from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
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JAFSCD is the world’s only community-supported journal. JAFSCD content is open access (free) thanks to the generous support of our shareholders: the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium, Library Shareholders, a growing number of Individual Shareholders, and our six JAFSCD Partners: |
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Community-based circular food systems articles now underway
JAFSCD has published a special issue in response to the call for papers on community-based circular food systems (C-B CFSs) — local and regional food systems that emphasize a community’s health and well-being while minimizing waste and protecting shared natural resources. See the final articles below! |
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More information on community-based circular food systems and some background on the call (now closed) can be found here. |
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The special issue of JAFSCD with articles in response to the call for papers on community-based circular food systems is now complete! The editorial team authored the editorial and overview of the articles and the topic of C-B CFS writ large. Read the entire editorial here; it is summarized below.
As we move deeper into the third decade of the 21st century, global food systems are being profoundly shaped by external pressures of what scholars have termed a VUCA world, marked by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014). This JAFSCD special issue centers on an alternative vision: community-based circular food systems (C-B CFSs), which can be defined as local and regional food systems that reduce waste and regenerate ecosystems through practices grounded in participation, equity, and the local context. The concept of C-B CFS also challenges the assumption that circularity is primarily technical or economic. Instead, it asks how we might redefine value, reclaim waste, regain ownership, and rebuild relationships in ways that support both human and planetary health.
Why Community-Based Circular Food Systems? C-B CFSs represent a growing movement to localize and humanize the principles of circularity in ways that are attentive to cultural context, lived experiences, and shared responsibility. Why This Special Issue?
Recognizing the urgent need to surface, connect, and evaluate diverse C-B CFS practices, JAFSCD issued a call for papers to gather practitioner insights, scholarly research, and reflective commentaries from around the globe. We sought work that would move beyond enterprise-scale case studies and highlight circularity as a collective effort grounded in local ecosystems and shaped by community relationships and values.
This special issue offers contributions from a broad range of stakeholders: farmers, researchers, nonprofit leaders, municipal actors, and policy thinkers. It includes case studies from across North America, Europe, and Africa, and represents a wide variety of approaches, from compost cooperatives to consignment-based farm retail, and feminist food-sovereignty frameworks. What connects them is a shared commitment to rethinking food waste, building on community knowledge, and adapting infrastructure to support more inclusive forms of circularity.
Summary of Themes Addressed in the Special Issue - How can social engagement shape the success of circular food systems?
- What does it mean to redefine waste in circular food economies?
- What motivates practitioners to participate in circular economies? And what holds them back?
- How are new business models and infrastructure supporting equitable circularity?
- How can global-local learning accelerate circular innovation?
Next Steps for C-B CFS Design, Implementation, and Evaluation - Public investment in place-based infrastructure (Elton et al., 2025);
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Adaptive governance models that support community co-creation (Obeng et al., 2025);
- Better metrics and narratives to evaluate success beyond growth and profit (Bridge et al., 2025); and
- Above all, a recognition that circularity without justice is incomplete, since circular economy initiatives can deepen inequalities if not approached carefully (Barrie et al., 2022).
See all the articles in the spring 2025 issue. SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
You may have heard of the circular or solidarity economies, but have you thought about community based circular food systems? This idea represents a growing movement to localize and humanize the principles of circularity in ways that are attentive to cultural context, lived experiences, and shared responsibility. Check out this thought provoking and inspiring selection of papers and contributions to learn more! #CommunityBasedCircularFoodSystems #FoodSystems #CircularEconomy Read the full @JAFSCD article for free at: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.035
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Image above: Cover of the spring issue on community-based circular food systems, which also includes open-call papers and other articles.
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In a new JAFSCD article, Towards a cohesive circular food economy: A motivation opportunity ability (MOA) approach to understanding an emerging group of practitioners in Metro Vancouver, the authors ask How do individuals working in the food sector mobilize the circular food economy (CFE) practices in their work?
A circular economy (CE) attempts to solve the broad problem of waste by eliminating waste and pollution, reusing products and materials, and regenerating nature. A circular food economy addresses waste in the food supply system and seeks a sustainable destination for food products that is restorative, healthy, and offers financial benefits for stakeholders. A CFE design eliminates waste from the food system by using circular loops to reuse, recycle, recover, and reprocess edible and inedible food, a practice growing in popularity among policymakers to advance sustainable development.
In the current dominant food system, wasting food is easy, contributing to a throwaway society. It has become easy to waste because food waste prevention can be difficult due to food safety concerns, confusing date labeling, lack of staff training, and marketing that encourages over-purchasing. Moreover, expectations such as stringent aesthetic standards result in nutritious food being discarded simply due to cosmetic reasons. Although food retailers are in a powerful position to reduce food waste, saving food that would otherwise be wasted is not part of business as usual.
KEY FINDINGS - There was a clear divide between CFE approaches, which at times led to tensions between CFE practitioners. This was especially true between individuals working in larger organizations and companies and smaller ones.
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Several participants also alluded to the dependency of CFE on the charity model, particularly focused on food rescue.
- For-profit stakeholders see the need for businesses to behave more responsibly within the food industry, in which there is a lot of waste.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
The increasing level of food waste is causing significant environmental, economic, and social concerns. To address this issue, individuals in businesses, nonprofits, and leaders in CFE are taking on the responsibility of developing circular initiatives. Strengthening the motivations, opportunities, and abilities of CFE practitioners in Metro Vancouver can help identify diverse CFE pathways. Future CFE studies may explore how diverse approaches can contribute to overall food systems resiliency.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
At the intersection of charitization and monetization resides the local food economy. This insightful look at multiple converging sectors in Metro Vancouver showcases the wicked problems and solutions for understanding how to move forward. #foodwaste #communitybasedcircularfoodsystem #circulareconomy #circularfoodsystem #Vancouver Read the full @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.006
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Image above: Figure 2 from the article: The Food Recovery Hierarchy (adapted from Kenny et al., 2023, and Papargyropoulou et al., 2014). |
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JOB OPPORTUNITY IN VALUE CHAIN COORDINATION! |
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The Food Connection at the University of Kentucky (TFC) is seeking a Post Doctoral Scholar to conduct applied research on value chain coordination (VCC) in local and regional food systems.
This is a unique and high-impact postdoctoral researcher position, created in partnership with TFC, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Local and Regional Foods Division (LRFD), and the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD). The postdoctoral researcher will lead a novel multi-institution research initiative that results in scholarly publications, stakeholder-facing technical assistance resources, and policy recommendations at local, regional, and national scales. Hybrid remote/on-site (Lexington, KY) applicants are welcome!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO APPLY | |
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