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:
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; 
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To comment on the Issue Lenses, please visit the Discussion page about them here.