MATH  Google Scholar 

  50. Turnhout, E., Metze, T., Wyborn, C., Klenk, N. & Louder, E. The politics of co-production: participation, power, and transformation. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 42, 15–21 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

M.G., M.H. and D.M.-D. were funded by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (grant no. INV-054158). C.C. was funded by the IKEA Foundation (grant no. 31002610).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Matthew Gibson, Daniel Mason-D’Croz, Maria Boa Alvarado & Mario Herrero

  2. Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands

    Daniel Mason-D’Croz

  3. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany

    Anna Norberg

  4. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm, Sweden

    Costanza Conti

  5. Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Mario Herrero

Authors
  1. Matthew Gibson
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Mason-D’Croz
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anna Norberg
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Costanza Conti
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Maria Boa Alvarado
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mario Herrero
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

M.G., D.M.-D. and M.H. conceptualized the Perspective. M.G. wrote the original draft with input from D.M.-D. The analysis was performed by A.N., M.B.A., M.G. and C.C. All authors provided feedback and edits and contributed to revising the final version of the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew Gibson.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Food thanks Fridolin Krausmann, Tim Benton, Giorgos Kallis and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Tables 1 and 2.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gibson, M., Mason-D’Croz, D., Norberg, A. et al. Degrowth as a plausible pathway for food systems transformation. Nat Food 6, 19–24 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01108-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01108-5

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene