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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Burlington, Vermont » Food Systems Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #387663
Research Project: Improving Vitality, Sustainability, and Value-Added Processing by Animal Food Systems in the New England States in a manner that Enhances Nutrition and Public Health

Location: Food Systems Research Unit

Title: Using models to study food systems

Author
item Peters, Christian
item THILMANY, DAWN - Colorado State University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2021
Publication Date: 1/8/2022
Citation: 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.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822112-9.00013-8

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A model simplifies the world in a way that helps you to understand how some part of the world works. Food systems are messy networks of people attempting to produce, process, package, distribute, prepare, and sell food. These systems involve many actors with different roles working within the limits posed by the natural world, such as imposed by weather, and the confines of the rules of human institutions, such as markets. Given this complexity, models are an important tool to study food systems. This chapter briefly reviews the role models play in science, the types of models used to study food systems, and common issues with using models as a mode of inquiry. Introductory in nature, this chapter also explains the layout of subsequent chapters and offers insight to both the novice and the seasoned modeler on how to approach the book.