The origins, definitions and differences among concepts that underlie food systems modeling

This chapter provides information about many of the concepts that inform the planning and development of food system models that are covered in this book. The first section offers the origins and definitions of eight concepts: sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable agriculture, resilience, food systems, sustainable food systems, systems thinking and modeling and multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary research. Because sustainability and resilience are often confused with one another, as are food systems and systems thinking, the next two sections discuss the differences between these important concepts. The chapter concludes with a description of systems properties and their use in food systems models.