Prioritising key variables for assessing food system resilience in Finland

ABSTRACT

Building food system resilience enables the system to buffer, adapt and transform in response to changes. Identification of key variables of resilience support actors and policymakers managing the food systems. The objective of this study was to identify the most important variables to assess food system resilience and actors with the best opportunities to take responsibility for preparing for disruptions. We operationalised the key variables of resilience in the Finnish food system and evaluated them using a Delphi expert method. We produced a framework for food system resilience, including three indispensable interacting levels of action and good practices within each supporting resilience building. In the prioritisation of key variables, diversity in production, versatile cooperation between actors based on trust, independence of external inputs, system understanding, and renewable domestic energy were considered the most important. Research and administration play a key role in producing information and implementing actions targeted especially at agriculture, where actions are expected to be the most efficient and impactful. In the whole food system, increasing transparency would help create trust and thus promote co-creation of sustainable practices. Platforms to obtain information about future risks and for co-creating solutions for building food system resilience are needed.

KEYWORDS:

• Disturbance
• diversity
• cooperation
• trust
• Delphi
• soil health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Academy of Finland DEFORFO project [grant number 335648] and TREFORM [grant number 339830].

Notes on contributors

Karoliina Rimhanen

Dr. Karoliina Rimhanen is a Research Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). She has a Ph.D. in agroecology from the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her research has focused on resilience, climate change adaptation and multi-actor approach in agriculture and food systems.

Kalle Aro

Kalle Aro works as a Research Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). His research pertains policy making and stakeholder participation in the context of low carbon transition, with emphasis on bioenergy and agriculture. Aro graduated an M.Sc. (Environment, Energy and Society) from the University of Stavanger and currently pursues a doctoral degree at Tampere University.

Pasi Rikkonen

Dr. Pasi Rikkonen is a Principal Research Scientist and futurist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). Dr. Rikkonen received his doctorate from the Turku School of Economics. He has conducted numerous future-oriented studies and participatory scenario exercises within the fields of agriculture, food and bioenergy. He has been an expert member of several future-oriented working groups of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Parliament of Finland.