Research needs for a food system transition.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Animal agriculture is a major driver of climate change, land use change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution.
• High consumption of animal products negatively impacts public health and involves the annual slaughter of trillions of animals.
• Current understanding of animal product systems and plant-based alternatives is insufficient for effective global food system planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a cross-disciplinary research agenda for transforming food systems.
• To develop target-based scenarios for reducing reliance on animal products.
• To inform decision-making for sustainable food system transitions.

Main Methods:

• Data collection and analysis at the intersection of animal agriculture, environment, and societal well-being.
• Construction of target-based scenarios for animal products using new data and empirical insights.
• Evaluation of impacts, unintended consequences, co-benefits, and trade-offs of proposed scenarios.

Main Results:

• Incomplete understanding of food system interactions hinders effective planning for transitions.
• A comprehensive research agenda is proposed to address knowledge gaps.
• Target-based scenarios can help evaluate potential food system transformations.

Conclusions:

• A structured research approach is essential for informed food system transformation.
• Understanding the complex interactions within food systems is crucial for sustainability.
• Evaluating scenarios will aid in managing costs and maximizing co-benefits of food system changes.