Personal Knowledge Development

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Chef Rodrigo Pacheco’s Biodiverse Edible Forest and Bocavaldivia (Ecuador)

*_{Rodrigo Pacheco}*
*_{Executive Director and Chef}*
*_Bocavaldivia*
_{Rockefeller Fellow bio}

At a Glance:

Rodrigo Pacheco is a world-famous chef, and FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ecuador.
He created the world’s largest biodiverse edible forest (food forest) located on the coast of the Ecuadorian province of Manabi, where he sustainably grows ingredients for the food served in his restaurant Bocavaldivia. He also founded the Bocavaldivia Foundation.
Chef Pacheco is a Rockefeller Fellow and a frequent speaker at international events that focus on climate change, agro-biodiversity, and sustainable gastronomy.

Big Bet:

“Create the world’s largest Biodiverse Edible Forest to protect nature, ancestral knowledge and create economic opportunity for local communities to put biodiversity on the plate.”

Project:

“Create the largest cross-country corridor of regenerated forest producing edible native species. This innovative approach leverages downstream food systems to protect, strengthen, expand, and reconnect natural ecosystems and cultural diversity of indigenous peoples across northern Latin America.

This project conserves primary forest in its pristine state; monitors biodiversity; restores deforested areas with regenerative methods; promotes sustainable gastronomy and ecological tourism as sources of transversal economy; and trains future generations to continue the work.”

Bocavaldivia is the art of culinary expression as an instrument for transformation.

The Largest Biodiverse Edible Forest in the World: Bocavaldivia

Chef Rodrigo Pacheco’s Biodiverse Edible Food Forest – located on the coast of the Ecuadorian province of Manabi

A Call to Earth with Chef Rodrigo Pacheco: Regenerative Gastronomy

Contact Information

ProjectManager@bocavaldivia.earth or +593-99-857-4432
Prepared by: Christine McCullum-Gomez, PhD, RDN, Sustainable RDN, Bogotá, Colombia, www.sustainablerdn.com

2025 Ecuador Chef Rodrigo Pacheco (Chris McCullum Gomez) Download PDF

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The ICDA SFS Toolkit is made to be used & shared freely.
Please cite the authors of the resources you use, and the ICDA SFS Toolkit if you are able:
InternationalDietetics.org/Sustainability

Created 2021, updated 2025 May

Agroecology Case Studies

The importance of Agroecology to Nutrition

The 13 agroecology principles provide a comprehensive framework that directly supports improved nutrition by promoting sustainable, diverse, and locally adapted food systems.

Key principles such as input reduction, biodiversity, and economic diversification enhance the availability of diverse and nutrient-rich foods by fostering ecological balance and varied production. Principles like social values and diets, fairness, connectivity, and participation emphasize culturally appropriate, equitable access to healthy diets and strengthen local food economies and community involvement, which are crucial for food security and nutrition.

For nutritionists, this means agroecology not only improves the quality and diversity of food supply but also addresses social determinants of nutrition by supporting small-scale producers, respecting cultural food traditions, and promoting fair, localized food systems. Nutrition thus acts both as a critical outcome and a driver of agroecological practices, helping to transform food systems toward sustainability, equity, and better health outcomes.

About the Agroecolgy Coalition and Case Studies

Agroecology case studies

_{Access the case studies through this link.}

The Agroecology Coalition is a free membership organization. The coalition brings together countries and stakeholders to accelerate the transformation of food systems through agroecology.

Members implement a variety of projects and initiatives to promote agroecology, which are continually being captured in case studies (see link in the side panel).

At the same link you can also read/share/print the pubication “Agroecology in Action: Stories from the Ground”! It showcases ten projects making the case for agroecology and illustrates how the Agroecology Principles and Elements can be operationalized in various contexts. From Asia (India, Nepal, Himalayas), Africa (Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Tchad, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger), the Middle East (Lebanon), to Latin America (Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador) and Europe many organizations work together to implement projects and initiatives to transform the food systems through agroecology.

Food + Planet SFS Case Studies

Discover actionable insights from Food + Planet case studies, showcasing innovative collaborations and strategies to advance sustainability in food systems.

From reducing food waste and promoting plant-based menus to ocean-friendly seafood choices and empowering dietitians globally, these examples highlight the transformative impact of the 4 Dimensions Sustainable Diet Framework.

The ICDA SFS toolkit has one as well, and Food + Planet are adding more all the time.

What factors influence sustainable and healthy diet consumption? A review and synthesis of literature within the university setting and beyond (2024)

Elliott, P. S., Devine, L. D., Gibney, E. R., & O’Sullivan, A. M. (2024). What factors influence sustainable and healthy diet consumption? A review and synthesis of literature within the university setting and beyond. Nutrition Research, 103, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2024.03.004

Highlights
• We identified factors that may influence sustainable and healthy diet consumption.
• Using a novel scoring system, these factors were then ranked by priority.
• The scoring system identified high-priority factors to target in future research.
• Most high-priority factors were at the environmental level (e.g., product price).
• These findings can inform the development of future personalized interventions.

Abstract
Globally, typical dietary patterns are neither healthy nor sustainable. Recognizing the key role of dietary change in reducing noncommunicable disease risk and addressing environmental degradation, it is crucial to understand how to shift individuals toward a sustainable and healthy diet (SHD).

In this literature review, we introduced the concept of SHD and outlined the dietary behaviors necessary to transition toward SHD consumption; we reviewed the literature on factors that may influence sustainable (and unsustainable) dietary behaviors in adults; and we developed a novel scoring system to rank factors by priority for targeting in future research. Given the significant potential to promote an SHD transition on the university campus—where factors that may impact dietary behaviors can be targeted at all levels of influence (i.e., individual, interpersonal, environmental, policy)—we narrowed our focus to this setting throughout.

Aided by our novel scoring system, we identified conscious habitual eating, product price, food availability/accessibility, product convenience, self-regulation skills, knowledge of animal ethics/welfare, food promotion, and eating norms as important modifiable factors that may influence university students’ dietary behaviors. When scored without consideration for the university population, these factors were also ranked as the highest priority, as were modified portion sizes.

Our findings offer insight into factors that may warrant attention in future research aimed at promoting SHDs. In particular, the high-priority factors identified from our synthesis of the literature could help guide the development of more personalized dietary behavioral interventions within the university setting and beyond.

Greener Allied Health Professional Hub: Food & Nutrition (NHS, UK)

The UK National Health Service (NHS) has the third largest clinical workforce in the NHS. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) play an important role in Delivering a Net Zero NHS, which is the overarching framework.

The “Greener Allied Health Professional (AHP) Hub” aims to provide:

Information on the importance of environmental sustainability for both population health and the health of the environment to provide clear actionable steps which AHPs can take to improve their own environmental sustainability.
Examples of the ways in which AHPs are already doing things which improve environmental sustainability to include ‘what good looks like’ for individual AHPs and their teams as well as wider examples demonstrating how AHPs can lead this work in their organisations.
Suggestions of how AHPs can contribute in relation to environmentally sustainable practice, digital, food and diet, use of equipment and public health and prevention.

Food & Nutrition is one of the focus areas for the Greener AHP Hub. As a food and nutrition professional, this NHS resource outlines key areas where you can make a difference in reducing the carbon footprint of healthcare food systems. It highlights your role in reducing food waste through optimizing mealtime support, promoting best practices, and utilizing technology for ordering and monitoring.

By advocating for healthy, low-carbon diets and minimizing packaging waste, you can address the broader impacts of food systems. This resource will help you implement strategies such as conducting waste audits, supporting patients in adopting better eating habits, and promoting the importance of nutrition and hydration among food service staff. Ultimately, this page equips you to link food, health, and climate change initiatives within the NHS, driving sustainable practices and better patient outcomes.

An example is the “Sustainability in Healthcare: Mildmay’s Low-Carbon Menu Transforms Patient Care“. Mildmay Hospital’s dietetics and catering teams, in collaboration with the NHS and dietetics students, developed a low-carbon menu tailored to vulnerable patients using recipes from the NHS England recipe bank. After iterative development and feedback, the winter menu achieved an 18% carbon footprint reduction and minimized food waste to 10% of portions served, while patient input led to further improvements like diverse recipes and a weekly cooked breakfast option for summer.

Drivers of the food system based on food sovereignty domains: an integrative systematic literature review (2024)

Rivera, I., Díaz de León, D., & Pérez-Salazar, M. del R. (2024). Drivers of the food system based on food sovereignty domains: An integrative systematic literature review. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1450321

Abstract

Food sovereignty, as defined by the comprehensive definition offered in the 2007 Nyéléni Forum, encompasses essential action lines for transforming a food system based on food sovereignty principles. Understanding how current food system initiatives align with these principles is essential for identifying the necessary processes of change to drive this transformation. This study aimed to consolidate the contributions of advancements in food sovereignty to the existing literature.

A systematic literature review was conducted to achieve this, analyzing 250 papers published between 2008 and 2023. The focus was on the research methods employed by the authors, food initiatives within the domains of food sovereignty, and the key drivers of a food system rooted in food sovereignty principles.

The findings revealed that approximately 36% of the studies utilized interviews, surveys, and questionnaires for data collection, while 34% concentrated on targeted fieldwork through case studies. Around 19% of the studies involved in-depth interaction with specific groups, and just under 10% employed document analysis methods. The most extensively discussed domain was the use of agroecological management practices for food production, followed by the valuation of traditional knowledge, the promotion of social justice and equity, self-determination through the transformation of economic and political institutions, and the localization of food production and consumption.

The food initiatives outlined overarching goals within each domain of food sovereignty, with three common goals identified across these domains: food security and consumption, environmental stewardship, and crisis preparedness. Furthermore, 29 drivers of a food system based on the domains of food sovereignty were identified, encompassing networks and a holistic approach present in all 5 domains. The study also highlights the implications for supporters of food sovereignty within the context of the identified goals of the food initiatives.

Values-based food systems: the role of local food partnerships in England (2024)

Jackson, P., Yap, C., Parsons, K. et al. Values-based food systems: the role of local food partnerships in England. Agric Hum Values (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10670-4 (open access)

Abstract

This paper outlines the concept of values-based food systems building on the related idea of values-based food chains (VBFCs), terms which are definitionally diffuse, but which cohere around a common commitment to environmental sustainability and social justice. The paper examines the development of four multi-stakeholder local food partnerships in Birmingham, Bristol, Rotherham, and Sheffield—and the national Sustainable Food Places network to which they are affiliated.

Based on our collaborative research with these organizations and a review of their public statements, the paper identifies the values that guide their work. The paper then draws on the evidence of a series of workshops, which revealed some of the challenges the partnerships face as they seek to put their values into practice, focusing on governance issues (and related funding challenges) and the implementation of equity, diversity, and inclusion policies.

Our findings show that the partnerships’ work is consistent with the concept of values-based food systems though they do not use the term themselves. Our research also shows the range of work being undertaken by these local food partnerships with much in common but also some significant divergence in their activities. The paper concludes with some reflections about scale and the differences between our English case studies and earlier work on VBFCs in the US.

The SALSA Questionnaire: creation and validation of a tool to assess people’s self-perceived barriers and facilitators to follow a sustainable and healthy diet (2025 Feb)

Muñoz-Martínez, J., Cañete-Massé, C., Cussó-Parcerisas, I. et al. The SALSA Questionnaire: creation and validation of a tool to assess people’s self-perceived barriers and facilitators to follow a sustainable and healthy diet. Environ Dev Sustain (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-05954-y (open access)

This work was partially supported by an ICDA SFS Toolkit grant. You can read more under ‘Spain’ on the NDA SFS Grant page.

*From the Article: Table 2 Results from the Exploratory Factor Analysis with sample A (n = 207), including factor loadings, eigenvalues, and percentage of variance*

Abstract:

A transition towards a sustainable and healthy diet (SHD) is crucial for both population and planetary health. However, changing consumer’s behaviour is challenging due to the many factors influencing food choices. Tools that comprehensively assess these factors are paramount, yet none are available in Spain. Hence, we created and validated the SALSA questionnaire to capture self-perceived barriers and facilitators for SHD.

The process involved three phases:
— First, item development combining insights from a scoping review and content validity with experts (n = 9) and the target population (n = 38);
— Second, scale development by pre-testing the questionnaire (n = 4), administering it through an online survey to two samples(Dimensionality-Sample, n = 516; Reliability-Sample, n = 61), and applying exploratory factor analysis for factors extraction and item reduction;
— Third, scale evaluation by testing its dimensionality through confirmatory factor analysis, its reliability through Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega, and intra-class correlation coefficient, and construct validity through discriminant validity, convergent validity, and correlation analysis.

Results yielded a questionnaire with 27 items grouped into four dimensions: personal factors, sociocultural factors, external factors, and meat and plant-based meat alternatives. The psychometric analysis revealed that the SALSA questionnaire is a reliable instrument to identify behavioural determinants.

Sustainable healthy diets: guiding principles (2019)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly held an international expert consultation on Sustainable and Healthy Diets from 1 to 3 July 2019 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Consultation agreed on guiding principles for what constitutes “Sustainable Healthy Diets”, which comes when the debate around the sustainability of diets is high on the agenda of governments, international organisations, civil society organisations, the private sector and academia.

Considering the detrimental environmental impact of current food systems, and the concerns raised about their sustainability, there is an urgent need to promote diets that are healthy and have low environmental impacts. These diets also need to be socio-culturally acceptable and economically accessible for all.

These guiding principles take a holistic approach to diets; they consider international nutrition recommendations; the environmental cost of food production and consumption; and the adaptability to local social, cultural and economic contexts. At the consultation, the experts agreed on the term “Sustainable Healthy Diets” which encompasses the two dimensions – sustainability and healthiness of diets. Countries should decide on the trade-offs according to their situations and goals.

These guiding principles emphasize the role of food consumption and diets in contributing to the achievement of the Sustatinable Development Goals (SDGs) at the country level, especially SDGs:
1 No Poverty
2 Zero Hunger
3 Good Health and Well-Being
4 Quality Education
5 Gender Equality
12 Responsible Consumption and Production
13 Climate Action

Also see our ICDA SFS Toolkit’s SDG Briefs: Dietitian-Nutritionist Roles that includes D-N Roles for SDG 4, 5, 12, and 13 above as well as:
6 Clean water and sanitation
8 Decent work and economic growth
14 Life below water
15 Life on land

2025 January

The Food Planet Prize

The Curt Bergfors Foundation was established on August 30th, 2019, in acknowledgement of the perils that our current food systems pose to the health of people and the planet, and with the conviction that the ways we produce, distribute and consume food must be radically and urgently reformed if future generations — and the planet itself — are to survive and thrive. Immediate action is required.
* The vision is a well-nourished world population on a thriving planet.
* The mission is to drive a rapid transition to a sustainable global food system. They do this through research grants, awards, and information campaigns. Most of their activities are centred around the Food Planet Prize.

Through the foundation and the founding capital that Curt provided (500 million SEK came from his private assets), Curt acknowledged that our current ways of producing, distributing, and consuming food are causing significant damage and that we must urgently and drastically change our modus operandi to save both human and planetary health. The foundation supports the transition to sustainable food systems through research grants, awards, and information campaigns. Its primary tool is The Food Planet Prize. With an annual award of two million USD, it is the world’s most significant environmental endowment.

The Food Planet Prize rewards innovative initiatives that will improve the global food system within a ten-year period while supporting a resilient biosphere and feeding a growing world population. It is Curt’s brainchild and his greatest legacy. He wished to contribute to a better, more bountiful Food Planet and was confident that it could be nursed back to health.

We share this with you as there is a long list of winners and nominees you can gain inspiration from, or partner with, as you work to further Sustainable Food Systems wherever you are.

Or maybe you will apply to win the award yourself!

Winners & nominees