Co-developing Foodshed Indicators and Crop-Specific Critical Moments
May 8, 2025
Bridging Models and Reality
For modellers, the real world is often the exception. When developing models, scenarios, and information services, it is easy to overlook faithful representation of physical processes, expert knowledge, and end-user needs.
At SAFE4ALL, we believe that capturing these aspects requires ongoing dialogue among everyone directly or indirectly involved in the foodshed. Their voices bring us closer to co-designing an information service that supports those affected by pressures on our food systems, such as climate change and population growth.
The Foodshed Information Service at the Ghana General Assembly
A foodshed is a geographic area from which a population derives its food supply.
At our General Assembly in Ghana (March 2025), we hosted a Foodshed session divided into two workshops: one on foodshed risks and indicators, and one on cropping calendars and critical moments. First, Ignacio Saldivia Gonzatti (Wageningen University & Research) introduced the foodshed concept and demonstrated how it could help visualise indicators within the Foodshed Information Service (FIS), which is currently under development.
You can learn more about how SAFE4ALL is developing the Foodshed Information Service in our previous article.
Workshop 1: Foodshed Risks and Indicators
We began by asking the 20 workshop participants to identify their role in the food system that sustains their foodshed. We shared perspectives on the risks affecting each component of the food system. Stakeholders then proposed actionable indicators to help them identify and understand these risks and to guide solution design. We concluded with a risk-prioritisation exercise to identify the most urgent or impactful threats to include in the FIS.
Workshop 2: Cropping Calendars and Critical Moments
Participants grouped themselves by agricultural expertise in specific agroecological zones (AEZs). For each AEZ, we drafted cropping calendar diagrams for the most important staple and cash crops. Stakeholders reviewed and refined sowing and harvesting dates, confirmed physical crop presence, and highlighted any local peculiarities, such as two growing seasons or unique crop varieties, that standard global datasets often overlook, especially as interannual climate variability shifts due to climate change.
Next, participants identified critical moments—key points in the growing season when harvests are most vulnerable to climate-related stresses, threatening both yields and livelihoods. Those working closest to the field, such as farmers and extension officers, gave precise details about the critical moments, while other experts connected these moments to broader climatic conditions and downstream impacts on the food system.
The open environment facilitated discussion of other relevant aspects around crop production and food security. We wrapped up by outlining how workshop outputs will inform the FIS design.
Looking Ahead: The Co-design Pathway
The Foodshed session enabled diverse stakeholders to shape the FIS through open dialogue. Bringing together actors from across the food system chain enriched our understanding and ensured the service reflects real-world needs. Later this year, we’ll repeat the session in Zimbabwe and Kenya to gather further input. In subsequent co-design rounds, we will present a FIS prototype to gather fresh feedback.
Commitment to Co-Design Success
At SAFE4ALL, we believe that genuine co-design is the only path to information services that are useful, impactful, and sustainable. We will continue this collaborative journey to prove this true.