The case for history in planning future food systems transformations
Nel de Mûelenaere, Jessica Dijkman, Matthew Hannaford, Leslie Lipper, Rathana Peou Norbert-Munns & A M Nasir Uddin, 2025, Nature Sustainability 8 (4), 343-349
As food insecurity grows globally, foresight planning for sustainable food systems has become critical. Here we argue that history—through detailed data, case studies and methodologies—can profoundly enhance the robustness of scenario planning. By examining cases in Mozambique, Bangladesh and Holland, we illustrate how historical insights can guide interventions on local, national and transnational scales, helping to avoid unintended consequences and building resilience into future food systems.
