Food system innovations

1. Food Systems Innovations:
Incentives for Impact
Prof dr Ruerd Ruben
Chair Impact Assessment for Food Systems
WUR Course Food Systems for Healthy &
Sustainable Diets (June 2019

2. Today’s Issues (1*30 + 3 * 50 min)
 From Statics to Dynamics:
● Food systems change
● Food Systems transitions
 Understanding drivers of adoption
● Technical feasibility
● Socio-economic attractiveness
 Supporting Pathways of Change
● Effective Incentives
● Combining Push & pull factors
Identifying
entry points
Using
Incentives
Understanding
agents

3. Dynamics of food systems change
Incentives
for Food
Innovations
Pathways towards
Food Transition
Components
of Food
Systems
Production
Value Chains
Governance
Consumption
Prices
Standards
Information
Nudging
Innovation Networks
Policy framework
Social Norms

4. Key principles for Food Systems Innovation
1. Focus on healthier diets as an outcome
2. Understanding key drivers of systems change
3. Linking technolgical interventions to behavioural change
4. Involving private, public and/or civic agents
5. Combining local and global solutions
6. Identifying solutions in other areas than where the
problem occurs
 From ‘fixing problems’ to system solutions

5. Fixing a problem  Finding a Solution

6. Evolution of Food Systems
Traditional Mixed Modern
Rural Peri-urban Urban
Staples Prepared Processed
Local markets Open Markets Retail shops

7. Food Systems Change
Steps/Stages
 Effect on changing/improving diets (consumer
choice & nutrition status)
 Identify entry points that put into movement the
food system (drivers for adoption)
 Understanding of pathways of change that involve
multiple stakeholders
Linkages
 Demand & supply-side interventions (push/pull)
 Combining technical & behaviour change
 Considering local & global effects

8. HLPE Framework: Linking Agriculture,
Nutrition & Health
OUTCOMES
DRIVERS
COMPONENTS

9. Key elements of food system
 Drivers: Biophysicial & Environmental (climate)
Innovation, Technology & infrastructure
Political & Economic (trade, governance)
Socio-cultural (gender, culture, norms)
Demographic (Urbanization, migration)
 Components: Food Supply chain (availability)
Food Environment (soc-ec/pol context)
Consumer behaviour (diet choices)
 Outcomes: Available, Accessible, Affordable, Safe,
Sustainable & Healthy Food
structure
conduct
performance

10. Dynamics of Food Systems
Multiple Levels
Inputs
Production
Value Chains
Consumption Multiple Outcomes
Healthy Diets
Sustainable & Resilient
Safety
Inclusiveness
Multiple Agents
Farmers
Traders
Government
Retailers
Households
Adaptive system:
 Interactions
 Feedbacks
 Learning loops
Bargaining Solutions
Incentives & Innovations
to overcome Trade-offs &
to support Synergies

11. Examples of Food VC Innovations
PHL reduction Nigeria Diet diversity Myanmar Schoolmeals Vietnam
Reducing PHL in
tomato chain using
crates with return
system by traders
 Feedbacks
Dietary diversity can
be promoted through
income & market
diversification
 Linkages
Meals at school or
workplace canteens
changes eating habits
at home
 Spillovers

12. Examples of Food System Innovations
Regulation Certifcation Nudging
Food safety standards
and sugar/fat taxes in
UK, DK, Mexico
 Substitution
Identifying product
characterstics or
producers origin
 Segmentation
Making access to
healthier foods easy
and convenient
 Social norms

13. Incentives for Food Systems Change
Adaptive Change = Using Interactions within the Food
System to generate positive feedback (or reduce negative
feedback) loops.
 Non-linear changes
 Dynamic interaction
 Networks linkages
 Collective norms
 Heuristic learning
(discovery)

14. Entry points (for changing Food Systems)
What makes it a system intervention?
 activities (= interventions) that support changes in
the relationships (= interactions) between FS
ativities/stakeholders that are likely to result in
better (= improved) diets.
Possible entry points (‘drivers of change’):
● Policy Incentives (prices, norms & standards)
● Business Innovations (market contracts, new
products, smart ICT, management practices, etc.)
● Civic-driven campaigns (training , information,
networks, participation in governance, etc.)

15. From Theory of Change to Impact Pathways
Input
•Policy
incentives
•Business
innovation
•Civic-driven
change
Output
•Better access
& availability
•Improved VC
performance
•Improved
knowledge
Outcome
• Conducive food
environment
• Inclusive Food
value chains
• Healthier food
choices
Impact
•Dietary diversity
•Nutritional
adequacy
•Sustainable &
Inclusive Food
Systems
Interventions Changes in
Conditions
Behavioural
Change
Changes in
Interactions

16. Part A
16

17. Exercise 1:
Design ToC for Food System Innovations
17
Activities Material
delivery
Behavioural
change

18. Different types & trajectories of Innovation
18

19. Typology of FS Innovations (de Brauw et al.)
19

20. Examples of VC Innovations
20

21. 21
Global Food System Innovations

22. Assignment A
 Select one key FS innovation
 Develop ToC for its promotion
 Identify critical success factors (for adoption)
 What are the expected impacts for nutrition / diets?
22

23. Part B
23

24. Exercise 2: Identify drivers for Adoption
Physical conditions
 Land tenure
 Financial constraints
(access to credit)
 Knowledge & training
 Market outlets (& prices)
Psychological factors
 Risk attitudes (loss
aversion)
 Time preference
 Social norms
 Adaptive capacity
24

25. Multiple actor ecosystem for innovation
Technical factors  Feasible
Economic/Financial  Affordable
Social rules/norms  Acceptance
Behaviour  Motovation

26. Innovation networks & processes

27. Assignment B
 Select one key FS innovation
 Which major FS actors are involved?
 What are their major drivers of adoption?
 Which factors may support or constrain adoption?

28. Part C

29. Exercise 3 : Shaping Pathways of change
 How to support the (sustainable) adoption of
innovations ?
 What can be done to motivate agents towards
adoption?
 How can adverse effects be avoided ?
 How can we combine different types of incentives ?

30. Pull & Push factors for change

31. Policy instruments for healthier diets
 Supply side
● Price management (true price)
● Market information (transparency)
● Guidelines
● Certification; fortification
 Demand side (‘Nudging’)
● Income support (e.g. vouchers)
● Taxation (sugar; fat)
● Food content information (‘personalized nutrition’)
● Gender income distribution (intra hh bargaining)

32. Nudging food choices

33. Assignment C
• Select a critical food system change trajectory
(aims & means)
• Identify key incentive from supply side &
demand side.
• What are public roles (state) , private roles
(business partners) & civic roles (NGOs)?
• What impact do you expect ?

34. Final Remarks & Take-home messages
1. Supporting Food System Transitions requires sound
understanding of the pathways of change.
2. Effective food system innovations rely on
coordinated efforts from multiple stakeholders.
3. Adoption of innovations can best be based on
mechanisms for influencing (social) norms.
4. Smart behavioural change incentives should be
used for anchoring innovations into the food
system.

35. Thank you for your attention
RRuerd
Ruerd.Ruben@wur.nl