This document discusses how decision making shapes food systems and can impact their resilience. Decision making occurs at multiple levels and is influenced by factors like intuition, stakeholder dynamics, and organizational structure. Resilience may increase when the right combination of incentives, collective action, and peer pressure influence these decision making factors. The document argues that adopting systems thinking can enhance decision making and increase resilience in food systems.

1. Enhancing Food
Systems Resilience:
Why Decision Making Matters
Angela R. Hansen, October 2019
@angelarhansen
Angela.R.Hansen@gmail.com

2. Human decision making shapes food systems.
Source: van Berkum, Dengerink and Ruben, The food systems approach: sustainable solutions for a sufficient supply of healthy food, Wageningen University & Research

3. Decision making happens at a number of
levels, shaped by multiple factors.
• Intuition & Deliberation
• System 1 & System 2
Micro | Individual
• Regulatory Context
• Stakeholder Dynamics
Macro | Context
Meso | Firm
• Strategy
• Structure
Adapted from: Ballesteros , L. & Kunreuther, H. 2018. Organizational Decision Making Under Uncertainty Shocks, Wharton Risk Management and Decision Process Center
Levels Factors

6. Resilience can increase when factors
combine with the right influence.
Incentives
Collective
Action
Peer
Pressure
• Intuition & Deliberation
• System 1 & System 2
• Regulatory Context
• Stakeholder Dynamics
• Strategy
• Structure
Factors Influence
Adapted from: Ballesteros , L. & Kunreuther, H. 2018. Organizational Decision Making Under Uncertainty Shocks, Wharton Risk Management and Decision Process Center

7. Systems thinking can enhance decision making
and increase resilience in food systems.
 “What we do in the world is a function of
the way we see it…
the complexity, dynamics, and even chaos
of contemporary agriculture deserves a
new way of seeing”
~ Richard J. Bawden, University of Western Sydney, 1991
 We need to adopt systems tools and
approaches to support decision making
and increase resilience

8. Thank You!
Email: Angela.R.Hansen@gmail.com
Twitter: @angelarhansen