Managing safety of diverse systems requires decision-making under uncertainties and risks. Such systems are typically characterized by spatio-temporal heterogeneities, inter-dependencies, externalities, endogenous risks, discontinuities, irreversibility, practically irreducible uncertainties, and rare events with catastrophic consequences. Traditional scientific approaches rely on data from real observations and experiments; yet no sufficient observations exist for new problems, and experiments are usually impossible. Therefore, science-based support for addressing such new class of problems needs to replace the traditional “deterministic predictions” analysis by new methods and tools for designing decisions that are robust against the involved uncertainties and risks. The new methods treat uncertainties explicitly by using “synthetic” information derived by integration of “hard” elements, including available data, results of possible experiments, and formal representations of scientific facts, with “soft” elements based on diverse representations of scenarios and opinions of public, stakeholders, and experts. The volume presents such effective new methods, and illustrates their applications in different problem areas, including engineering, economy, finance, agriculture, environment, and policy making.

This book discusses the optimization of supply chains in the agri-food and animal industries, and focuses on the integration of technology and sustainability practices. It explores the use of emerging technologies like IoT, Blockchain and AI in supply chain management, and also addresses the need for resilient supply chains and strategies for risk management. Optimization in the Agri-Food Supply Chain provides an overview of various studies conducted in the field, including topics such as the impact of climate change, sustainable initiatives, inventory management activities and the dynamics of specific supply chain systems. It also discusses the use of underutilized crops, optimization techniques, forecasting methods, circular production and the role of open innovation in the food supply chain. Overall, the book aims to contribute to the knowledge on supply chain optimization and also provide insights and recommendations for enhancing efficiency and sustainability in the agri-food and animal industries.

This book introduces and analyses recent trends and studies of sustainable logistics systems using AI-based meta-heuristics approaches, including AI-based meta-heuristics applied to supply chain network models, integrated multi-criteria decision-making approaches for green supply chain management, uncertain supply chain models etc. It emphasizes both theory and practice, providing methodological and theoretical basis as well as case references for sustainable logistics systems using AI based meta-heuristics. Most of multi-national enterprises today face the challenge of sustainable development for their logistics systems trying to meet or exceed customer expectations. Sustainable development attracts both researchers and industrial practitioners who are focused on the design and implementation of logistics system. AI-based meta-heuristics approaches has emerged as a capable method for quickly providing optimal or near-optimal solutions for the problems that exact optimization cannot solve. Recent advances in various AI-based meta-heuristics approaches can resolve various and complex logistics and supply chain problem types. This book mainly encompasses the most popular and frequently employed AI-based meta-heuristics approaches such as genetic algorithm, variable neighborhood search, multi-objective heuristic search and the hybrid of these approaches. The chapters in this book were originally published in the International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management.

The Encyclopedia of Food Security and Sustainability, Three Volume Set covers the hottest topics in the science of food sustainability, providing a synopsis of the path society is on to secure food for a growing population. It investigates the focal issue of sustainable food production in relation to the effects of global change on food resources, biodiversity and global food security. This collection of methodological approaches and knowledge derived from expert authors around the world offers the research community, food industry, scientists and students with the knowledge to relate to, and report on, the novel challenges of food production and sustainability. This comprehensive encyclopedia will act as a platform to show how an interdisciplinary approach and closer collaboration between the scientific and industrial communities is necessary to strengthen our existing capacity to generate and share research data. Offers readers a ‘one-stop’ resource on the topic of food security and sustainability Contains articles split into sections based on the various dimensions of Food Security and Food Sustainability Written by academics and practitioners from various fields and regions with a “farm to fork understanding Includes concise and accessible chapters, providing an authoritative introduction for non-specialists and readers from undergraduate level upwards, as well as up-to-date foundational content for those familiar with the field

Interest is growing in sustainable agriculture, which involves the use of productive and profitable farming practices that take advantage of natural biological processes to conserve resources, reduce inputs, protect the environment, and enhance public health. Continuing research is helping to demonstrate the ways that many factorsâ€"economics, biology, policy, and traditionâ€"interact in sustainable agriculture systems. This book contains the proceedings of a workshop on the findings of a broad range of research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The areas of study, such as integrated pest management, alternative cropping and tillage systems, and comparisons with more conventional approaches, are essential to developing and adopting profitable and sustainable farming systems.

In 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General will convene the Food Systems Summit to advance dialogue and action towards transforming the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food guided by the overarching vision of a fairer, more sustainable world. The Secretary-General will also convene the High-Level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the inextricable linkages between the energy and agriculture sectors, integrating the nexus perspective within the FSS and the HLDE is crucial to formulate a joint vision of actions to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. In this context, IRENA and FAO have decided to jointly develop a report on the role of renewable energy used in food chain to advance energy and food security as well as climate action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. While energy has a key enabling role in food system transformation and innovation in agriculture, its current use is unsustainable because of the high dependence on fossil fuels and frequent access to energy in developing countries. The challenge is to disconnect fossil fuel use from food system transformation without hampering food security. The use of renewable energy in food systems offers vast opportunities to address this challenge and help food systems meet their energy needs while advancing rural development while contributing to rural development and climate action.