Ecological Paradigms in Diversifying Sustainable Food Systems

The field of sustainable food systems increasingly draws on ecological principles to address interconnected challenges such as food insecurity, environmental degradation, and public health crises. Among these principles, ecological diversification, mirroring adaptive strategies found in natural ecosystems like mangroves, offers a promising model for building resilience and sustainability. Just as mangrove roots stabilize fragile environments and foster productivity, diversified food systems can buffer social and ecological shocks, promote resource efficiency, and sustain food security and nutrition. However, current research often isolates specific components, such as dietary outcomes or environmental footprints, overlooking the systemic interconnections that underpin resilience. There is then an urgent need for integrative research connecting empirical evidence, evaluative methods, and historical understanding to contemporary transitions in food systems, particularly concerning how diversity at multiple scales, from microbial processes to dietary patterns, contributes to sustainable transformations.This Research Topic aims to explore how ecological paradigms of diversification can inform the transformation of sustainable food systems. It seeks to identify the mechanisms, metrics, and multi-level impacts of diversification, and how such ecological diversity enhances resilience to polycrises such as climate change, malnutrition, and resource depletion. Contributions are encouraged from across disciplines to investigate how ecological frameworks can guide policy design, food system transitions, and sustainable diet models. Submissions addressing institutional, regulatory, and governance dimensions are also invited, with attention to public policies, sustainability standards, trade frameworks, and multi-level governance mechanisms. By bridging ecological science, sustainability studies, and nutrition research, this Research Topic aims to advance understanding of diversified food systems that strengthen both planetary and human well-being.To capture these dynamics, we encourage a systems thinking perspective, viewing food systems as Complex Adaptive Systems characterized by multi-level and multi-scale dynamics, non-linear behavior, and both positive and negative feedback loops. We welcome contributions that examine trade-offs and synergies between nutritional, ecological, and social outcomes as diversified food systems adapt to shocks and stressors.This Research Topic lies within the scope of Nutrition and Sustainable Diets, focusing on the interface between environmental sustainability and human nutrition. We welcome original research, reviews, conceptual analyses, and case studies that advance evidence and theory in this area. To gather further insights, we invite submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes: • Empirical studies on diversification processes within sustainable food systems (e.g., soil, crop, and microbial diversity)• Genetic diversification, underutilized crops, and plant breeding strategies for nutrition-sensitive food systems• Frameworks and indicators for assessing diversity in diets, ecosystem functions, and sustainable production• Adaptability and reflexivity of diversified systems to ongoing socio-environmental challenges, including climate change• Historical, cultural, and territorial perspectives supporting food systems diversification• Governance frameworks, trade regimes, and policy instruments promoting ecological and nutritional resilience• Indigenous and community-based approaches to sustainable food and nutrition sovereignty• Digital and data infrastructures shaping transitions toward sustainable and diversified food systems• Systems thinking and Complex Adaptive Systems approaches to modeling non-linear dynamics, feedback loops, and trade-offs/synergies across levels of the food system Topic editors: Rebecca Kanter, Sofia Boza, Smaranda Andrews, Kelly Bruch Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84894/ecological-paradigms-in-diversifying-sustainable-food-systems