Visual Representations of Food Systems: What do we see?

The IISD reviewed 32 food system visualizations (FSVs) from 1998 to 2020, finding that most are explanatory tools designed to illustrate the complexity of food systems by linking production, external drivers, and outcomes. While most FSVs focus on agricultural production and value chains, policy and governance are typically listed as influencing factors rather than primary subjects. The review found that just under one-fifth of the FSVs cover all four targets of SDG 2 (zero hunger), and only 16% specifically address food system resilience.

• The primary goal of the reviewed food system visualizations (FSVs) is explanatory, aiming to help users understand the complexity of food systems by linking production with external drivers—such as trade, population, and climate—and outcomes like nutrition and food access.
• FSVs generally fall into three visual styles: concentric circles (where governance and policy are often outer circles and nutrition/security are inner), network webs using arrows and feedback loops, and linear flow diagrams that typically focus on sectoral production, processing, and sale.
• Analysis of the FSVs' alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger) shows that just under 20% address all four targets (food security, nutrition, income/productivity, and agricultural-environmental linkages), while a similar proportion address none of them.
• Resilience is rarely a central focus, with only 16% of the FSVs and their associated publications specifically addressing it. When discussed, resilience focuses on food access, inclusiveness, food safety during disruptions, ecosystem stability against climate change, and value chain supply linkages.
• While FSVs cover various scales (global, national, and local), the most frequent representations link global-to-household or national-to-household levels to illustrate how policy and governance choices impact individual nutrition and food security.

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} }