Biological strategies could provide inspiration for how to improve our food systems at both minute and systemic scales.
Healthy ecosystems are highly productive because of the resources available to them. They produce food for an abundance of species, provide pollination services, filter and distribute water, cycle nutrients, provide seeds for future harvests, package and transport goods, and adapt to changing conditions. These are all things that we want and need our own food systems to do. And, ecosystems accomplish these outcomes in a cooperative, energy-efficient manner.
This collection highlights biological strategies that could provide inspiration for how to improve our food systems. Look closely and you’ll see how applying these strategies, whether directly or metaphorically, could lead to improved soil quality, better packaging, reduced spoilage, more effective feedback loops, and more efficient food production and distribution techniques.
