The world we live in today is complex. It seems everything we do to make our lives easier results in additional complexity. There are numerous systems we encounter every day of our lives. Some of these systems are hidden from us; others only reveal a portion of their complexity. Some systems affect each of our lives, while others may seem to have only a passing relevance to us.

Our food system is one which, depending on our individual viewpoint, may have a minor or a major impact on our daily lives. A farmer or grocer will succeed or fail based on the efficiency of this system.

The basic transaction, producer to consumer, seems simple enough: A farmer grows her vegetables and sells those vegetables to you or me. The farmer makes a profit and we get some veggies to put in our minestrone tonight. And as a system, this one is well balanced and provides for its perpetuation: The farmer can now plant more vegetables and we’re satisfied with the quality of her produce and will visit her again.

But in our modern society, the farmer’s produce may have many stops between her farm and our table. There are co-ops that act as consolidators, selling several farmer’s production to the large packaging facilities. Then we have the marketers, the distributors, and then our grocer before we can purchase those carrots and cabbage, nicely presented in a cooler case. Each stop along the way reduces the profit the farmer makes and raises the cost of the produce to us, the consumer. As a complex system, it becomes less and less efficient, reducing the ability of the system to perpetuate itself.

And this is only one aspect of the food system. We can add to it the whole issue of transportation costs, including roads, fuel, and pollution. We can also look at the seed and fertilizer industries and their effect on the food we eat. What about the economic benefits? Such a process employs more people, the more complex it gets.

Systems thinking empowers us to explore these complex processes and see where we as individuals can make a difference. You may be happy with the system as it currently exists – there is certainly a convenience involved in going to your neighborhood store to purchase all your food. Then again, you may see a way to make it more efficient as it pertains to you. Perhaps you may want to become involved in Community Supported Agriculture or in a local Farmer’s Market. You may even become interested in Permaculture and decide to start your own backyard garden.

Systems thinking helps us to understand, to begin to explore what’s really happening with the things we take for granted and to see how we can make the systems more balanced.