Multiscale modeling of the food system
April 27 to April 30, 2015
at the
American Institute of Mathematics,
San Jose, California
organized by
John Ingram and Mary Lou Zeeman
Original Announcement
This workshop will be devoted to developing a conceptual model of the U.S. food system, and elaborating a research agenda for continuing model development for world-wide analyses. With about 1 billion people hungry, 2 billion with insufficient nutrients and over 2 billion already overweight or obese, malnutrition is affecting the health outcomes of over half the global population. This workshop is therefore part of a larger-scale project to develop a hierarchy of models for food systems around the globe at multiple spatial and temporal levels. The overarching goal is to inform intervention strategies for improving sustainable food and nutrition security for all people.
The workshop will bring mathematicians together with researchers and stakeholders from across the food system. The food system includes the entire set of activities by which calories and nutrients are grown and/or harvested, processed, packaged, retailed, prepared and eventually become the food we consume. The importance of transporting, storing and trading activities are also noted throughout the system.
The main topics for the workshop are
- Mathematical enrichment of a participatory process designed to gather and map stakeholder perceptions and understanding of the food system.
- Development of a conceptual model of the food system as a whole, providing the structural overview and framework for building models with more detail.
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Identifying what data is needed to parametrize and test the models.
Material from the workshop
A list of participants.
The workshop schedule.
A report on the workshop activities.
Papers arising from the workshop:
