Leading to Action & Transformation? How Researchers are Applying System Thinking to Overcome Food System Challenges

Abstract Systems approaches are becoming widely recognised for their potential to address the complexity of food systems’ challenges and lead needed transformations. However, there is limited attention on how systems thinking is being applied across food systems research, for what purposes, and with what impact. Based on four research questions, this paper presents the results of a systematic review of articles that describe and categorise the application of systems thinking approaches to food systems research for which a systems model – employing a graph-based representation - has been created and made use of for diagnosing problems. The review covered a range of food-related challenges employing a wide diversity of systems approaches across 35 case studies. This diversity demonstrates an impressive diversity of approaches to implementing a systems thinking process of food systems model creation, with or without stakeholder involvement. In terms of impact, only two case studies sought evidence of demonstrable action to implement solutions identified in the food system as a result of their case study; only one of which provided evidence of such an action having taken place. None sought or found evidence of system transformation. This suggests that knowledge production (including systems identification and solution identification), rather than effecting change to solve wicked problems, has been the ultimate focus of the majority of case studies reviewed. In conclusion, our review has failed to find substantial evidence, documented in the selected food systems articles, that systems thinking processes (in which graphical representations of the system are produced to analyse system challenges and identify interventions) have led to substantive actions to solve those challenges, or to system transformation.