A new convergent science framework for food system sustainability in an uncertain climate

The complexity and interconnectivity of food systems and climate requires new thinking  and  research  designs  that  better  address  the  real- world  challenges  of securing the resilience and sustainability of human and environmental systems. Central to such an approach is coherent action across sectors and scales. Although inter- and  transdisciplinary  approaches  are  widely  discussed,  no  convergence  model exists to detect and prepare for food system vulnerabilities emerging from disruptions in climate systems, or to address the contributions to climate change from  food  system  functions. Here, researchers who form part of the Food and Climate Systems Transformation Alliance at the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, present a new convergent science model that incorporates four key components at the global, national and local level.

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