About APSAFE 2020

Our food systems face serious environmental and social issues. Such are resource overuse, GHG emissions, soil degradation, pollution, non-communicable diseases, loss of diversity (biological, cultural, knowledge), growing wealth disparity, social isolation, rapid urban concentration, and rising levels of poverty.

Addressing these issues starts with understanding that they have complex interactions. We have learned that food systems should not be perceived as a linear projection (from producers, to middlemen, to processors, to retailers, and finally to consumers), but rather as a part of circular and interacting system consisting of a number of other systems. 

Tackling "wicked problems" that will not have a single correct answer requires not only understanding the complexity and diversity of values of the problems, but also accepting fallibilism and the limit of predictability.

The theme of the 4th APSAFE is "Supporting Sustainable Food Systems: Quality Food and Ethical Consumption". 

Rethinking and restructuring food production methods is inevitable if we hope to make food systems more sustainable. New technologies in agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, and food processing have many potentials, and research results from various perspectives such as agroecology, resilience, human-animal relationships, degrowth, food sovereignty and gender are made available. However, none of them are a panacea. 

To tackle the wicked problems of the food system in each place, we need a platform for transdisciplinary mutual learning. We hope that APSAFE 2020 will be one of those opportunities to create such platform.

APSAFE 2020 will be held as a non-real-time conference using Slack. You can participate in the discussions at any time you like (participants are not obligated to log in every day during the conference.).

We cordially welcome to this online conference researchers, students, policy makers, community activists, practitioners, and anyone with an interest in this theme from around the world. Please use this opportunity to broaden your knowledge and network, and deepen your understanding.

   The APSAFE is a sister organization to the European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics (EurSAFE).