About this Research Topic
This collection aims to bring together authors working on evidence syntheses that support sustainable food systems. We anticipate that this collection will highlight the value of high quality evidence syntheses to decision-makers, such as farmers, members of the food industry, food retailers, policy makers, and funders. We also expect to identify some of the issues that are key to producers and users of evidence, and showcase research that aims to improve its availability, and applicability for decision-makers. The collection will showcase high quality research, utilising evidence syntheses such as systematic reviews, systematic maps and meta-analyses, new innovations in the creation and use of evidence syntheses, and also help inform further activities to build capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of evidence syntheses to inform safe and sustainable food systems. The collection may also highlight trade-offs and synergies between research evidence and other considerations such as socio-economic and political factors, and may consider discussions around different aspects of and types of ‘evidence’ and ethical issues related to their use. Our long-term aim is to have a collaborative, multidisciplinary, and rigorous approach to enhance the production and use of ethical and equitable evidence synthesis methods to underpin safe, sustainable and ethical food production.
We welcome papers utilising evidence syntheses and related methods to inform decision making. We also invite discussion papers highlighting: the need for, or potential methods of evidence capacity building and global networking; the use of innovations such as machine learning, or artificial intelligence to enhance evidence syntheses; and ethical issues relating to evidence syntheses and their application. We also welcome submissions from authors working on the application of evidence syntheses within food systems, or those working in fields where evidence syntheses are used alongside other tools to support decision-making. Topics covered may include any part of sustainable food systems as covered by the scope of the journal (e.g. agriculture/food production, agroecology, food processing, diets and nutrition, waste) but must relate to evidence/knowledge synthesis research, development, or discussions. Submissions might include:
• Novel evidence syntheses in the field of sustainable food systems
• Discussion/opinion papers around evidence synthesis use and capacity building
• Novel methods for the use/development of evidence syntheses and improvements to their efficiency, effectiveness, or use.
Keywords: Evidence Synthesis, Agri-Food, Systematic Review, Machine Learning, Sustainable Food Systems
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.