Location: Food Systems Research Unit
2022 Annual Report
Objectives
Objective 1. Develop the intellectual framework for an integrated program that addresses how animal food systems can provide nutritious and culturally appropriate foods that may be used to create healthy diets and reduce the risk of chronic disease while maximizing economic return to producers. The program will emphasize human nutrition/health, animal agricultural production, and value-added processing within the context of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. [NP 107: C1 PS1a, C2 PS2b, C3 PS3b]
Objective 2. Ensure integration of research with project “Increasing Small-Farm Viability, Sustainable Production and Human Nutrition in Plant-Based Food Systems of the New England States” in a manner that allows connectivity between all components as well as overall analysis, assessment, integration and modelling of all data. [NP 107: C1 PS1a, C2 PS2b, C3 PS3b]
Objective 3. Develop appropriate linkages and cooperation within and between the USDA-ARS and the University of Vermont, for the purpose of forming an integrated Food Systems program. These include integrated data systems, analytical capabilities, and the capacity to conduct human clinical trials. [NP 107: C1 PS1a, C2 PS2b, C3 PS3b]
Approach
Food systems are interconnected sets of elements that work together to produce, process, distribute, store, sell, and prepare food. They include the upstream activities that support production, such as the creation of farm inputs. They also include downstream activities, such as human nutrition, consumer choice and the disposal or recycling of food waste. This project addresses the ecological sustainability and economic vitality of animal systems in the New England region with the goal of enhancing both public health and sustainable farming practices. To this end, this project will determine how the environmental and economic outcomes of animal systems can be improved while simultaneously enhancing the quality of human diets and improving health outcomes. Research activities will focus on a range of scales, from individuals, such as farmers and consumers, to geographic regions, such as watersheds and foodsheds. In addition, the project will explore how systems change over time. Three overarching questions will guide the Unit’s research on animal systems. First, how can animal systems leverage opportunities for ecological synergies, such as relying on perennial forages or food byproducts, while maintaining or improving economic viability? Second, how can inclusion of animal products in diets encourage consumption of foods lacking in the U.S. diet, such as whole grains, complete protein sources, fruits, and vegetables? And third, how can plant based farming systems interact with animal-production based systems, to improve sustainability and reduce environmental impacts? Research scientists on this project will utilize systems thinking and participatory approaches, like group model building. In addition, the Unit will develop a state-of-the-art facility for computational modeling and data visualization with the ability to link to other data sources and computing resources.
To create effective collaborations with the University of Vermont and stakeholder partners, the Research Unit will identify on-going efforts to understand and improve the ecological, economic, and social sustainability of New England food systems. This process will help ARS staff to design strategic research that answers key questions or integrates data in new ways that lead to transformative improvements in U.S. Food Systems.
Progress Report
The Food Systems Research Unit (FSRU) hired a Research Social Scientist supporting this project. In addition, position descriptions for a Research Animal Scientist and a Research Microbiologist were approved by the Office of National Programs (ONP). A search is underway for the Research Animal Scientist and the recruitment for the Research Microbiologist will be launched soon. The Lead Scientist (Research Leader) hired a summer intern to assist him with research, and he is in the process of recruiting a postdoc. The Research Soil Scientist is in the process of hiring a technician on a temporary appointment as an interim step to launching a search for a permanent technician position.
The Unit’s Administrative Officer resigned the position, and a detail is being sought to fill this position temporarily until a permanent person can be found. Recruitments have been launched for two other administrative positions: a Program Support Assistant, and a Financial and Budget Technician.
3b. Facilities
At the end of FY 2021, the FSRU has established a lease agreement to pay for renovation of an existing space in Hills Hall on the University of Vermont campus. A portion of Hills Hall will eventually serve as the unit’s primary office and lab space. The university developed plans for renovation of the building in consultation with the Research Leader and other ARS staff. The university solicited bids and hired a contractor to perform the work. The project is underway.
In the interim, the FSRU, the Northeast Area (NEA) Office, and University of Vermont (UVM) are working together to identify temporary facilities around campus to support scientists, technicians, and administrative staff hired before the permanent location is ready. All permanent and temporary staff currently have office spaces on campus.
3c. Research
In pursuit of Obj. 1, the following research progress has been made:
• Research Leader edited a book for the field entitled Food Systems Modeling. Aimed at an interdisciplinary audience of researchers, the book covers how different modeling approaches estimate environmental and economic impacts of food systems and how models have been applied in different stakeholder settings. The Lead Scientist contributed a chapter on foodshed mapping and carrying capacity estimation and co-authored the introduction and conclusion chapters with a co-editor from Colorado State University. The book was published by Elsevier’s Academic Press in January 2022.
• The Research Soil Scientist has drafted a concept note of her plans for research for the next two years in consultation with the ARS PI. The draft was shared with national program leaders for feedback.
• The summer intern has been working with the ARS to develop diet scenarios to explore the relationship between consumption of animal sourced protein, land requirements, and carrying capacity using an updated version of the U.S. carrying capacity model.
• The Lead Scientist has initiated a collaboration with Cornell University to study the economic viability and greenhouse gas emissions of grass-finished beef supply chains in the Northeast through a Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement.
In pursuit of Obj. 2, the following progress has been made:
• At the suggestion of the National Program Leaders (NPLs), the Lead Scientist expanded on the research plans outlined in his one-page concept notes by writing his plans for future research in the form of the Approach & Procedures section of a project plan. The Lead Scientist has shared these draft plans with the FSRU scientists to invite feedback and to begin discussion of how we create a cohesive research vision for the unit.
• The Lead Scientist has participated in a collaborative research project on regional food systems, the New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) Project. The Lead Scientist’s collaboration on this project is covered by a Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement under Project 8090-44000-001-000D. However, since the project includes foods produced through both plant-based food systems and animal-based food systems, it inherently bridges the two projects. Initial results suggest that current regional self-reliance is 18 percent, meaning that regional production could theoretically supply 18 percent of current food consumption. However, this estimate does not account for food produced in New England that gets shipped to meet food needs in other regions. Thus, the actual self-supply of food is likely lower. Regional self-reliance varies widely across food groups and within food groups. For animal-based foods, self-reliance is higher for dairy products (45 percent) than for meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood (collectively, 11 percent).
In pursuit of Obj. 3, the following progress has been made:
• The Lead Scientist and UVM met separately with the Departments of Animal Sciences, Community Development and Applied Economics, Nutrition and Food Science, Plant Biology, Plant and Soil Sciences, and with Extension to solicit feedback from faculty and staff on their research interests in food systems.
• In January 2022, ARS and UVM launched a monthly seminar for the dairy postdocs that includes both the UVM supervisors and the ARS mentors.
• University of Vermont faculty have served, or are serving, on the interview panels for the Research Social Scientist and Research Animal Scientist positions.
Accomplishments
Review Publications
Peters, C.J. 2022. Foodshed analysis and carrying capacity estimation. In: Peters, C.J., Thilmany, D.D., editors. Food systems modeling: Tools for assessing sustainability in food and agriculture. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press. p. 105-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822112-9.00007-2
Peters, C.J. and Thilmany, D.D. 2022. Using models to study food systems. In: Peters, C.J., Thilmany, D.D., editors. Food Systems Modeling: Tools for Assessing Sustainability in Food and Agriculture. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press. p. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822112-9.00013-8.
