While the Framework attempts to categorize types of organizations and actors in the food system, it isn't intended to capture the issues, or problems, or opportunities present.
This page is a starter draft of various "lens", or topic areas within food systems work.
Thanks and credit to the following organizations for fodder for this list:
This page is a starter draft of various "lens", or topic areas within food systems work.
Thanks and credit to the following organizations for fodder for this list:
Access: geographical access to healthy food
Affordability: food pricing relative to income and ability to pay; poverty; low income communities
Animal Welfare: humane treatment; natural spacious environment; cruelty free slaughter
Capital: access to capital; investor-readiness; knowledge of types and requirements of different capital sources and vehicles; impact investing
Collaboration: food ecosystem building and nurturing; pathways for collaboration; initiative coordination; administrative leverage; vision creation and rallying;
Community: community building and strengthening; local institutions; food as community driver
Climate: carbon sequestration;
Economic Development: business expansion and new business formation; smart cities; sustainable development
Education: wide range of food & ag curricula, certificate, and degree programs to build regional talent base
Energy: conservation; transition to non-fossil fuel alternatives for food system participants
Farm Growth Obstacles: what are the factors limiting small farms from becoming mid- or large-scale producers?
Farmland Preservation: conservation easements and deed restrictions; purchase & hold; zoning
Farm Profitability: drivers of, at various scales, production methods, product mix
Food Systems: how it all works (or doesn't) together;
Gender: gender equality; opportunity; expanded vision of gender identities in food system work
Health: food-related health problems; preventative health via diet; health-care cost mitigation via food; food as medicine; healthy cooking and eating;
Hunger: food insecurity; malnutrition; healthy affordable food for all
Immigrants: treatment of, opportunity for recent immigrants
Institutional: institutional purchasing of local production.
Jobs; job & compensation quality; career ladders; workplace quality and safety
Justice: social justice in the food system; inequality; workers rights; civil liberties
Literacy: food literacy; implications of food choices on self, family, community, humanity
Local: local consumption of local production; availability of local food across the distribution spectrum;
Logistics: sufficient supply of affordable on-farm and commercial storage, aggregation, distribution; sharing economy solutions;
Nutrition: nutritional density; nutritious meal planning;
Policy: Fed, State, County, City, Agency policy drivers and impacts; balanced regulations and enforcement capacity; streamlining regulation for small producers while maintaining food safety and consumer protection; lobbying for policy initiatives outside local jurisdictions
Pollution: agricultural runoff; overspray; food company production pollution; methane; CAFO-impacts;
Processing: processing capacity (grains, animals, dairy) relative to local production supply; cost of processing; CAFO impacts
Producers: issues surrounding farmers and ranchers, including new and beginning farmers; increasing the farm share of food dollars that goes to farmers; efficiency improvements; price supports; expenses (such as energy, feed, labor, repair & maintenance); farm net income;
Research: basic and applied scientific and market research related to food, ag, food systems
Safety: safe, edible food
Soil: increase long-term yields; water retention; organic matter; no-til;
Supply: enable more sustainable farms, farmers, production volumes, sales revenue
Tech: Ag Tech; SaaS; mobile; high speed internet access
Technical Assistance: free and paid, to participants in the food ecosystem
Waste: issues surrounding disposition, upcycling, use of food waste
Water: clean water; availability of water; conservation; sanitation;
Affordability: food pricing relative to income and ability to pay; poverty; low income communities
Animal Welfare: humane treatment; natural spacious environment; cruelty free slaughter
Capital: access to capital; investor-readiness; knowledge of types and requirements of different capital sources and vehicles; impact investing
Collaboration: food ecosystem building and nurturing; pathways for collaboration; initiative coordination; administrative leverage; vision creation and rallying;
Community: community building and strengthening; local institutions; food as community driver
Climate: carbon sequestration;
Economic Development: business expansion and new business formation; smart cities; sustainable development
Education: wide range of food & ag curricula, certificate, and degree programs to build regional talent base
Energy: conservation; transition to non-fossil fuel alternatives for food system participants
Farm Growth Obstacles: what are the factors limiting small farms from becoming mid- or large-scale producers?
Farmland Preservation: conservation easements and deed restrictions; purchase & hold; zoning
Farm Profitability: drivers of, at various scales, production methods, product mix
Food Systems: how it all works (or doesn't) together;
Gender: gender equality; opportunity; expanded vision of gender identities in food system work
Health: food-related health problems; preventative health via diet; health-care cost mitigation via food; food as medicine; healthy cooking and eating;
Hunger: food insecurity; malnutrition; healthy affordable food for all
Immigrants: treatment of, opportunity for recent immigrants
Institutional: institutional purchasing of local production.
Jobs; job & compensation quality; career ladders; workplace quality and safety
Justice: social justice in the food system; inequality; workers rights; civil liberties
Literacy: food literacy; implications of food choices on self, family, community, humanity
Local: local consumption of local production; availability of local food across the distribution spectrum;
Logistics: sufficient supply of affordable on-farm and commercial storage, aggregation, distribution; sharing economy solutions;
Nutrition: nutritional density; nutritious meal planning;
Policy: Fed, State, County, City, Agency policy drivers and impacts; balanced regulations and enforcement capacity; streamlining regulation for small producers while maintaining food safety and consumer protection; lobbying for policy initiatives outside local jurisdictions
Pollution: agricultural runoff; overspray; food company production pollution; methane; CAFO-impacts;
Processing: processing capacity (grains, animals, dairy) relative to local production supply; cost of processing; CAFO impacts
Producers: issues surrounding farmers and ranchers, including new and beginning farmers; increasing the farm share of food dollars that goes to farmers; efficiency improvements; price supports; expenses (such as energy, feed, labor, repair & maintenance); farm net income;
Research: basic and applied scientific and market research related to food, ag, food systems
Safety: safe, edible food
Soil: increase long-term yields; water retention; organic matter; no-til;
Supply: enable more sustainable farms, farmers, production volumes, sales revenue
Tech: Ag Tech; SaaS; mobile; high speed internet access
Technical Assistance: free and paid, to participants in the food ecosystem
Waste: issues surrounding disposition, upcycling, use of food waste
Water: clean water; availability of water; conservation; sanitation;
To comment on the Issue Lenses, please visit the Discussion page about them here.