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Research paradigms and the assessment of food system sustainability

Curran, Michael (2022) Research paradigms and the assessment of food system sustainability. In: Proceedings of the XIV International Conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics.

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Document available online at: https://zenodo.org/records/10645280


Summary in the original language of the document

The concept of “sustainable development” is inherently complex, multidimensional and value-laden. It is typically defined in as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (UN Brundtland Report). This leaves much room for interpretation, and recent research from the diffuse field of sustainability sciences has attempted to bring consensus and clarity to what counts as “sustainability assessment” (SA), beyond the simple combination of indicators across environmental, social and economic dimensions. In the context of growing (mis-)use of the term sustainability across research, consultancy, commercial and policy circles, building a clear consensus on what SA entails is an urgent undertaking to counter dubious claims and widespread greenwashing. This is a pressing task in the agri-food sector, where drastic, urgent and transformational changes are required across the food system to remain within planetary boundaries, enhance wellbeing and support resilient food economies. In this paper, conceptual and applied research on SA within and outside food system research is reviewed to identify elements of a research paradigm for conducting SA. A research paradigm is understood as a set of interrelated elements covering ontology (the environmental and social reality to be assessed), axiology (how values influence the mobilization of knowledge systems), epistemology (the nature of knowledge and validity of knowledge claims), and methodology (principles that determine the use of specific methods to construct knowledge). To do this, key paradigm positions in ecological economics, namely critical realism and post-normal science, are drawn upon to contrast existing conceptual and operational approaches in the literature.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Paper
Keywords:philosophy, sustainability assessment, food systems, DeliDiets, Abacus, FiBL35224
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
philosophy
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_330837
English
sustainability assessment
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5d85764b
English
food systems
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_bea5db85
Subjects: Knowledge management > Research methodology and philosophy > Specific methods > Indicators and other value-laden measures
Research affiliation: Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Society > Sustainable nutrition
DOI:https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10645279
Related Links:https://www.deliberative-diets.net/, https://www.fibl.org/en/themes/projectdatabase/projectitem/project/2034, https://esee2022pisa.ec.unipi.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ESEEBooklet.pdf
Deposited By: Curran, Dr. Michael
ID Code:53045
Deposited On:28 Mar 2024 12:49
Last Modified:28 Mar 2024 12:49
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Not peer-reviewed

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