Network science: applications for sustainable agroecosystems and food security

WINDSOR FM; ASSIS AP; ARMENTERAS D; ASTEGIANO J; SANTANA PC; CAGNOLO L; EMARY C; FORT H; GONZÁLEZ XI; KITSON JJN; LACERDA ACF; LOIS M; MÁRQUEZ-VELÁSQUEZ V; MILLER KE; MONASTERIO M; OMACINI M; MAIA KP; PALACIOS TB; POCOCK, MJO; POGGIO SL; VARASSIN IG; VÁZQUEZ D; TAVELLA J; ROTHER DC; DEVOTO M; GUIMARAES PRJR; EVANS DM

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation

Elsevier

Año: 2022

2530-0644

The global challenge of feeding two billion more people by 2050, using more sustainable agricultural practices whilst dealing with uncertainties associated with environmental change, requires a transfor- mation of food systems. We present a new perspective for how advances in network science can provide novel ways to better understand, harness, and restore multiple ecological processes in agricultural envi- ronments. We describe: (i) a network-focused framework for managing agro-ecosystems that accounts for the multiple interactions between biodiversity and associated ecosystem services; (ii) guidance for incorporating socio-economic factors into ecological networks; and (iii) the potential to upscale network methods to inform efforts to build resilience, including global food-supply chains. In doing so we aim to facilitate the application of network science as a systems-based way to tackle the challenges of securing an equitable distribution of food.