Exploring resilience concepts and strategies within regional food systems: a systematic literature review

Adaptive strategies that build resilience within food systems are urgently needed to address food supply chain disturbances. Increasingly severe and compounding natural disasters, conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic have led to recurrent food shortages, price spikes and increased food inequities in recent years, threatening food security. ‘Regional food systems’ (RFSs), that aim to scale up local food production and increase consumer access to food, present many opportunities for adaptive social and ecological developments. However, appreciation of food system resilience at the regional scale remains fragmented, therefore this research aimed to develop a cohesive synopsis of how resilience is conceptualised and enabled within RFSs. A systematic literature review of 688 articles identified 53 of relevance. Analysis revealed 3 ‘core constructs’ with 15 associated ‘key themes’. A total of 130 ‘regional food system resilience’ strategies were synthesised from the literature, along with their documented challenges, opportunities and recommendations. Findings revealed that RFS resilience strategies rely on: 1) robust supply chain networks and relationships that feature implicit and explicit values; and 2) access to infrastructure that supports scaling up. Strategic planning and policy-enabled infrastructure and network development will strengthen RFS resilience, and food policy councils are key facilitators of these developments. Greater policy integration related to land use is needed to ensure farmers can access productive agricultural land now and into the future. This research contributes to a greater understanding of how resilience can be optimised at the regional scale and support decision-making to address food security for acute disasters and long-term climatic changes.