Building the resilience of agri-food systems to compounding shocks and stresses: A case study from Melbourne, Australia
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
; 7, 2023.
Article
in English
| Scopus | ID: covidwho-2300573
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The war in Ukraine is causing significant disruption to global agri-food systems, which are still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Australia, these global shocks followed a series of localized climate-induced crises from forest fires, floods and drought. There is a pressing need to increase our understanding of ways to strengthen the resilience of agri-food systems to multiple shocks and stresses that co-occur or follow on each other. The aims of this study in Melbourne, Australia, were to investigate how forest fire and pandemic shocks affected the agri-food system, to identify vulnerabilities in the system, and to explore opportunities to build resilience to future shocks and stresses.Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted during 2020-21 with 41 key stakeholders from government, industry and civil society organizations. Results anddiscussion:
Vulnerabilities identified in agri-food supply chains included geographic and corporate concentration, complex "just in time” supply chains, critical infrastructure and logistics, and workforce availability. Strategies identified to build the resilience of agri-food systems include increasing the diversity of supply chains, decentralization, collaboration throughout agri-food supply chains, and ensuring sustainable livelihoods.Conclusion:
Our study highlights the cascading effects of multiple shocks and stresses on agri-food systems, and the need for greater policy focus on transformative actions that build the resilience of agri-food systems to any future shock, and that counter the cumulative effects of underlying environmental stresses. Copyright © 2023 Murphy, Carey and Alexandra.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
Scopus
Type of study:
Case report
Language:
English
Journal:
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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