Research
See below for food systems related research publications authored by SFSI affiliates:
- Against the odds: Network and institutional pathways enabling agricultural diversification
Published originally here on March 27th, 2023. Jennifer Blesh, Zia Mehrabi, Hannah Wittman, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Dana James, Sidney Madsen, Olivia M. Smith, Sieglinde Snapp, Anne Elise Stratton, Mohamed Bakarr, Abram J. Bicksler, Ryan Galt, Lucas A. Garibaldi, Barbara Gemmill-Herren,… Read more: Against the odds: Network and institutional pathways enabling agricultural diversification - Effect of Climate Change Impact Menu Labels on Fast Food Ordering Choices Among US Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Published originally here on December 27th, 2022. Julia Wolfson, Aviva A. Musicus, Cindy W. Leung Key Points Question What effects do positive and negative climate impact menu labels have on the environmental sustainability of adult restaurant food choices in a nationally… Read more: Effect of Climate Change Impact Menu Labels on Fast Food Ordering Choices Among US Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial - Weight bias among children and parents during very early childhood: A scoping review of the literature
Published originally here on January 13th, 2023. Jackson Bensley, Hurley O Riley, and SFSI affiliates Katherine W Bauer, Alison L Miller Abstract Objective: Exposure to and endorsement of weight bias attitudes are risk factors for poor mental health and weight-related outcomes… Read more: Weight bias among children and parents during very early childhood: A scoping review of the literature - Anthropogenic nutrients mitigate importance of fish-mediated nutrient supply for seagrass beds in Haiti
Published originally here on February 13th, 2022. Emily M Brines, Mona A Andskog, Katrina S Munsterman, Craig A Layman, Matthew McCoy, Jacob E Allgeier Abstract The supply of nutrients from consumer waste products, i.e., consumer-mediated nutrient dynamics, is critical for… Read more: Anthropogenic nutrients mitigate importance of fish-mediated nutrient supply for seagrass beds in Haiti - Dicamba drift alters plant–herbivore interactions at the agro-ecological interface
Published originally here in November 2022 Nia M Johnson, Regina S Baucom Abstract Natural populations evolve in response to biotic and abiotic changes in their environment, which shape species interactions and ecosystem dynamics. Agricultural systems can introduce novel conditions via… Read more: Dicamba drift alters plant–herbivore interactions at the agro-ecological interface - Reduced rainfall and resistant varieties mediate a critical transition in the coffee rust disease
Published originally here on January 28th, 2022 Kevin Li, Zachary Hajian-Forooshani, Chenyang Su, Ivette Perfecto, John Vandermeer Abstract Critical transitions, sudden responses to slow changes in environmental drivers, are inherent in many dynamic processes, prompting a search for early warning… Read more: Reduced rainfall and resistant varieties mediate a critical transition in the coffee rust disease - An aggressive nonconsumptive effect mediates pest control and multipredator interactions in a coffee agroecosystem
Published originally here on May 5th, 2022 Jonathan R Morris, Ivette Perfecto Abstract Natural pest control is an alternative to pesticide use in agriculture, and may help to curb insect declines and promote crop production. Nonconsumptive interactions in natural pest… Read more: An aggressive nonconsumptive effect mediates pest control and multipredator interactions in a coffee agroecosystem - Integrating Social-Ecological and Political-Ecological Models of Agrobiodiversity With Nutrient Management of Keystone Food Spaces to Support SDG 2
Published originally here on March 31st, 2022 Karl S Zimmerer, Andrew D Jones, Stef de Haan, Hilary Creed-Kanashiro, Ramzi M Tubbeh, Carolynne Hultquist, Milka N Tello Villavicencio, Franklin Plasencia Amaya, Kien Tri Nguyen Abstract Agrobiodiversity—the biodiversity of food, agriculture, and… Read more: Integrating Social-Ecological and Political-Ecological Models of Agrobiodiversity With Nutrient Management of Keystone Food Spaces to Support SDG 2 - Debrief on the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS)
Published originally here on 2022-02-03. Molly Anderson, Lesli Hoey, Peter Hurst, Michelle Miller, Maywa Montenegro de Wit Abstract What are the roles and responsibilities of U.S. academia in global fora such as the United Nations Food Systems Summit? In an… Read more: Debrief on the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) - Assessing cover crop and intercrop performance along a farm management gradient
Published originally here on July 1st, 2022 Anne Elise Stratton, Jucinei José Comin, Ilyas Siddique, Donald R Zak, Letícia Dambroz Filipini, Renata Rodrigues Lucas, Jennifer Blesh Abstract The impacts of crop diversity on ecosystem functioning can vary across environmental conditions… Read more: Assessing cover crop and intercrop performance along a farm management gradient - Impacts of large-scale land acquisitions on smallholder agriculture and livelihoods in Tanzania
Published originally here on July 27th, 2022 JA Sullivan, DG Brown, F Moyo, M Jain, A Agrawal Abstract Improving agricultural productivity is a foundational sustainability challenge in the 21st century. Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) have important effects on both well-being… Read more: Impacts of large-scale land acquisitions on smallholder agriculture and livelihoods in Tanzania - Carbon emissions and grocery shopping: EVs and home delivery better, ‘trip chaining’ and robots best
Published originally here on August 8th, 2022. By Jim Erickson | Michigan News | ericksn@umich.edu The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way grocery stores do business, with online sales rising more than 50% from 2019 to 2020 in the United States.… Read more: Carbon emissions and grocery shopping: EVs and home delivery better, ‘trip chaining’ and robots best - U-M, Farm Bureau working together to reduce hunger in Michigan
This was originally published here by the UM School of Public Health. U-M, Farm Bureau working together to reduce hunger in Michigan New project from Kate Bauer, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences July 20, 2022 New project seeks to improve food assistance… Read more: U-M, Farm Bureau working together to reduce hunger in Michigan - SFSI Affiliate Joshua Newell Publishes a Study on Urban Agriculture and Vacant Land Use in Detroit
Published originally here on April 4, 2022. Despite Detroit’s reputation as a mecca for urban agriculture, a new University of Michigan-led analysis of the city’s Lower Eastside, which covers 15 square miles, found that community and private gardens occupy less… Read more: SFSI Affiliate Joshua Newell Publishes a Study on Urban Agriculture and Vacant Land Use in Detroit - Participatory State and Regional Food System Plans and Charters in the U.S.: A Summary of Trends and National Directory
September 13, 2021 Authors: SFSI affiliates Lesli Hoey, Lilly Fink Shapiro, Kathryn Colasanti, Alex Judelsohn, Mrithula Shantha Thirumalai Anandanpillai, and Keerthana Vidyasagar Completed in August of 2021, this report offers a snapshot of national trends and a directory of food… Read more: Participatory State and Regional Food System Plans and Charters in the U.S.: A Summary of Trends and National Directory - UM researchers find that a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life
Eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, while choosing to eat a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes of extra healthy life, according to a University of Michigan study. The study,… Read more: UM researchers find that a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life - SFSI Affiliates Publishes Study on the Impact of Diets on Water Scarcity Footprints
Published originally here by By Jim Erickson, Michigan News | April 15, 2021 Read the full study here featuring SFSI affiliates Martin Heller and Greg Keoleian. A lot of attention has been paid in recent years to the carbon footprint… Read more: SFSI Affiliates Publishes Study on the Impact of Diets on Water Scarcity Footprints - SFSI Affiliates Author Study on Storytelling as a Method to Evaluate Food Systems Change
Figure 4. A Spatial Analysis of Good Food Stories in Michigan. Stories as indicators: Lessons learned using the Most Significant Change method to evaluate food systems work in Michigan Authors: Lilly Fink Shapiro, Lesli Hoey, and Kathryn Colasanti ABSTRACT Food… Read more: SFSI Affiliates Author Study on Storytelling as a Method to Evaluate Food Systems Change - New Study Published by SFSI Affiliate Meha Jain
Fig. 1 Mean winter cropped area from 2000–2001 to 2015–2016. Cropped area is shown (A) across India, (B) in a highly cropped region in Punjab, and (C) in a medium-intensity cropped region in Bihar. Pixels that were never cropped are highlighted… Read more: New Study Published by SFSI Affiliate Meha Jain - SFSI Affiliates Co-author Report on COVID-19 Effects on Michigan Local Food Councils and Their Communities
The Effects of COVID-19 on Michigan Local Food Councils and Their Communities Download and read the full report published here. Authors: Lesli Hoey, Alex Judelsohn, Keerthana Vidyasagar, Lilly Fink Shapiro, and Liz Gensler. February 2021 Around the world, food insecurity… Read more: SFSI Affiliates Co-author Report on COVID-19 Effects on Michigan Local Food Councils and Their Communities - Dr. Ivette Perfecto Co-authors Key Messages of Transformational Food Systems Report
Date: January 26, 2021 Authored by Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Lim Li Ching and Ivette Perfecto and approved by the IAASTD+10 Advisory Group. Eleven years ago, the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) provided a powerful evidence-based… Read more: Dr. Ivette Perfecto Co-authors Key Messages of Transformational Food Systems Report - Dr. Finn Speaks to Feeding Multitudes in Apocalyptic Times
This past November, SFSI affiliate and Lecturer for the University Courses Division, Margot Finn, gave a keynote for the conference Food Futures in the Anthropocene: Place-based, Just, Convivial hosted by the University of Tasmania. You can now access this talk… Read more: Dr. Finn Speaks to Feeding Multitudes in Apocalyptic Times - SFSI Solidarity with the COVID-19 Farmworker Study
Carrots are picked near Arvin, Calif., Aug. 20, 2020. (Brian L. Frank/The New York Times) Date: December 23, 2020 The impacts of the COVID-19 virus have deepened disparities, worsened health outcomes, and sacrificed the safety of the farmworkers that grow… Read more: SFSI Solidarity with the COVID-19 Farmworker Study - New study from SFSI Affiliates Cindy Leung and Julia Wolfson
Placing warning labels on beverage dispensers might be enough to help college students cut back on sugary drinks, according to a new study. The study by the University of Michigan School of Public Health and University of California, Davis, found… Read more: New study from SFSI Affiliates Cindy Leung and Julia Wolfson - Food Insecurity Studies Reveal Increased Risks for Low-Income and Older Adults
In the wake of the pandemic, SFSI affiliates and faculty in the School of Public Health, Julia Wolfson and Cindy Leung, quickly implemented studies to understand how the pandemic was (and still is) impacting certain segments of the population in… Read more: Food Insecurity Studies Reveal Increased Risks for Low-Income and Older Adults - Unexpected Limitations to the Biological Control of the Coffee Leaf Miner
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliates Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer along with EEB students Zachary Hajian-Forooshani and Alexa White Published July 2020 in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment ANN ARBOR— The most recent publication by the Perfectomeer lab of Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer details the… Read more: Unexpected Limitations to the Biological Control of the Coffee Leaf Miner - SFSI Affiliate Named for University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship
Author: Lauren Love, Public Affairs Originally published: July 16, 2020 Published here: July 23, 2020 As part of the university’s continued commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, four University of Michigan professors have been named recipients of the University… Read more: SFSI Affiliate Named for University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship - High-sugar diet dampens release of dopamine, triggering overeating
Everyone knows it: An entire box of Girl Scout cookies counts as one serving, right? That’s at least how it feels, and a University of Michigan study in fruit flies finds why this might be: a high-sugar diet muddies the… Read more: High-sugar diet dampens release of dopamine, triggering overeating - U-M ecologists call for protection of scientific diversity during and after pandemic
Author: Jim Erickson Date: June 16, 2020 A team of researchers including two University of Michigan ecologists has called on the international scientific community—and especially those in leadership positions—to support the retention and diversity of early career scientists during and… Read more: U-M ecologists call for protection of scientific diversity during and after pandemic - SFSI Affiliates Discuss Food Security in the Time of COVID-19
Cindy Leung and Susan Aaronson, two SFSI affiliates, were interviewed back in May, 2020, on the impacts of the pandemic on food insecurity. Aaronson and Leung, in the School of Public Health, detail how these measures bring difficult new challenges… Read more: SFSI Affiliates Discuss Food Security in the Time of COVID-19 - Implications of future US diet scenarios on greenhouse gas emissions
Authors: SFSI Affiliate Martin Heller, and Gregory Keoleian, and Diego Rose Published January 13, 2020 Read the CSS report here Cutting animal-based food intake could fight greenhouse gases By Jim Erickson Michigan News Replacing half of all animal-based foods in… Read more: Implications of future US diet scenarios on greenhouse gas emissions - SFSI Affiliate Assesses COVID-19 Impacts to the Global Food Supply Chain
Date: April 29, 2020 Author: Jeff Karoubj (karoub@umich.edu) FACULTY Q&A The global food supply chain has been rocked by the pandemic, leading to disruptions and shortages and adding to the problem of waste. There’s also the human cost, such as the… Read more: SFSI Affiliate Assesses COVID-19 Impacts to the Global Food Supply Chain - Azteca ant colonies move the same way leopards’ spots form
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliates Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer Published December 2019 in BioScience ANN ARBOR—What could Azteca ants in coffee farms in Mexico have in common with leopards’ spots and zebras’ stripes? After two decades of analyzing the rise, spread… Read more: Azteca ant colonies move the same way leopards’ spots form - SFSI affiliate wins “Best Article Award for 2018” for paper linking GHG emissions and diet
A study led by SFSI affiliate Dr. Martin Heller, researcher at the Center for Sustainable Systems, has won Best Article Award for 2018, chosen from a shortlist of the most outstanding articles published last year by Environmental Research Letters. Congratulations,… Read more: SFSI affiliate wins “Best Article Award for 2018” for paper linking GHG emissions and diet - Deconstructing the Family Meal: Are Characteristics of the Mealtime Environment Associated with the Healthfulness of Meals Served?
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliate Karen Peterson Published February 2019 in the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics By Eric Freedman Capital News Service Households that eat family-style meals together at the table with the TV off may have… Read more: Deconstructing the Family Meal: Are Characteristics of the Mealtime Environment Associated with the Healthfulness of Meals Served? - Biodiversity and Agriculture: Nature’s Matrix and the Future of Conservation
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliates Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer Published December 2, 2019 by Food First When we were children, a long auto trip would require a stop every hour or so to clean the windshield of the insects that had… Read more: Biodiversity and Agriculture: Nature’s Matrix and the Future of Conservation - SFSI Affiliates Find Unexpected Outcomes on Puerto Rican Coffee Farms after Hurricane Maria
October 30, 2019 University of Michigan ecologists Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer have studied Latin American coffee farms for a quarter century, and they tracked the recovery of tropical forests in Nicaragua following 1988’s Hurricane Joan for nearly 20 years.… Read more: SFSI Affiliates Find Unexpected Outcomes on Puerto Rican Coffee Farms after Hurricane Maria - Massive Footprints and Moderate Steps: Reducing the Greenhouse Toll of Food Production
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliate Andrew Jones Published October 21, 2019 by the School of Public Health’s Findings magazine The health of our global food systems hangs in the balance of a changing climate. At the same time, these food networks also release… Read more: Massive Footprints and Moderate Steps: Reducing the Greenhouse Toll of Food Production - Rolling Out the SNAP Work Requirements in Michigan: The Washtenaw County Experience
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliate Lesli Hoey and Markell Miller Published August 2018 by the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and the Washtenaw County organization Food Gatherers A new report released by the University of Michigan Taubman… Read more: Rolling Out the SNAP Work Requirements in Michigan: The Washtenaw County Experience - Feeding Prometheus: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Solving the Global Food Crisis
Authors: SFSI affiliates: John Vandermeer, Aniket Aga, Jake Allgeier, Catherine Badgley, Regina Baucom, Jennifer Blesh, Lilly F. Shapiro, Andrew D. Jones, Lesli Hoey, Meha Jain, Ivette Perfecto and Mark L. Wilson Published July 2018 in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems The current global… Read more: Feeding Prometheus: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Solving the Global Food Crisis - Development pathways toward “zero hunger”
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliates Jennifer Blesh, Lesli Hoey, Andrew Jones, Harriet Friedmann, Ivette Perfecto Published February 2019 in World Development Full article here Globally, industrial agriculture threatens critical ecosystem processes on which crop production depends, while 815 million people are undernourished and… Read more: Development pathways toward “zero hunger” - Lower-carbon diets aren’t just good for the planet, they’re also healthier
Authors: SFSI faculty affiliate Marty Heller (SEAS) and Diego Rose (Tulane) Published January 29, 2019 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Full article here Researchers examined the diets of 16,000 Americans and ranked them by the amount of greenhouse gas… Read more: Lower-carbon diets aren’t just good for the planet, they’re also healthier - The Farm at St. Joe’s: Growing Healthy and Resilient Communities
Authors: Lauren Highleyman(MS, SNRE) and Cassidy Dellorto-Blackwell(MS, SNRE)Advisor: SFSI faculty affiliate Raymond De YoungApril 2017 The purpose of this project was to assess awareness of programs and explore opportunities for program development for The Farm at St. Joe’s (The Farm),… Read more: The Farm at St. Joe’s: Growing Healthy and Resilient Communities - Cutting Carbon from the Shopping Cart: Consumer Perceptions of a Carbon Label on Food Products
Author: Elizabeth Bedrick, PitE, class of 2017 Advisor: SFSI faculty affiliate Margot Finn April 2017 There is a lack of transparency in the increasingly complex food system. Consumers tend to use environmental indicators, or eco-labels, to identify sustainable foods; however, many… Read more: Cutting Carbon from the Shopping Cart: Consumer Perceptions of a Carbon Label on Food Products - Food sovereignty education across the Americas: multiple origins, converging movementsAuthors: SFSI faculty affiliate Lesli Hoey and attendees of the 2015 UM Food Sovereignty Conference:David Meek, Katharine Bradley, Bruce Ferguson, Helda Morales, Peter Rosset, Rebecca Tarlau Published March 2017 in the Journal of Agriculture and Human Values Social movements are using education to generate critical consciousness regarding the social and environmental unsustainability of… Read more: Food sovereignty education across the Americas: multiple origins, converging movements
- Implementing Collective Impact for Food Systems Change: Reflections and Adaptations from MichiganAuthors: SFSI faculty affiliate Lesli Hoey, SFSI Program Manager Lilly Fink Shapiro and Kathryn Colasanti and Rich Pirog at the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems Published March 2017 in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development As Collective Impact… Read more: Implementing Collective Impact for Food Systems Change: Reflections and Adaptations from Michigan
- Farms and Health: A Guide to Farm & Garden Programs in Healthcare
Author: Jana Stewart, (MPH/MS) Advisor: SFSI affiliated faculty Raymond de Young April 2016 At a time when diet-related disease is at an all-time high, there is an opportunity for a paradigm shift in the healthcare system. The focus for decades… Read more: Farms and Health: A Guide to Farm & Garden Programs in Healthcare - Expanding Food Bank Impact: Healthy Food Access and Sustainable Farm Production
Authors: Kelsea Ballantyne (MBA/MS), Rebecca Baylor (MS), Alice Bowe (MS), Jana Stewart (MPH/MS) Advisors: SFSI affiliated faculty Ivette Perfecto and SFSI affiliated faculty Lesli Hoey April 2015 The Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB) is a food bank in mid-Michigan that is rethinking its… Read more: Expanding Food Bank Impact: Healthy Food Access and Sustainable Farm Production - University Students’ Perception of the USDA Organic LabelAuthor: Garen Leung, PiTE class of 2016 Studies to date have examined consumer perception of various organic labels; however, the results are often ambiguous and much confusion remains surrounding the organic label. This study examined consumer perception of one of… Read more: University Students’ Perception of the USDA Organic Label
- Cricket as Food: The perceptions and barriers to entomophagy and the potential for widespread incorporation of cricket flour in American Diets
Author: Rachael Lacey, PiTE class of 2016Advisor: SFSI faculty affiliate Margot Finn Entomophagy, or the consumption of insects, is widely practiced on a global level, but is uncommon in the United States. There has been promising research on the nutrition, safety,… Read more: Cricket as Food: The perceptions and barriers to entomophagy and the potential for widespread incorporation of cricket flour in American Diets - The remarkable repeated evolution of herbicide resistanceBy SFSI affiliated faculty Regina Baucom in the American Journal of Botany First published January 28, 2016
- Student Interest in Campus Community Gardens: Sowing the Seeds for Direct Engagement with SustainabilityBy SFSI affiliated faculty Raymond de Young Published January 2016 in the World Sustainability Series At a time when environmental problems are growing and biophysical limits-to-growth are apparent, encouraging sustainable behavior is a critical societal objective. Within the college campus… Read more: Student Interest in Campus Community Gardens: Sowing the Seeds for Direct Engagement with Sustainability
- Assessing the potential and limitations of leveraging food sovereignty to improve human healthBy SFSI affiliated Andrew D Jones, Lilly Fink Shapiro, Mark L. Wilson Published November 2015 in Frontiers in Public Health. Food sovereignty has been defined as “the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound… Read more: Assessing the potential and limitations of leveraging food sovereignty to improve human health
- Food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours among university undergraduates: A mixed-methods studyBy SFSI Affiliated faculty Victoria Campbell-Arvai Published May 5, 2015, in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education The purpose of this paper was to document the food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours of undergraduate university students. More specifically, this… Read more: Food-related environmental beliefs and behaviours among university undergraduates: A mixed-methods study
- Healthy Food for a Healthy World: Leveraging Agriculture and Food to Improve Global Nutrition
Principal author: SFSI affiliate Andrew Jones April 2015 On April 16, 2015, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a report calling on the United States to use the power of the agriculture and food sector to reduce the reality… Read more: Healthy Food for a Healthy World: Leveraging Agriculture and Food to Improve Global Nutrition - A New Approach to Understanding Agricultural Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainable DevelopmentBy SFSI affiliated faculty Ivette Perfecto, John Vandermeer Published January 2015 Based on principles of the conservation and optimization of biodiversity and of equity and sustainability, this book focuses on the ecology of the coffee agroecosystem as a model for… Read more: A New Approach to Understanding Agricultural Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainable Development
