  World food supply is crucial to the well-being of every human on the planet
in the basic sense that we need food to live. It also has a profound impact on
the world economy, international trade and global political stability.
Furthermore, consumption of certain types and amounts foods can affect health,
and the choice of livestock and plants for food production can impact
sustainable use of global resources. There are communities where insufficient
food causes nutritional deficiencies, and at the same time other communities
eating too much food leading to obesity and accompanying diseases. These
aspects reflect the utmost importance of agricultural production and conversion
of commodities to food products. Moreover, all factors contributing to the food
supply are interdependent, and they are an integrative part of the continuously
changing, adaptive and interdependent systems in the world around us. The
properties of such interdependent systems usually cannot be inferred from the
properties of its parts. In addressing current challenges, like the apparent
incongruences of obesity and hunger, we have to account for the complex
interdependencies among areas such as physics and sociology. This is possible
using the complex system approach. It encompasses an integrative multi-scale
and inter-disciplinary approach. Using a complex system approach that accounts
for the needs of stakeholders in the agriculture and food domain, and
determines which research programs will enable these stakeholders to better
anticipate emerging developments in the world around them, will enable them to
determine effective intervention strategies to simultaneously optimise and
safeguard their interests and the interests of the environment.
