Foodsource-A free and evolving resource to empower informed discussion on sustainable food systems.

Foodsource is an open and expanding resource for information on sustainable food systems, led by the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN) at Oxford University, and developed in collaboration with our partners and supporters.

Foods systems are at the heart of many of the humanity's greatest challenges. We believe that to address these, common understanding is needed as the basis for collective and effective action - across disciplines, sectors, and cultures.  

Foodsource's purpose is to build the foundations for this understanding and for change towards more sustainable food systems, by expanding food systems literacy. 

Our aim in developing foodsource is to provide users with accurate, clear, accessible and agenda-free knowledge about food systems and sustainability. 

foodsource consists of 11 informally peer-reviewed chapters providing a clear, accessible, balanced and scientifically robust overview of the many interlinked social and environmental issues related to our food system.

foodsource is free to all to use: we hope it will be of interest to students, teachers, lecturers and researchers as well as civil society organisations, those involved directly in the food industry and policy makers.

Contents

• 1. Overview of food system challenges»
  • 1. Overview of food system challenges
  • 1.1 What are food systems?
  • 1.2 How do food systems link multiple issues and concerns?
  • 1.3 What are the relationships among food systems and environmental change?
  • 1.4 How does food interface with societal and health concerns?
  • 1.5 What about the relationship between food, culture, ethics and social norms?
  • 1.6 How might these challenges be addressed?
  • 1.7 Conclusions
• 2. The environmental impacts of food products: introduction to lifecycle assessment»
  • 2. The environmental impacts of food products: introduction to lifecycle assessment
  • 2.1 Lifecycle assessment (LCA): quantifies environmental impacts from cradle to grave of a product
  • 2.2 Lifecycle assessment of food products is a complex undertaking.
  • 2.3 Carbon footprinting is based on the LCA approach but focuses only on greenhouse gas emissions.
  • 2.4 The value and limitations of lifecycle assessment.
  • 2.5 Conclusions.
• 3. Food systems & greenhouse gas emissions»
  • 3. Food systems & greenhouse gas emissions
  • 3.1 What is the food system’s contribution to the global GHG emissions total?
  • 3.2 What are the main GHG contributions to agricultural emissions?
  • 3.3 How important is transport?
  • 3.4 How important is storage and packaging?
  • 3.5 Which food products have the highest overall impacts?
  • 3.6 Conclusions
• 4. How can we reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions?»
  • 4. How can we reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions?
  • 4.1 What would be a safe upper limit to GHG emissions and where might reductions come from?
  • 4.2 Trends in food consumption – past and future
  • 4.3 How can we tackle GHG emissions in the food system?
  • 4.4 How far could changes in production practices reduce GHG emissions?
  • 4.5 How far could changes in consumption reduce GHG emissions?
  • 4.6 How far could socio-economic change reduce GHG emissions?
  • 4.7 What combination of solutions is probably needed?
  • 4.8 Conclusions
• 5. Food systems & contributions to other environmental problems»
  • 5. Food systems & contributions to other environmental problems
  • 5.1 Why are the environmental impacts of the food system a concern?
  • 5.2 How do food systems affect water use?
  • 5.3 How do food systems contribute to water pollution?
  • 5.4 How do food systems affect land-use and biodiversity?
  • 5.5 How do food systems affect fish stocks and marine habitats?
  • 5.6 How are food losses and waste an environmental concern?
• 6. Impacts of climatic and environmental change on food systems»
  • 6. Impacts of climatic and environmental change on food systems
  • 6.1 How do the climate and environment directly affect the conditions required for food production?
  • 6.2 What is the climate change context?
  • 6.3 What impacts have already been observed?
  • 6.4 How might climatic change affect food systems in the future?
  • 6.5 What is the likely human impact?
  • 6.6 Conclusions
• 7. What is the connection between food & health?»
  • 7. What is the connection between food & health?
  • 7.1 How are food systems and health connected and influenced?
  • 7.2 What is food security and how is it defined?
  • 7.3 What are the global challenges for nutrition?
  • 7.4 How does malnutrition in its various forms differ between regions and demographic groups?
  • 7.5 What causes different forms of malnutrition?
  • 7.6 How are diets changing globally?
  • 7.7 What are the societal and economic consequences of malnutrition in all its forms?
  • 7.8 Conclusions
• 8. Focus: the difficult livestock issue»
  • 8. Focus: the difficult livestock issue
  • 8.1 Introduction: what are the concerns with meat and dairy, and who are the major stakeholders in the debate?
  • 8.2 What are the nutritional issues around meat and dairy?
  • 8.3 What are the environmental issues associated with milk and dairy?
  • 8.4 What are the animal welfare issues associated with livestock production?
  • 8.5 Motivations for disagreements: three perspectives on the food, nutrition and sustainability issue
  • 8.6 Conclusions
• 9. What is a healthy sustainable eating pattern?»
  • 9. What is a healthy sustainable eating pattern?
  • 9.1 How might we define sustainable and healthy eating patterns (SHEPs)?
  • 9.2 Which diets generate fewer GHG emissions and other environmental impacts?
  • 9.3 Do recommended healthier diets contribute to lower environmental impacts and vice versa?
  • 9.4 What are the synergies and trade offs and overall implications for health?
  • 9.5 Can we define SHEPs relevant to different global, regional and national contexts?
  • 9.6 Conclusions
• 10. What can be done to shift eating patterns in healthier, more sustainable directions?»
  • 10. What can be done to shift eating patterns in healthier, more sustainable directions?
  • 10.1 Review: what is a sustainable and healthy eating pattern (SHEP)?
  • 10.2 What are the influences on our food choices?
  • 10.3 What interventions could potentially shift our eating patterns in sustainable directions?
  • 10.4 What are the possible unintended consequences of changing diets?
• 11. What is the connection between infectious diseases in humans and livestock?

Building blocks : What is food security? ; What is animal welfare?; What is land use and land use change?, What are food systems?Building blocks provide accessible introductions to the most important ideas for understanding food system sustainability. Each building block is reviewed by subject experts and includes key definitions, a clear explanation of the idea, and links to curated resources for further learning. ( Contact Samuel Lee-Gammage, Research and Communications Officer , Food Climate Research Network  - FCRN, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford,

Join our network: www.fcrn.org.uk/user/register, 

Join the conversation on: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Contact: samleegammage [at] fcrn.org.uk

Skype: samuelleegammage)