Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see?

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reviewed 32 food system visualizations (FSVs) published between 1998 and 2020. The review found that most FSVs are explanatory tools that use concentric circles, networks, or linear flows to link production with drivers like climate and trade. While most focus on agricultural production and value chains, only 16% specifically address resilience, and just under 20% comprehensively cover all four targets of SDG 2 (zero hunger). Policy and governance are typically listed as influencing factors rather than primary subjects of analysis.

• The primary purpose of food system visualizations (FSVs) is explanatory, aiming to help users understand the complexity of food systems by linking food production with external drivers—such as trade, population characteristics, and climate—and system outcomes like nutrition, diets, and food access.
• FSVs generally fall into three visual styles: concentric or overlapping circles (where governance/policy are outer circles and nutrition/security are inner), webs or networks using arrows to show feedback loops between drivers and outcomes, and linear flow diagrams, which typically focus on sectoral production, processing, and sale rather than policy or nutrition.
• While FSVs cover global, national, and local scales, the most frequent representations link global-to-household or national-to-household levels to illustrate how governance and policy choices impact individual food security and nutrition. One third of the reviewed FSVs did not specify an intended scale.
• Analysis of the FSVs against Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger) targets—food security (2.1), nutrition (2.2), income and productivity (2.3), and agricultural-environmental linkages (2.4)—showed that just under 20% covered all four targets, while approximately 20% covered none.
• Resilience is rarely a primary focus, with only 16% of FSVs and their accompanying publications specifically addressing it. When discussed, resilience focuses on food access, inclusiveness, food safety during disruptions, ecosystem stability against climate change, and the stability of value chains regarding trade and supply linkages.

APA

Murphy,, L. B. S. (2021). Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/visual-representations-food-systems

Chicago

Murphy,, Livia Bizikova,Carin Smaller,Sophia. Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/articles/visual-representations-food-systems.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murphy, |first1=Livia Bizikova,Carin Smaller,Sophia |title=Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=21 January 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/visual-representations-food-systems |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murphy2021visual, author = {Murphy,, Livia Bizikova,Carin Smaller,Sophia}, title = {{Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/visual-representations-food-systems}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }