2/14/2023
Associate Professor Megan Konar is part of a $10 million dollar, five-year research project to develop more resilient and equitable food systems in the Midwest and beyond.
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Associate Professor Megan Konar is part of a $10 million dollar, five-year research project to develop more resilient and equitable food systems in the Midwest and beyond. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the project includes a transdisciplinary team of researchers, educators and extension experts. Konar will lead the food supply chain modeling and resilience analysis. Associate Professor Lav Varshney of UIUC’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is leading the artificial intelligence for food system resilience research.
Food systems at the local and regional levels are susceptible to a number of disruptions, which researchers refer to as “shocks.” The COVID-19 pandemic, climate events and foodborne pathogens are examples of shocks that can cause disturbances in supply chains, ultimately leading to food and nutrition security challenges.
A single supply chain interruption can be difficult to overcome, but shocks often occur simultaneously and without warning. While previous research on this topic has focused on individual supply chain interferences in isolation, the overarching goal of the new effort is to build food systems that are able to withstand several shocks happening concurrently.
The project is led by Brent Ross, associate professor in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, and associate chairperson for undergraduate programs in the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“The frequency of these complex events is only expected to increase over the coming years,” Ross said. “It’s essential to gain a greater understanding of these relationships to improve decision making that allows for disruptions to have as minimal of an impact on food and nutrition security as possible, especially for vulnerable U.S. populations.”
The team has outlined a series of objectives that aim to address the interrelated ways in which shocks affect food systems. Researchers will evaluate characteristics of supply chains that may put them at risk, historical and projected shocks, and mitigation strategies.
Using artificial intelligence and decision-support tools, researchers will model multiple shocks to simulate an assortment of scenarios, factoring in vulnerable populations.
To read more about this project, visit https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/msu-led-team-receives-10m-usda-grant-to-develop-more-resilient-food-systems