Leverage points for the uptake of organic food production and consumption in the United Kingdom

Staton, Tom; Davison, Nicholas; Westaway, Sally; Arguile, Lisa; Adams, Nina; Aguilera, Victor; Bellamy, Lillie; Bolger, Alysoun; Gantlett, Richard; Jacobs, Steven; Noone, Niamh; Staley, Joanna T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6467-3712; Smith, Laurence G.. 2024 Leverage points for the uptake of organic food production and consumption in the United Kingdom. Communications Earth & Environment, 5, 449. 10, pp. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01585-3

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01585-3

Abstract/Summary

Organic food systems are recognised as an important component in meeting United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. A leverage points perspective can help to identify approaches which have the potential to facilitate transformative systemic change towards organic and sustainable farming. Using fuzzy cognitive maps developed from expert stakeholder opinions, we modelled a system of drivers of organic food production and consumption in the United Kingdom, according to the UN Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems framework. The most influential concepts in the uptake of organic systems were related to system norms and values and social structures, such as short-term economic thinking, landowner engagement, and relationships with certification bodies. However, in a scenario analysis, organic stakeholders identified relatively shallower leverage points as more likely to change under a sustainable future, resulting in limited systemic change. This demonstrates the need for policies targeting system norms, values and social structures relating to food systems to facilitate the transition to organic and sustainable farming.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01585-3
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Biodiversity (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2662-4435
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
NORA Subject Terms:	Agriculture and Soil Science
Related URLs:	Dataset
Date made live:	29 Aug 2024 09:03 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537936

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01585-3

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Biodiversity (Science Area 2017-)

ISSN:

2662-4435

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.

NORA Subject Terms:

Agriculture and Soil Science