Supporting food security and sovereignty, equity and justice through interdisciplinary social science.
Food systems are underpinned by how societies, cultures, and political systems define their food strategies.
Our team holds expertise in the interdisciplinary social sciences, drawing from human ecology, political economy, gender studies and the political sciences to understand the human dimensions of food systems.
Our project with Fisheries Queensland allowed us to explore the historical drivers that have influenced engagement between commercial fishers and the state government. Through extensive consultation, surveys, interviews, and field visits, we produced a series of recommendations to increase the involvement of commercial stakeholders in fishery reform processes.
Our research into transformations towards climate adaptive landscapes has allowed us to explore how communities in Australia and internationally will manage change under different pathways.
Our transdisciplinary food and nutrition security workshop design has allowed us to understand how different research and policy actors throughout Southeast Asia frame smallholder agriculture solutions.
We have assessed the impact of forestry projects funded by the Australian government in Vanuatu since 2002, identifying the economic and social benefits of sandalwood projects to rural economies through a mixed methods approach.
We have undertaken analysis of systems thinking tools for biodiversity research for the Biodiversity Revisited global project.
Collaborating with Australian Government and United Nations agencies, we are undertaking a three-year study into improving gender outcomes in agriculture and water systems in Myanmar through building capacities in systems and nexus thinking.
PROJECT | 2022-2026
Transformation pathways for Pacific coastal food systems
This project aims to develop processes and tools that support transformative capacity in coastal communities of the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.
PROJECT | 2023-2024
Scoping the governance and co-benefits of circular food-energy systems in Pacific Islands Countries
This project will identify the current circular bio-digester systems and the potential climate co-benefits in Fiji.
PROJECT | 2020-2021
Zero Waste Leura
By focusing on food waste avoidance, Blue Mountains hospitality businesses can reduce organic waste generation and therefore minimise the environmental impact and cost of organic waste disposal.
PROJECT | 2020
COVID-19 and food systems in the Indo-Pacific
ISF worked with a team from ANU and CSIRO to analyse the impacts of COVID-19 on Indo-Pacific food systems.
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PROJECT | 2021
Pacific integrated program on food systems and health
ISF, in collaboration with the Pacific Community (SPC), captured the diversity of capacities and interests in food systems within SPC, to support SPC's new food systems program.
PROJECT | 2019-2020
Fisheries social economic survey
This project aimed to evaluate the socio-economic performance of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment's large business adjustment program for the fisheries sector.
For this, we conducted a survey with commercial fisheries and captured the diversity of impacts the policy has had on fisheries management. Recommendations from our research were put forward to government to help advance fisheries management in NSW.
Client: "NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment"
Researchers: Federico Davila, Yohan Kim, Roel Plant
PROJECT | 2019-2020
Sustainability performance assessment for palm oil producers
ISF designed an evaluation tool to measure the environmental impact of palm oil production, and applied it to nine operations in order to guide sustainable investment.
PROJECT | 2018-2019
Improving stakeholder engagement for Queensland fisheries
Historical analysis reveals the path forward for better relationships with corporate stakeholders.
