Resilient Supply Chains
Work within the Resilient Supply Chains theme aims to adapt food supply systems to deliver better resilience while improving nutrition, reducing environmental impacts and sustaining economies fairly.
Research activity at York recognises that the achievement of resilient global food security lies at the complex nexus of economic growth, resource demand, environmental sustainability and public health.
Research expertise
York is at the forefront of international research on food resilience and sustainability, answering emerging questions regarding agri-food supply chains and how one can enhance sustainability and resilience, given the challenges facing the nexus between food, climate, energy and water.
Key facilities
We harness the expertise of 24 researchers from five departments and schools (Computer Science, Environment, Health Sciences, Politics, School for Business and Society) and two centres (Institute for Effective Education, Stockholm Environment Institute at York) to examine resilience in the global food system.
Research capabilities
Novel interventions, practices and tools for behaviour change to help actors within the food system respond to complex challenges thereby supporting transformative changes in food systems to promote resilience, justice and sustainability. Working with a range of partners including; buyers (manufacturers and retailers), NGOs, producers (including smallholders) and other universities, we design new co-designed solutions for improved food security for all.
Three key research areas
- Investigating how individuals, communities and institutions think and act in response to a changing global food system.
- Understanding how food supply chain actors differ in their ability to respond to crises and stresses within international food supply chains.
- Developing tools, models and frameworks which will help researchers and food supply chain actors resolve and respond to pressures facing food consumption, production and trade.
Related links
Local Theme Leader
The Theme Leader for Resilient Supply Chains is Dr Chris West.
"Resilience allows organisations and supply chains to think about how to live and adapt to threats and shocks to food supply.
We're working with a range of stakeholders to work out better more integrated ways to cope with these shocks and threats by sharing knowledge and learning across the food system."
- Dr Chris West, Local Theme Leader for Resilient Supply Chains.
Theme highlight project
Integrating Knowledge for Food Systems Resilience: IKnowFood
IKnowFood will take an interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder approach to developing a unifying understanding of ‘food system resilience’ using tools and methods to integrate the knowledge and perspectives of hitherto disparate food system actors. You can find out more information on the work of IKnowFood at the project website
Departments and schools: School for Business and Society, Computer Sciences, Environment, Health Sciences, Politics, Stockholm Environment Institute at York