Interdisciplinary tools to advance agro-food processing research and projects implementation in Egypt

Agro-food processing research and projects have several economic development, social equity, and environmental protection goals and can be defined as complex systems linked by dynamic processes and interaction mechanisms. Interdisciplinarity should be the norm, not the exception in agro-food processing projects and research, where individual efforts or to use certain disciplines is no longer a suitable solution. We have to keep our minds open to everything new and to keep them updated regularly and consistent with other mindsets, theories and tools found to advance agro-food processing research and projects. Quality food, natural resources conservation and nutrition security are considered the principal outcomes of agro-food processing research and projects and they determined by decisions and actions taken along different activities. Agro-food processing research and projects is a well-defined theme within food systems with specific millstones and activities order. We are normally driven by the clear vision of our agro-food processing research and project activities, but in each activity, there are always new and updated applicable concepts to maximize our planned outcomes and impact and to achieve the SDGs which require massive engagement with wide array of actors and disciplines. In this article, we explore some interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary approaches and techniques that can help to design and implement more efficient agro-food processing research and projects. Accordingly, we review general interdisciplinarity concepts and how to use them specifically to extend our current understandings of agro-food processing expertise dimensions, team working, value chain actors, and stakeholder relations to achieve the required impact in Egypt.