Food for thought: systems thinking and traditional knowledge
ModulesFood for thought: systems thinking and traditional knowledge
This micromodule builds on the Earth to Research podcast episode “Food for Thought: Systems Thinking and Traditional Knowledge,” exploring food systems as complex, interconnected networks linking environmental sustainability, social justice, and global economic structures. The episode contains themes related to epistemic justice, indigenous knowledge and collaborative research. After engaging with the podcast and following the reflexive activities, learners will be able to:
1. Describe how epistemic injustice occurs in research activities.
3. Analyse how power and responsibility are distributed among actors in research activities.
4. Evaluate ethical issues in food systems research, including knowledge use, inclusion, and benefit sharing.
5. Apply systems thinking in an ethically informed way to identify context-sensitive and just interventions.What is this about?
This activity builds on the Earth to Research podcast episode “Food for Thought: Systems Thinking and Traditional Knowledge,” featuring food systems researcher Madhura Rao in conversation with Lucy Sabin.
The episode explores food systems as complex, interconnected networks linking environmental sustainability, social justice, and global economic structures. Using examples such as rice, it shows how a single product connects farmers, researchers, global trade, retailers, and consumers across multiple scales.
A central focus of this module is that food systems are not only technical systems, but also ethical and political systems shaped by power, values, and knowledge. Sustainability challenges such as food waste do not arise from one actor alone, but from interactions across the system.
The episode also highlights how innovations in the circular bioeconomy such as Peel Pioneers can turn waste into resources. At the same time, it raises important ethical questions:
- Who benefits from these innovations?
- Whose knowledge is being used, and is it recognised?
- Do these solutions challenge or reproduce existing inequalities?
The discussion introduces the idea that traditional, local, and scientific knowledge systems can complement each other, but only when engagement is respectful, inclusive, and fair.
This discussion is relevant for reflections about epistemic injustice in research and innovation activities. Epistemic injustice refers to unfair knowledge practices "inflicted upon people in their capacity as knowers, and as producers and recipients of knowledge, owing to structural prejudices in the processes involved in knowledge production, use, and circulation ." (Bhakuni & Abimbola 2021).
Bhakuni, H., & Abimbola, S. (2021). Epistemic injustice in academic global health. The Lancet Global Health, 9 (10), e1465-e1470.Listen to the podcast
Listen to the episode and consider both system dynamics and ethical dimensions
If you prefer reading, you can consult the transcript.
Guiding prompt while listening: Pay attention not only to how the food system works, but also to:
- Who has influence within the system
- Whose knowledge is valued or overlooked
- Who benefits from current practices and proposed solutions
Food for thoughts: systems thinking and traditional knowledge
Understand and reflect critically
Do the following activity and check your understanding and reflect critically.
Ethical and systems reflection
Work in groups or pairs. If this is not possible, reflect individually. Identify an area of research and reflect on the questions below.
- Power and responsibility
o Who makes decisions related to what is an important research question and which studies get funded?
o Who is most affected by the research?
- Knowledge and inclusion
o What types of knowledge are relevant (scientific, local, traditional)?
o Are any perspectives missing or undervalued?
o How do the ways we do research influence whose knowledge is heard?
o Are community members involved in interpretation and decision-making, or only data collection?
- Fairness and benefits
o Who benefits from current practices?
o Who might be excluded or disadvantaged?
o Have expectations related to the benefits of research (e.g. intellectual property, authorship, and data ownership) been discussed?Extra resources
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Food Systems
European Commission – Bioeconomy Strategy
UNESCO – Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS)
