Slides used in presentation of the Key note on food systems at the EAAE congress 2021 by Louise Fresco and myself.

1. Sustainable food systems:
do agricultural economists have a role?
Louise O. Fresco, Floor Geerling-Eiff, Anne-Charlotte Hoes,
Lan van Wassenaer, Krijn J. Poppe, Jack G.A.J. van der Vorst
The paper is available in the ERAE:
https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbab026
 kjpoppe@hccnet.nl www.wur.nl

2. Hotspots in the expanding field of agricultural economists

3. Food Systems versus a Quasi-discipline
 An archipelago of (sub) disciplines to
tackle issues in food systems and their
trade-offs
 Grand challenges in food systems
require multidisciplinary approaches
 Food System research = frontier
research
 For academic and social impacts
 Standard methods will survive, how
about agricultural economists?
 Economists are well placed, but
challenging
 Sociology of science: we are a quasi-
discipline
Food systems Quasi-discipline

4. Eur Rev Agric Econ, jbab026, https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbab026
The content of this slide may be subject to copyright: please see the slide notes for details.
Types of research, classified to relevance for advancement of knowledge
and of immediate application, with some examples. Adapted from Stokes, (2011)

5. Challenges in multidisciplinary approaches
 Interest in models that integrate biophysical and
economic components of agri-environmental
systems has increased - but projects are often not
really interdisciplinary.
 4 barriers:
● Differences in methodology and vocabulary
● Resistance from the institutional
environment
● Disciplinary chauvinism
● Perceived parasitism

6. Solutions
 We notice a shift from traditional forms
of collaborating in projects towards
opening the silos by accepting networks
of different, multiple actors co-creating
and defining interdisciplinary language
and communication
 4 solutions
● Experienced facilitators such as
innovation brokers
● Classify complexity (e.g. STRAP)
● Use systems theory models
● AKIS as a systemic approach, but
not yet fit for purpose

7. New institutional economics: regulating mechanisms
in science
7
Culture (religion,
customs, norms)
Formal rules
(laws)
Governance
(contracts, market
organisation)
Resource
allocation
(incentives, outcomes)
© Williamson, 2000
Different languages, belief
systems, world views
Collaboration agreements,
working methods,grant
requirements
Intellectual properties, jour-
nals + academic institutions
Multidisc.research issues
Factors increasing trans-
action costs to reach goals
Lacking shared project vision
and approach
Bureaucracy in management
and funding
Disciplinary chauvinism
Time and budget
requirements
Perceived parasitism

8. The Food
System and
Sustainable
Development
Goals:
Trade-offs or a
Doughnut ? An
economy based
on ecology?
8

9. Raising the impact of Food Systems economists
 Design of institutions and governance of
the food system (desirable futures)
● New institutional economics
● Legislative framework on sustainable
food system (Farm to Fork)
 Big data economics, the data and
platform economy:
● Deluge of data in precision farming
● Sustainability data (FADN >> FSDN)
● True costs of activities and products
● Data food environment, lifestyle and
health (FNH-RI)
● Business modelling in data economy
Digital Twin

10. Conclusions
 Economists do not play such a big role in policy as
in the 1950s and 1960s
 Standard Ag. Econ. techniques will survive
 Grand challenges: rethink to remain relevant
 Grand challenges require a food systems approach
 This asks for a better collaboration with other
(quasi-)disciplines and stakeholder engagement
 Multidisciplinary approach does not come
automatically: barriers and partial solutions
 Revolutionary development of ICT helps
 NIE is an attractive framework, also for designing
‘We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems
may cut right across the borders of any subject matter or discipline.’ Karl Popper - 1963