SDSS Solution Areas - Food RFP

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability is embarking on the next frontiers of urgent work in sustainability through Solution Areas — a new portfolio of eight solutions-oriented research efforts that will amplify impact on a dynamic and interconnected set of sustainability challenges.

Within the Food Solution Area, we aim to inspire and nurture transdisciplinary research collaborations organized around a decade-long research horizon with multiple cycles of projects dedicated to producing evidence, knowledge, and solutions meeting the needs of decision-makers, community members, and other actors to address sustainability challenges in the food system.

Strategic Focus

This Food Solution Area RFP will support faculty and faculty teams that seek to address key challenges in food system sustainability.

Stanford faculty interested in food system sustainability met in November 2024 to discuss areas within food production, supply chains, consumption, and alternative proteins in need of critical systems-oriented interventions. This process uncovered potential areas for Stanford faculty to build large, ambitious projects. These strategic areas are briefly described below. 

Climate-Resilient Food Systems - Develop or evaluate promising approaches to help food systems adapt to and thrive in a changing climate. Potential examples include new genetic approaches to enhance the resilience and performance of existing crops or domesticating new ones, improving water-use efficiency on farms through innovative technologies or practices, and designing strategies to protect and improve farm worker productivity in extreme heat. 

True Cost of Food - Develop a robust and trusted accounting of the true costs of diverse foods to inform policy, guide corporate sustainability efforts, and empower consumer decision-making. This could be done at local, regional, or national scales and should consider a range of health, environmental, and social costs.

Blue Foods - Leverage the potential of aquatic foods – both wild and farmed – to build healthier, more sustainable food systems. Research may focus on exploring the nutritional benefits of blue foods, assessing their role in improving food security and resilience in coastal communities, and reducing the environmental footprint of aquatic food systems.

Food Innovation Ecosystems - Create vibrant innovation ecosystems that drive sustainable food solutions. This may involve working with partners to build innovation hubs in key regions (e.g., in Africa, with AGRA, UNDP and Delta 40), pilot initiatives in select countries, or foster innovation in specific segments of the food sector, such as small-scale producers. Projects that draw on lessons from successful innovation models in other sectors are especially encouraged.

Emissions Reductions - Reduce emissions through a concerted effort to both shift consumption and reduce emissions in production. Research may focus on ruminants, waste reduction, or alternative foods. We will prioritize projects that aim to generate new knowledge or test potential solutions, projects that are ready to scale in this area should submit directly to the Sustainability Accelerator.

Preference will be given to high-impact projects that align with the above five strategic areas. Proposals addressing other timely and compelling issues in food systems are also welcome and will be given full consideration.

Research on sustainable food and agriculture is currently featured in funding opportunities from the Sustainability Accelerator. We are coordinating to ensure optimal impact of internal research resources and support for the sustainable food system faculty community.