Nature Positive Food Systems

The transition to a nature-positive food system calls for a paradigm shift from ‘doing less harm to nature’ to ‘doing what’s best for nature’. Determining whether you’re ‘doing what’s best for nature’ will depend on the spatial context the system operates in, and on coming to an agreement about the type of action to be taken. We believe that the most successful nature-positive food systems are those that are supported by an integrated approach and by collaboration. Knowledge sharing is an important part of this.

Our interventions therefore focus on developing practical tools for actors such as food system stakeholders, policymakers and companies to gain an understanding of the possible interactions between their potential actions, and the trade-offs, dilemmas and tensions that can arise. This will help us answer the research questions on identifying, measuring and monitoring nature-positive food systems, identifying the trade-offs and synergies, and identifying improvements, game changers and governance mechanisms for promoting nature-positive food systems in a specific context. It will also help us understand the potential of diversification and improved use of genetic diversity (within and between species) in nature-positive food systems, and how this will affect food system outcomes, especially (but not exclusively) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Combining participatory spatial planning with new sustainable technology and communication tools will be part of a methodology to help reveal existing knowledge while also generating complementary knowledge to help us arrive at more transparent and sustainable decisions regarding nature-positive food systems.