Sustainable Food Systems

This issue of the South African Journal of Science provides a rich overview of research on local food systems and their role in promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable food resources. Key highlights include:

• Sustainable Food Systems Transformation: Examines the complexity of transforming food systems and questions whether current approaches may be trying to address too many challenges at once.
• Protein Diversification: Investigates how diversifying protein sources could support more sustainable food systems in southern Africa.
• Learning Journey Approach: Evaluates 'learning journeys' as a participatory research method for tackling complex food system challenges.
• Resource-Constrained Communities: Highlights the food practices and needs of communities facing limited resources, stressing the importance of context-specific interventions.
• Sodium Reduction in Biltong: Explores sustainable strategies for lowering sodium content in biltong, a popular South African snack.

Collectively, these articles underscore the crucial role of local food systems in ensuring sustainable food security and nutrition, while safeguarding environmental, social, and economic foundations for future generations.

Abstract based on original source.