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A Human Ecological Approach to Policy in the Context of Food and Nutrition Security

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Handbook of Systems Sciences

Abstract

In addressing the complex challenge of ensuring food and nutrition security for a growing and rapidly urbanizing global population, we need appropriate tools for developing policies that are not only effective but sustainable and socially just. In this chapter we outline a human ecological approach that can be used by policy thinkers, managers, governments, and others to support the analysis, critique, and design of policies, programs, and services to manage problems in complex human-environment systems. At its core, the approach involves consideration of the interactions and feedbacks between the following main components of the given system: the environment; human health; policies/institutions; and cultural paradigms. While the general approach can be applied to any human-environment system, here we present the framework through the example of food and nutrition security, in particular contrasting two examples of how different paradigms can influence policy and management approaches and in turn give rise to different systems and different outcomes for both human and environmental well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Robert Dyball, Federico Davila & Bronwyn Wilkes

  2. Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Federico Davila

Authors
  1. Robert Dyball
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  2. Federico Davila
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  3. Bronwyn Wilkes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Dyball .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leadership and Management, Saybrook University, Ashland, KY, USA

    Gary S. Metcalf

  2. Grad Sch of Decision Sci & Tech, Tokyo Institute of Technology Grad Sch of Decision Sci & Tech, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyoichi Kijima

  3. CABSSS, Tokyo Institute of Technology CABSSS, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hiroshi Deguchi

Section Editor information

  1. School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Shankar Sankaran

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Dyball, R., Davila, F., Wilkes, B. (2021). A Human Ecological Approach to Policy in the Context of Food and Nutrition Security. In: Metcalf, G.S., Kijima, K., Deguchi, H. (eds) Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_11-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_11-2

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  1. Latest

    A Human Ecological Approach to Policy in the Context of Food and Nutrition Security
    Published:
    08 October 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_11-2

  2. Original

    A Human Ecological Approach to Policy in the Context of Food and Nutrition Security
    Published:
    16 June 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_11-1

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