A transdisciplinary team of researchers, educators and extension experts led by Michigan State University has received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create more sustainable and equitable food systems in the Midwest and beyond. The five-year integrated project is funded through the Sustainable Agricultural Systems program of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Food systems at the local and regional levels are susceptible to a number of disruptions, which researchers refer to as “shocks.” The COVID-19 pandemic, climate events and foodborne pathogens are examples of shocks that can cause disturbances in supply chains, ultimately leading to food and nutrition security challenges.

Brent Ross, associate professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics.

A single supply chain interruption can be difficult to overcome, but shocks often occur simultaneously and without warning. While previous research on this topic has focused on individual supply chain interferences in isolation, the overarching goal of the new effort is to build food systems that are able to withstand several shocks happening concurrently.

The project is led by Brent Ross, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, and associate chairperson for undergraduate programs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“The frequency of these complex events is only expected to increase over the coming years,” Ross said. “It’s essential to gain a greater understanding of these relationships to improve decision making that allows for disruptions to have as minimal of an impact on food and nutrition security as possible, especially for vulnerable U.S. populations.”

The team has outlined a series of objectives that aim to address the interrelated ways in which shocks affect food systems. Researchers will evaluate characteristics of supply chains that may put them at risk, historical and projected shocks, and mitigation strategies.

Using artificial intelligence and decision-support tools, researchers will model multiple shocks to simulate an assortment of scenarios, factoring in vulnerable populations.

Jianguo (Jack) Liu, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability.

“Our project will initially focus on the Midwest to develop cutting-edge approaches, ” said Jianguo (Jack) Liu,  co-principal investigator of the project, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability and University Distinguished Professor in the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. “We will also train a new generation of transdisciplinary scholars and practitioners so that the innovative approaches can be applied to other regions of the U.S., and even other countries.”

The outcomes will be the basis for education of K-12 to graduate students, as well as outreach and extension resources that target local and regional policymakers, businesses, the agricultural community, and educators. Information will be shared through published papers, in-person and virtual presentations, policy briefs, stakeholder meetings, social media, newsletters and online extension materials.

“Sustainable, resilient and equitable food systems are needed in every community, so we appreciate that the USDA has recognized the importance of this project,” Ross said. “Given the great demand for information on this topic, we will work diligently to disseminate our results across a wide range of platforms. That is an essential component of this work, getting resources into the hands of people who can implement it.”

Joining Ross and Liu are MSU researchers, educators and outreach specialists representing four colleges, and several departments and programs. They are:

• Bryan Beverly, director of the Office of K-12 Outreach in the College of Education.
• Nicole Ellefson, specialist in the Office of K-12 Outreach in the College of Education.
• Kenneth Frank, MSU Foundation Professor in the College of Education.
• Sue Nichols, assistant director and research communications strategist in CSIS.
• Andrés Viña, assistant professor in CSIS.
• Judith Whipple, the interim dean in the Broad College of Business, and the Donald J. Bowersox and Robert W. Thull Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
• Julie Winkler, professor in the College of Social Science.
• Felicia Wu, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Food Safety, Toxicology and Risk Assessment in AFRE and the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.

“MSU is uniquely equipped to lead a large, interdisciplinary effort such as this because of our leadership in agricultural sciences, education, sociology, supply chain economics, sustainability and systems integration,” Ross said. “In addition, our partners bring valuable and complementary expertise that helps us capture a variety of perspectives, as well as increase the scale to locations outside of Michigan that may be susceptible to different shocks.”

Partner institutions and organizations are:

• Indiana University
• Purdue University
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• The Global Food and Ag Network
• Mavin Global Company
• The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals
• The USDA Midwest Climate Hub

This story originally ran on the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources website.