Nutrient Optimization for Climate Smart Intelligent Food Supply Chain Dynamics Modeling

In this paper we will describe methodologies through which the information flows coupling human and natural systems can be characterized through emerging information theoretic concepts and that can be subsequently used describe the dynamics of the human food with a specific aim to optimize food supply chains for nutrient density. The overall goal of the effort is to describe a system through which we can establish models, mechanisms and mathematics that leverage the relationship between the thermodynamics of information and the thermodynamics of Maxwell to describe how complex systems are bound together through mechanisms related to exchanges of information and associated entropic gradients. These concepts will serve as the foundation of a proposed methodology for design, and deployment of data enabled decision support tools through which suppliers (i.e. farmers and food processors) and distribution networks (e.g., cold food chain) can effectively mitigate impacts associated with the extremes of climate change that are certain to accelerate the food security crises affecting many underserved communities. The key features of these methods are: 1) Intelligent agent enabled, adaptively generated Knowledge Graphs (KGs); 2) Application of KGs to establish nutrient density parameters across a broad spectrum of food systems (crops, soils, management practice); 3) Application of KGs to model the dynamics of and design sustainable supply chains; and 4) Use of these methods as a basis for creation of decision support tools to optimize supply chain dynamics for nutrient density in the context of climate change impacts. These impacts include short term disaster scenarios such as intensifying storms and wildfires as well as longer term impacts such as the problems of urban food deserts. The proposed system is specifically designed to align with California Climate Adaptation Strategy, California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment, and the California Climate Solutions for the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy, via development of advanced AI approaches to identification of effective agricultural practice (e.g., regenerative farming) as it relates food nutrition.