학술논문

Sustainability transition pathways through ecological intensification: an assessment of vegetable food systems in Chile
Document Type
article
Source
International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, Vol 18, Iss 2, Pp 131-150 (2020)
Subject
food system
ecological intensification
sustainability transition
conventional food system
alternative food system
Agriculture
Language
English
ISSN
1473-5903
1747-762X
14735903
Abstract
Ecological intensification has been proposed as a promising lever for a transition towards more sustainable food systems. Various food systems exist that are based on ecological intensification and may have potential for a sustainability transition. Little is known, however, about their diversity and about how they perform against dominant systems in terms of the multiple societal goals. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge about sustainability transitions in food systems through an empirical analysis of vegetable food systems in Chile. The study (i) characterizes the diversity of vegetable food systems in Chile (ii) evaluates the food systems in terms of multiple societal goals, and (iii) assesses their potential for supporting sustainability transition pathways from the perspective of ecological intensification. Results indicate that among the five vegetable food system types, the agroecological and the small organic have potential to foster a sustainability transition. Nevertheless, these systems are small and localized, and scaling them requires actions to remove barriers in the relations with the agri-food regime and among themselves. The broader relevance of this analysis is that there needs to be awareness in research on transitions about the diversity of food systems present in countries and how they interact.