scholarly journals The Coexistence of Local and Global Food Supply Chains: The Lombardy Region Case Study

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 540
Author(s):  
Chiara Mazzocchi ◽  
Stefano Corsi ◽  
Giordano Ruggeri
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Alternative Food ◽  
Alternative Food Networks ◽  
Lombardy Region ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Food Networks ◽  
Global Food

Over the last years, the trust of consumers in the quality and sustainability of the food system has weakened due to the disconnection between producers and consumers. Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) and Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), born out of the perceived loss of trust in the globalized food system, are trying to shorten the gap between farmers and consumers. Nowadays, many scholars agree that local and global food systems coexist, and consumers usually buy both in local and in global food chains. Our study aims to understand the factors that affect the development of AFNs with a specific focus on the interactions with small- and large-scale food retailing in the Lombardy region in the north of Italy. We employ an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) model, on a municipal scale, in which the dependent variable measures the number of participatory activities carried out by farmers and consumers in AFNs. The main results highlight that conventional large retailers and alternative food networks are linked, and that the coexistence of the two market channels may lead to the development for both of them. Contrarily, where small stores exist, they may compete with an alternative food channel, as they offer similar products and services.

Understanding Alternative Food Networks: Exploring the Role of Short Food Supply Chains in Rural Development

10.1068/a3510 ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk Renting ◽  
Terry K Marsden ◽  
Jo Banks
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Alternative Food ◽  
Alternative Food Networks ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Food Networks ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Short Food Supply Chains

In this paper we explore the development and incidence of alternative food networks within a European-wide context. By developing a consistent definition of short food supply chains, we address both the morphology and the dynamics of these, and then examine empirical evidence concerning their incidence and rural development impact across seven EU member states. These developments need to be seen as one significant contribution to the current transitions in rural Europe concerning the crisis of conventional intensive and productivist agriculture and the public consumer pressure for a larger variety of distinctive ‘quality’ food products.

scholarly journals The Impact of Resource and Nutritional Resilience on the Global Food Supply System

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Martindale ◽  
Mark Swainson ◽  
Sonal Choudhary
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Critical Control Points ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Food ◽  
Global Food Supply

Pressure points in global food supply where resilience in supply chains can be limited or controlled are the equivalent of Critical Control Points in food safety systems. The approach of using critical control in supply chains can provide insights for nutritional improvement, sustainable food trade and food waste reduction. The pressure points determine the provision of a secure and sustainable food system where the outcomes of reducing their criticality are identified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international programmes. These seek to reduce climate change impact and improve public health provision. While policy makers are rightly focussed on these targets, the data analysis methods required to rank and associate resource flow pressure points with commercial food supply chains and nutritional goals remain untested. Here, we show how methodologies can identify where opportunities to tackle future criticality exist, and where they are currently being overlooked for food categories that have the greatest consumer and dietary protein demand. The analysis provides insights that identify where latent restrictions in resilience can occur, so that the future risk of food insecurity is reduced.

scholarly journals Short Food Supply Chains: rebuilding consumers’ trust.

New Medit ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Food System ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Alternative Food Networks ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Short Food Supply Chains

Whereas population is showing increasing distrust rates in the regular agri-food system, Alternative Food Networks (AFN) are gradually gaining space. This paper analyses the role of a specific kind of AFN, Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) and its contribution to the restoration of consumers’ trust in Spain. An online survey (n= 423) focus on trust and concern over food safety was conducted. The survey was addressed to very concerned and active consumers, which are interesting because they represent a powerful consumers’ profile from the policies point of view. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) studied consumers’ preferences on the different SFSC categories. This paper draws a map that signals which of SFSC attributes (such as labelling, common values or direct contact with producers) are more relevant in order to build consumers’ trust. In addition, this paper offers a classification of SFSC consumers according to their priorities. The information provided by the article offers ideas to policy makers and producers for designing their marketing strategies according to different consumers’ demands.

What Is Food-water and Why Do We not Account for It?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Keulertz ◽  
Tony Allan
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Food Retailers ◽  
Global Food System ◽  
Global Food

With 92 percent of the water used by society for food-water, the behavior of consumers determines the demand for food and water. This chapter examines the extent to which global society can manage sustainably the water resources on which its food security depends. Many market players ensure the demand for food is met in supply chains that are embedded in the global food system, linking farmers, agri-industries that supply inputs, food traders, food manufacturers, and food retailers. Food-water risk highlights the importance of the food choices of consumers, as their wasteful practices squander volumes of water and energy along the food supply chains. It is important to recognize that food supply chains are often blind to the costs of blue and green water as an input and to the impacts of misallocating and mismanaging water. This chapter thus discusses the politics of food and the need to account for water.

Local Dairy Supply Chains: A Profitability Analysis in Haryana

2020 ◽  
pp. 508-511
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Food System ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Milk Supply ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Financial Position ◽  
Profitability Analysis ◽  
Dairy Processing

The shorter food supply chains were the emerging trend in the agro-food system. The characteristic of local food supply chains are regional, freshness, quality products, and health benefits to the consumers. The present study explores the existing local dairy supply chains in the Haryana state. The local dairy supply chains were analysed and found that the shorter milk supply chains were more profitable with reduced intermediaries and higher producer shares in consumer rupees for all dairy products. The supply chains which involved intermediaries had lesser cost per unit of operation in dairy processing but fetched lower prices due to the quality issues and more distance travelled by dairy products. The economic viability and financial position of the processing units exhibited favourable results for both supply chains but it was higher for Supply Chain-I.

Dynamic capabilities in the “new normal”: a study of organizational flexibility, integration and agility in the Peruvian coffee supply chain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Ramos ◽  
Andrea S. Patrucco ◽  
Melissa Chavez
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Organizational Flexibility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Supply Chains

Purpose Considering the unprecedented supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the agri-food sector, the possession of dynamic capabilities (DCs) – particularly, the need for higher agility – seems to be the key to survival in highly uncertain environments. This study aims to use the dynamic capability view (DCV) theory to analyze how three key supply chain capabilities – organizational flexibility, integration and agility – should be combined to obtain the desired supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors designed a conceptual model in which the relationships between these three key capabilities and supply chain performance were hypothesized. The model was first tested through partial least square regression using survey data collected from 98 members of the Peruvian coffee supply chain. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted to uncover how DCs could be combined in successful supply chain configurations. Findings The authors show that organizational flexibility is a driver of higher agility in agri-food supply chains, together with external and internal supply chain integration, that have a direct impact on agility, which positively affects supply chain performance. Higher levels of supply chain agility are necessary but insufficient to guarantee high performance, as sufficiency is reached when both integration (internal and/or external) and agility are present. Originality/value This study represents a pioneering attempt to apply the DCV theory to agri-food supply chains – characterized by many sources of uncertainty. All the DCs are included within the same model and the joint use of PLS regression and fsQCA provides evidence about the relationships between DCs and how they can empower agri-food supply to obtain the desired performance.

The use of Internet of Things (IoT) to improve transparency in agri-food supply chains

2021 ◽  
pp. 369-406
Author(s):  
Rounaq Nayak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Use Of Internet ◽  
The Impact

Global food production needs to increase by approximately 70% by 2050 to ensure food security and feed the global population which is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. To achieve these objectives in a sustainable manner, there is a need for modernisation and intensification of agricultural practices. There is also an increasing demand for proving sustainability within supply chains with research showing a direct correlation between transparency and consumer trust in agri-food products. This chapter starts out by detailing the impact and need for a globalised food system. It then progresses to discuss existing applications of Internet of Things (IoT) systems and the potential of future IoT systems in helping achieve these targets. The chapter also briefly touches upon the potential for combining Blockchain Technology and IoT systems in helping improve transparency and accountability within agri-food supply chains.

scholarly journals Online and On-Site Interactions within Alternative Food Networks: Sustainability Impact of Knowledge-Sharing Practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola De Bernardi ◽  
Alberto Bertello ◽  
Francesco Venuti
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Food System ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Alternative Food ◽  
Alternative Food Networks ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Production Distribution ◽  
Food Networks

The sustainability debate in the food sector has exposed the current food system to critics, encouraging the significant growth of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), new ways of food production, distribution and consumption that aim to shorten the food chain. Our study is focused on Food Assembly (FA), a special kind of AFN combining the culture of social entrepreneurship and digital innovation to achieve sustainability and a high social impact. The coexistence of a digital platform and a weekly farmers’ market triggers, within this network, mechanisms of knowledge sharing and self-organisation. To date, however, few studies have focused simultaneously on online and on-site interactions within AFNs, especially with quantitative studies. Our paper aims to test the hypothesis that online and on-site knowledge sharing affects the success of a FA measured by customer sustainable behaviour change. To do so, we developed a quantitative analysis based on a regression model. We collected data via a questionnaire submitted to 8497 Italian FA customers, of which 2115 responses were included in our analysis. The results show that online knowledge sharing significantly affects customer change towards more sustainable purchasing and consumption behaviours, while on-site knowledge sharing positively affects sustainable purchasing behaviours.

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