The case for history in planning future food systems transformations

Nel de Mûelenaere; Jessica Dijkman; Matthew Hannaford; Leslie  Lipper; Rathana Peou Norbert-Munns; A M Nasir Uddin

doi:10.1038/s41893-025-01517-9

The case for history in planning future food systems transformations

Nel de Mûelenaere, Jessica Dijkman, Matthew Hannaford, Leslie Lipper, Rathana Peou Norbert-Munns, A M Nasir Uddin

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

As food insecurity grows globally, foresight planning for sustainable food systems has become critical. Here we argue that history—through detailed data, case studies and methodologies—can profoundly enhance the robustness of scenario planning. By examining cases in Mozambique, Bangladesh and Holland, we illustrate how historical insights can guide interventions on local, national and transnational scales, helping to avoid unintended consequences and building resilience into future food systems.

Original language	English
Article number	101343
Pages (from-to)	343-349
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nature sustainability
Volume	8
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01517-9
Publication status	Published - Apr 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Springer Nature Limited 2025.

Keywords

Food history
Sustainability
food systems

Access to Document

10.1038/s41893-025-01517-9

Cite this

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The case for history in planning future food systems transformations

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Embargoed Document

IRP21: Dietary advice on meat and dairy (1920s-2020s): science, confusion, power, and impact

OZR3794: Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies.

InterDuPa-UAV: A UAV-based Dataset for the Classification of Intercropped Durian and Papaya Trees

Cite this

The case for history in planning future food systems transformations

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Embargoed Document

Projects

IRP21: Dietary advice on meat and dairy (1920s-2020s): science, confusion, power, and impact

OZR3794: Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies.

Datasets

InterDuPa-UAV: A UAV-based Dataset for the Classification of Intercropped Durian and Papaya Trees

Cite this