We all recognize the importance of sustainable diets for both human and planetary health, yet it often seems like we are up against impossible odds.
According to scientists from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT , 5 groups of barriers are keeping our food systems locked into unsustainable trajectories.
New research, published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems , identifies a 'system of barriers,' each reinforcing the others. The authors have organized these into a comprehensive framework with the aim of empowering policymakers, civil society organizations, and researchers to tackle food sustainability challenges more effectively.
"Addressing food system sustainability requires more than isolated initiatives," says first author Brice Even, a scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT. "We need a holistic strategy to tackle the root causes of unsustainability, which are deeply embedded in political and economic structures that have gone unchallenged for decades."
The study highlights how barriers from the political economy to biophysical constraints reinforce one another. For example, rising diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes stem from interconnected factors, including corporate dominance of Big Ag and Big Food, economic inequalities, demographic shifts, and insufficient public interventions.
Holistic solutions are needed
Chris Bene, Principal Scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT and co-author of the article, emphasizes the importance of addressing interconnected barriers: "The case of rising diet-related diseases illustrate the interconnected challenges within food systems. Structural barriers such as corporate concentration in food production and distribution, inadequate public policies, and insufficient access to nutrition education limit communities' ability to access healthy and nutritious foods. These barriers amplify one another, fostering an increased reliance on processed and ultra-processed foods and perpetuating cycles of poor health and environmental degradation. Breaking this vicious cycle requires integrated, context-sensitive solutions that address these systemic barriers collectively."
The researchers stress that initiatives, such as food labeling or precision farming technologies, only address a handful of factors, rather than systemic challenges. The alternative? The study suggests that integrated political responses are essential to simultaneously address technical, environmental, cultural, and political barriers while ensuring equity.
Breaking the loop
This study pushes beyond traditional interdisciplinary approaches, emphasizing the systemic interactions and feedback loops between barriers. Importantly, it underscores the role of political economy—corporate dominance and institutional shortcomings—as the root driver of food system unsustainability.
The framework offers a practical guide to creating transformative, long-term solutions for sustainable food systems.
Access the full study here .
