Food Justice and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems

Food justice and sustainable agri-food systems represent an integrated agenda that aligns environmental stewardship with social equity and economic resilience across the food supply chain. Sustainable agri-food systems aim to preserve biodiversity, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and foster resource efficiency, while food justice demands fair access to healthy diets, recognition of marginalised groups and equitable distribution of benefits and burdens. This intersection frames just transitions that address power imbalances, engage diverse stakeholders and reform policy landscapes. Approaches such as agroecology, carbon-neutral agricultural practices and transparent supply chains exemplify practical pathways towards both ecological integrity and social wellbeing. Globally, these principles inform community programmes, national policy reforms and cross-sector partnerships to tackle food insecurity, labour exploitation and climate vulnerability in concert. The convergence of research and practice underscores the need for multi-disciplinary frameworks that operationalise justice within sustainable transformation of agri-food systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Food Justice and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in food justice and sustainable agri-food systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Food justice: The pursuit of equitable access to nutritious food, fair labour practices and recognition of social and historical inequalities within food systems.

Agri-food system: The network encompassing production, processing, distribution and consumption of food, including environmental, social and economic interactions.

Agroecological symbiosis: A place-based model that integrates sustainable food production, renewable energy and resource loops to enhance ecological and economic resilience.

Just transition: A framework ensuring that shifts towards sustainability are equitable, participatory and mindful of socio-economic impacts on all stakeholders.

Nutrition equity framework: A conceptual tool linking unfair social structures to dietary outcomes and guiding strategies for recognition, representation and redistribution in nutrition policy.

References

1. A quest for questions: The JUSTRA as a matrix for navigating just food system transformations in an era of uncertainty. One Earth (2025).
2. Regional economic assessment of a novel place-based model for sustainable food systems. Geography and Sustainability (2024).
3. Equity and equality in diets and nutrition: Frameworks, evidence, and four country case studies. Food Security (2025).