Harvesting insights for transformation: Developing and testing a participatory food systems modeling framework in Southern Senegal’s poultry system

Abstract

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CONTEXT Food systems urgently need transformations to meaningfully reduce food insecurity and hunger without compromising sustainability. These structural changes involve challenging the status quo by engaging diverse stakeholders and perspectives. PURPOSE This research aims to enhance the contributions of participatory modeling approaches in supporting the transformation of food systems. Thereby, it proposes and applies a Participatory Food Systems Modeling (PFSM) framework to identify desirable and culturally feasible transformation pathways in food systems. METHODS Aligned with Participatory Modeling and Soft Systems Methodology principles, the PFSM framework proposes three phases for stakeholders with diverse perspectives to collectively make sense and learn about food systems complexity, negotiate and agree on a desired future, and explore desirable and culturally feasible pathways that move forward. To test its value to support transformations, the PFSM is applied in poultry systems in Southern Senegal, where traditional poultry farming prevails. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The PFSM application in the case study demonstrated its value in identifying desirable and culturally feasible pathways, thus setting the groundwork for informing meaningful, realistic, and stakeholders-driven decisions in support of the needed transformation. Linking the PFSM to real-world situations offered valuable insights into how participatory modeling approaches can contribute to addressing barriers to food systems transformations, such as power imbalances and conflicts and undesirable trade-offs arising from divergent perspectives. In Southern Senegal's poultry system, the PFSM framework informed the identification of four transformation pathways focused on (i) enhancing farmers' financial capacity, (ii) reinforcing policies supporting the poultry sector, (iii) improving farmers' membership in associations, and (iv) enhancing farmers' access to technologies, information, and knowledge. Tailored to poultry farmers adopting different livelihood strategies, these pathways aim to provide sustainable livelihoods and improved food security in rural households. SIGNIFICANCE The significance of the PFSM framework extends to political, scientific, and practical reams. Politically, it informs the debates and decisions on the future of food systems based on stakeholders' interests, concerns, and aspirations, thereby improving the significance and meaningfulness of decisions. Scientifically, it elevates the contributions of participatory modeling contributions to transformative processes. Practically, it supports addressing real-world challenges through transformations.