This cross-cutting approach aims to:
Sustainable and inclusive equitable food systems require an enabling institutional environment. An enabling environment can be defined as a set of formal and informal institutions, norms, laws, and regulations, which give actors the incentives to engage productively in the food system; reward norm compliance and penalize deviations; provide premium on food quality and safety; give voice to all groups and actors, including smallholders and vulnerable consumers; and create opportunities for innovation and synergistic collaborations.
The aim of this team is to identify and foster enabling institutional environments for sustainable and equitable food production systems by:
The Enabling Environment team will work with thematic leaders, faculty, researchers and students to enhance our collective knowledge/resource/tool base across contexts and produce new evidence on key enabling institutional factors within food systems. We will also guide and support GFSI faculty and researchers in incorporating strategies for analyzing the enabling environment for the innovations they are pursuing, identifying appropriate assessment tools.
Our team has experience in several areas, including:
We seek collaboration with experts, faculty and students, at UF and beyond, especially those focusing on political economy analytical tools, Florida food systems, training and sensitization at community level, and social and behavioral change communication (SBCC).
GFSI Leads for the Enabling Environment cross-cutting approach are Andrea Bohn and Renata Serra