Maladaptation in food systems and ways to avoid it

Food systems, which are complex, including everything from production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste, and involve many different groups and institutions, are under increasing pressure to adapt to climate change. Maladaptation, which has been increasingly observed and documented in the scientific literature, is defined as an action that 1) generates or increases climate risk, 2) exacerbates vulnerability, 3) erodes sustainable development, or 4) contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Maladaptive actions can occur to those implementing the action, or transfer negative effects on those not considered by the actual intervention, including at the global scale. In this paper, I review the current literature on maladaptation in food systems, provide examples from the literature of different types of maladaptive outcomes in food systems, and the literature on how to prevent maladaptation.

Automated summary

Food systems, including production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste, are under pressure to adapt to climate change. This paper reviews the literature on maladaptation in food systems, provides examples of different types of maladaptive outcomes, and discusses strategies to prevent maladaptation.