This document discusses developing metrics to measure the sustainability of diets and food systems. It outlines a framework that considers vulnerability and resilience, focusing on exposure, sensitivity and resilience of food systems. An expert panel developed the framework and identified key issues and drivers of change. The panel then shortlisted 136 indicators of sustainability through discussions. An online Delphi survey of 51 experts from various backgrounds was used to further evaluate and develop consensus on indicators of sustainable diets and food systems.

1. Vulnerability and Resilience: Developing Metrics to
Measure Sustainable Diets and Food Systems
T. Allen, P. Prosperi, I. Peri, B. Cogill and M. Padilla
Resilience 2014 – 7 May 2014 – Montpellier, France

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 Address gaps in our understanding of what
constitutes sustainable diets
 Strengthen the evidence base of the role of
biodiversity in sustainable diets
 Identify a process for developing metrics and
guidelines aimed at measuring the sustainability of
the diets
Objectives

3. 3
Why metrics?
What are metrics?
 An organized system of information
combined to provide a perspective
What is counted is what counts...
Metrics target three principal objectives:
 Inform civil society, industry, public
officials and all stakeholders
 Measure progress toward defined goals
 Aid decision-making processesSource: Fanzo et al. (2012)

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Sequence of activities
 Developing a Framework
 Reviewing and listing 1,500 indicators
 Focus group: Setting up a small panel
of experts to discuss framework,
shortlist 136 indicators and test an
online questionnaire
 Delphi online survey: Setting up a large
panel of experts to discuss framework
and identify a suite of 24 indicators
 A workshop to further discuss key
results and gaps

5. Framework

6. 6
Sustainable diets are those diets with low
environmental impacts which contribute to
food and nutrition security and to healthy life
for present and future generations.
Source: FAO and Bioversity International (2012)
Sustainable diets protect and respect
biodiversity and ecosystems while being
culturally acceptable, accessible, affordable,
nutritionally adequate, safe, and healthy.
A nutrition-driven perspective
Developing sustainable solutions to improved nutrition

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A system-orientated approach
 Diets – and related outcomes – are the results of complex
interactions among interdependent components within food
systems
 The concept of sustainability evolved from an approach to
agriculture to a system property (Hansen, 1996)
Sustainability as the ability of a system to maintain or enhance its
essential outcomes over time
 Preserving essential human and natural assets and the flows of
services they provide is key
Promoting economically, socially and environmentally
sustainable food systems that concurrently ensure food and
nutrition security

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A Vulnerability/Resilience Framework
Vulnerability, as the degree of loss suffered by a social-
ecological system because of a given risk or change
(Turner et al., 2003), is a function of:
 Exposure: Nature and degree to which a system is
likely to be affected by the occurrence of a change
 Sensitivity: Degree to which a system is affected,
either adversely or beneficially, by a change
 Resilience: Ability of a system to anticipate,
absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects
of a potentially hazardous event in a timely and
efficient manner, including through ensuring the
preservation, restoration, or improvement of its
essential basic structures and functions.
(IPCC, 2012)

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Focus group 1: From drivers to outcomes
A major question: ‘Vulnerability/Resilience of what to what?’
 Identification of 4 main context-specific food and nutrition security issues
 Identification of 4 main global and regional drivers of change
Source: Adapted from Prosperi et al. (2014)

10. Indicators

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Focus group 2: Shortlisting indicators
 Setting up a long list of indicators
derived from the literature
 Shortlisting 136 indicators discussed
during a focus group
 8 interactions/3 components

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Focus group 2: Shortlisting indicators

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Focus group 2: Shortlisting indicators

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Focus group 2: Shortlisting indicators
Using a Delphi expert consultation protocol
 Setting up a long list of indicators
derived from the literature
 Shortlisting 136 indicators discussed
during a focus group
 Gaining consensus through an exchange
of opinions
 Recognizing and acknowledging the
contribution of each participant within
an interpretative paradigm
 Testing an online Delphi questionnaire

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The Delphi technique
An iterative survey of experts:
 A Delphi technique is a structured group interaction
process that is directed in ‘rounds’ of opinion collection
and feedback
 Opinion collection is achieved by conducting a series of
surveys using questionnaires
 The result of each survey are presented to the group –
feedback – and the questionnaire used in the next round
is built upon the result of the previous round

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Delphi survey – Round 1
 51 experts
 Economists (32%), nutritionists (26%), “Sustainability scientists”
(12%), agronomists (10%), environmental scientists (8%), food
policy and governance (8%) and food technologists (4%).

17. In partnership with:

18. www.bioversityinternational.org
Thank you

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References
IPCC (2012). Summary for Policymakers. In: Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and
Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. A Special Report of Working Groups I and
II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1-19.
Fanzo, J., Cogill, B., & F. Mattei (2012). Metrics of Sustainable Diets and Food Systems.
Bioversity International, Rome, Italy.
FAO/Bioversity International (2012). Sustainable Diets and Biodiversity. Directions and
solutions for policy, research and actions. FAO, Rome, Italy.
Hansen, J. W. (1996). Is agricultural sustainability a useful concept?. Agricultural systems,
50(2), 117-143.
Prosperi, P., Allen, T., Padilla, M., Peri, I. & B. Cogill (2014). Sustainability and Food &
Nutrition Security: A Vulnerability Assessment Framework for the Mediterranean Region.
Sage Open [forthcoming].
Turner, B. L., Kasperson, R. E., Matson, P. A., McCarthy, J. J., Corell, R. W., Christensen, L., ...
& Schiller, A. (2003). A framework for vulnerability analysis in sustainability science.
Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 100(14), 8074-8079.