Many trends in research and practice tend to emerge in multiple places at once, often before there is a shared understanding of what they are or why they matter. Systems thinking is no exception. It is increasingly recognized as a valuable approach for making sense of the complex social, ecological, political, technical, and economic challenges shaping today’s agri-food systems. However, questions remain about the added value of using a systemic approach instead of a more traditional, technical, and simplified approach.
What do we mean by “systems thinking”?
Systems thinking has been defined as “the various strands of thought and practice that make use of system philosophies, theories, perspectives, methodologies, models, methods, concepts and ideas to understand and intervene in the world” (Jackson, 2024). In simpler terms, it is a transdisciplinary approach to problem-solving that brings together multiple dimensions of a challenge, rather than addressing complex agri-food issues from a single discipline, sector, or stakeholder perspective.
At its core, systems thinking encourages us to look at how different elements interact – people, resources, institutions, technologies, and rules – and how those interactions shape outcomes. It creates space for collaboration across disciplines and sectors, helping reduce the amount of energy and resources lost in uncertainty, or on contradictory actions between stakeholders, projects, institutions, and disciplines. When used well, it can also improve strategic alignment by making assumptions explicit, highlighting trade-offs, and supporting earlier coordination among stakeholders.
What systems thinking is NOT
It is just as important to be clear about what systems thinking is not.
It is not a universal solution to every problem, but rather an approach that is particularly useful for understanding complexity. It is not a project management tool, though it can inform strategic reflection throughout implementation. It is not simply a visualization technique, even if diagrams are often used to support communication.
And while it aligns well with transdisciplinary work, it is not synonymous with it. Instead, it is one of several approaches that help us engage with problems that cannot be fully understood, or solved, through a single lens.
Why to use systems thinking for Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D)?
In the context of agriculture, systems thinking allows us to look beyond the value chain and consider the broader set of factors shaping outcomes. Food security, availability, and environmental sustainability are influenced not only by production, but also by governance, markets, social dynamics, and ecological conditions.
A systems perspective helps us better understand these interconnections – who is involved, what drives decisions, and where there may be leverage points for change. It can also support more thoughtful exploration of alternative pathways, both for individuals and institutions, in a highly interconnected global context.
What we’re learning from practice
Our recent work examined how systemic approaches are being used within the CGIAR and what this means for Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D). We identified five key areas where systems approaches can add value:
- Mechanistic approaches can support more efficient planning through quantitative models, helping to anticipate risks and unintended consequences so they can be better mitigated.
- Interrelational approaches can surface enabling conditions and barriers across sectors, linking agriculture to broader challenges such as climate, health, and social stability.
- Organismic perspectives help us understand how systems evolve over time, including patterns of change across social, technical, and ecological dimensions.
- Purpose-driven approaches can clarify shared goals and reveal how values influence decision-making.
- Emancipatory approaches can bring in perspectives that are often excluded, particularly those of actors with less formal power.
Where capacity still needs to grow
We also learned that realizing these benefits depends on strengthening systems literacy across institutions. Three key gaps stood out:
- Systems knowledge: understanding which approaches and tools are appropriate for different types of challenges.
- Systems governance: improving how decisions are made and coordinated across diverse stakeholders.
- Systems investment: aligning funding and incentives with the realities of complex systems, including how different actors make decisions.
So, when does systems thinking make sense?
Systems thinking can be a powerful way to better understand and navigate complex agri-food challenges. It can support the design, co-creation, implementation, and evaluation of more coherent and context-sensitive interventions. But it is not the only approach, nor is it always the right one.
The real value lies in knowing when and how to use it. That requires building systems literacy, so that we can draw on the right tools and perspectives at the right time, and focus our efforts where they are most likely to make a meaningful difference.
If you are interested in developing systems thinking capacities for agrifood systems, or Agricultural Research for Development, contact us at team@responsibleinnovations.org.
References for further interest:
- Demirci, S., Reid, A., Teksoz, G., Sahin, E., 2025. Systems literacy: towards a conspectus and model for environmental and sustainability education. Environ. Educ. Res. 31 (4), 856–891. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2409959.
- FAO, 2025. Transforming Food and Agriculture through a Systems Approach. Rome. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd6071en.
- Hanna Ewell, Eva Valencia Lenero, Arwen Bailey, Lennart Woltering, Katharina Schiller, Jon Hellin. (2026). No systems transformation without systems literacy: Insights from CGIAR. Agricultural Systems. Volume 234, 104662, ISSN 0308-521X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2026.104662.
- Jackson, Michael. (2024). Critical Systems Thinking: A Practitioner’s Guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394203604