Food Insecurity: Is Leagility a Potential Remedy?

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ukraine-Russian conflict, both significant geo-political and socio-economic shocks to the global food system and food insecurity has risen across the world. One potential remedy to reduce the level of food insecurity is to move from a lean just-in-time food system to one where there is more resilience through greater agility both in routine supply operations and also in the event of an emergency situation. The aim of this critical perspectives paper was to firstly reflect on the concepts of lean, agility, and 'leagility'. Then, this study considered the ability of individual organisations and the whole food system to be resilient, adaptive, enable the elimination of waste, reduce inefficiency, and assure the consistent delivery to market requirements in terms of both volume, safety, and quality. Promoting the concept of leagility together with advocating resilient, sustainable practices that embed buffer and adaptive capacity, this paper positions that increasing digitalisation and improving business continuity planning can ensure effective operationalisation of supply chains under both normal and crisis situations, ultimately reducing the risk of food insecurity at personal, household, and community levels.

Automated summary

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine-Russian conflict, the global food system has experienced significant geo-political and socio-economic shocks, leading to increased food insecurity worldwide. This critical perspectives paper explores the concept of transitioning from a lean just-in-time food system to a more resilient and agile one, capable of effectively responding to routine supply operations as well as emergency situations. By promoting the idea of "leagility" and advocating for resilient and sustainable practices, such as digitalization and business continuity planning, this study argues for reducing the risk of food insecurity at personal, household, and community levels.