VISIONARY partners Alexander Öttl and Mette Termansen from UCPH have just published their article “Agent-Based Modelling of food systems: A scoping review on incorporation of behavioural insights” in the Environmental Modelling & Software Journal. This article is the corresponding output to “Deliverable 5.3 – Review of food systems models and their behavioural assumptions”.

In this article, we present a scoping review of agent-based models (ABMs) in food systems, focusing on how behavioural insights are incorporated. We find that many models lack behavioural justification and highlight the need for a stronger foundation of behavioural assumptions.

We suggest the following tentative guidelines to support future ABM development in food system modelling:

• Behavioural justification. Behavioural choices should be justified by theory or data. E.g., by using the MoHuB framework to identify relevant behavioural theories.
• Model parsimony. Models should be kept as simple as possible by focusing on specific parts of the food system and limiting spatial scope to what’s necessary to answer the research question.
• Transparency and documentation. The use of standardized protocols, such as ODD + D, is recommended to improve transparency, reproducibility, and comparability.