From soils to guts: exploring the narratives about the microbiome’s potential to integrate agrifood and healthcare systems

Abstract

The microbiome represents a promising avenue for integrating agrifood and healthcare systems, offering the potential to address interconnected challenges such as environmental sustainability, food security, and public health. This study investigates the microbiome as an emerging discourse and explores its capacity to integrate these sectors, fostering systemic transformations through a systems-thinking lens. Using qualitative interviews with farmers, researchers, dietitians, and healthcare practitioners, and employing narrative analysis, the research identifies how stakeholders perceive the microbiome’s potential for integration. Findings reveal that the microbiome is increasingly recognized for its critical role in human health with narratives such as Food as Medicine and Farmer as Doctor gaining traction. This research examines the potential of the microbiome as a concept that bridges agrifood and healthcare systems, highlighting both opportunities and barriers. Narratives like Farmer as Doctor and Food as Medicine promote integration by emphasizing microbial diversity and ecosystem health, but remain siloed within their respective sectors. The resulting disconnect impedes collaboration and transformative change. By reframing health through an ecosystemic perspective that links soil, food, and human well-being, the microbiome challenges traditional paradigms. However, unlocking its integrative potential requires systemic changes, shared narratives, and cross-sectoral collaboration to align diverse stakeholders around a vision of sustainability and health. This research contributes to ongoing discussions on leveraging the microbiome as a concept linking sustainability and health, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to move from conceptual discussions to actionable solutions. By addressing these systemic barriers, the microbiome could catalyze a broader shift toward integrative, sustainable practices across agrifood and healthcare systems.