Transition to sustainability in the agrifood system: a systematic review with focus on food losses and waste

The transition of sociotechnical systems has been gaining ground in the literature on sustainability. Specifically within the scope of the agrifood system, a more sustainable form of production and consumption is being discussed. This is because society faces a paradox: on the one hand, the amount of food losses and waste (PDA) is significant and, on the other hand, a significant portion of the world's population suffers from hunger, pointing to the urgency of a transition to a model production and consumption that become more sustainable. Considering the studies on the transition to sustainability and the PDA problem, this study intends to analyze the scientific production that deals with this theme. The bibliographic search included the Emerald, Sage, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science and Wiley Online Library databases. The results indicate that studies on the transition to sustainability in agrifood systems are scarce, considering that it is a question of observing PDA. In this sense, there are possibilities to expand knowledge in the field of transitions and PDA, involving social actors different from those investigated in the selected literature, in the search for mechanisms to face this urgent problem. With regard to scientific research, it was found that there is an opportunity to advance knowledge in this field and contribute to the literature on transitions.