scholarly journals Transparency in Global Agribusiness: Transforming Brazil’s Soybean Supply Chain Based on Companies’ Accountability

Logistics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Gabriel Medina ◽  
Karim Thomé

Background: Although agri-food supply chains have become fundamental for food security throughout the world, some are associated with negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts. This study explores the possibilities of transforming the governance in Brazil’s soybean supply chain based on stakeholders’ accountability. Methods: We used secondary data from companies’ reports and statistical yearbooks to identify key stakeholders in the soybean supply chain as well as to explore trade-offs between reducing farming expansion into new agricultural frontiers and increasing investments in agro-industrial sectors. Results: The results reveal that at the global level, multinational corporations along with domestic groups should be held accountable for improving the governance of the soybean supply chain in Brazil since foreign multinationals control 65.4% of it. At the domestic level, losses in Brazil’s farming sector can either be offset by an 11% or 5.2% market share increase in the trading segment or in the whole supply chain, respectively, since Brazilian groups control 93.4% of the farming sector but only 7.1% of the agro-industrial sectors. Conclusions: Global accountability and domestic trade-offs are fundamental for transforming governance in global agri-food supply chains. They serve as a means for overcoming the current strategy of expansion into new farming frontiers.

Ekonomika APK ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 310 (8) ◽  
pp. 22-30
Author(s):  
Mykola Ilchuk ◽  
Liubov Pankratova

The purpose of the article is to reveal the current state and trends in domestic trade development in Ukraine and to identify problem areas in the food supply chains. Research methods. The following methods were used such in the research: dialectical methods of processes and phenomena cognition; monographic method for assessing scientific achievements in the domestic trade study; empirical method for a comprehensive assessment of the study object current state; the method of expert assessments for the activity areas analysis that are not sufficiently provided with official statistics; index method for the pace of development analysis and abstract-logical for generalizations and formulation of conclusions. Research results. The current state of domestic trade development in Ukraine and problems in food supply chains are revealed, such as: "gray schemes" of trade, increase in grain resale, lack of full reporting by holding structures and other market participants, etc.; ways to solve the identified problems are outlined. Scientific novelty. Theoretical provisions on the domestic trade development in Ukraine were further developed, the real growth rates (falls) of wholesale and retail trade, taking into account inflationary processes and the constrain factors, were revealed. Practical significance. The arguments presented in the article regarding the objective and subjective domestic trade development factors, official statistics limited data, supply chain problems are the evidence base for a number of measures implementation to improve the situation. Figs.: 5. Refs.: 13.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Ramos ◽  
Andrea S. Patrucco ◽  
Melissa Chavez

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.


10.1068/a3717 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 823-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Ilbery ◽  
Damian Maye

In this paper findings are presented from survey work conducted with producers of specialist livestock products in the Scottish–English borders. Using supply-chain diagrams, the paper highlights how specialist livestock businesses operate individual or customised supply chains. The heterogeneity of surveyed producer initiatives throws into question both the simple conceptual distinction drawn between the labels ‘conventional’ and ‘alternative’ and also what is meant by a ‘short’ food supply chain. The starting point of the specialist food chain is clearly not the point of production but rather a series of upstream supply links—as is found in conventional food chains. Likewise, ‘alternative’ producers are regularly obliged, or choose, to ‘dip in and out’ of different conventional nodes downstream of the business, such as abattoirs, processors, and wholesalers. In practice, delimitations between ‘alternative’ and ‘conventional’ food supply chains are often blurred and are better characterised as ‘hybrid spaces’.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Bremmers ◽  
Bernd Van der Meulen ◽  
Zorica Sredojevi ◽  
Jo Wijnands

Recent price movements have put food supply chains under pressure. On the one side, upward price tendencies on commodity markets result in higher costs to processing firms. On the other side, these firms are confronted with a strong retail sector that is able to prevent compensation to protect consumers’ and own economic interests. Regulatory impediments of European law, especially with respect to foodstuffs, can adversely be utilized as barriers to protect the interest downstream the supply chain. The problem is that legal-economic instruments which can serve to smooth price volatility in supply markets can also opportunistically be used at the expense of the middlesection in food supply chains (i.e., mainly small and medium sized producers). The aim of this article is to identify the legal-economic mechanisms that effect price transfers in food supply chains in the European Union and define policy adjustments to improve pricing mechanisms, while safeguarding the interests of the processing industry. Policy alternatives to improve the smooth functioning of notably intermediate markets in food supply chains are the restructuring of competition law, improved processor information management and creating transparency of value added in the supply chain by means of labelling devices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10573
Author(s):  
Muhammad Umar ◽  
Mark Wilson

This study builds on the extant literature of supply chain collaboration, specifically, vertical and horizontal collaboration, and examines how these capabilities influence the resilience of supply chains that experience regular natural disasters in rural communities, as their economic wellbeing relies heavily on the continuation of these supply chains. A multiple case study approach has been adopted to investigate the role of collaboration within food supply chains of two different South Asian regions. This context was selected because these regions are prone to regular natural disruptions, and these food supply chains also play a crucial role in the disaster relief process. The data revealed that effective communication, mutual dependence, information sharing, informal financial support, and trust are some of the components of supply chain collaboration that enhance the overall resilience of supply chains in natural disasters.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yi ◽  
Phil Bremer ◽  
Damien Mather ◽  
Miranda Mirosa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to facilitate the successful adoption of traceability technologies, such as blockchain, into food supply chains and facilitate the understanding of the barriers and enablers to their uptake by channel members' needs so that appropriate enabling strategy can be put in place.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, an integrated framework involving five components was used as the methodology: (1) diffusion of innovation theory, (2) the innovation concept, (3) the business structure-conduct-performance paradigm, (4) legitimacy and (5) trust was developed and assessed for validity through interviewing 21 channel members, including distributors, wholesalers, Internet retailers and traditional retailers associated with a global fresh produce company's supply chain in China.FindingsBarriers negatively framing channel members' attitudes and decisions included a perceived lack of need owing to fresh produce having a short shelf life and being of low value and risk. However, the importance of traceability and the need for effective food recalls were not always understood among channel members, and distributed trust innovations were also suppressed by their lack of compatibility with the Chinese hierarchical culture.Originality/valueTo date, channel members' perception of innovations in food supply chains has not been considered in light of the components proposed in the integrated framework. The adapted framework used in this study ensured a comprehensive assessment of channel members' attitude and motivations toward traceability practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minelle E. Silva ◽  
Gustavo Picanço Dias ◽  
Stefan Gold

PurposeThis paper investigates how food supply chains (SCs) introduce sustainability standards (i.e. organic and/or Fair Trade labels). The authors combined the concepts of power and dependence with types of governance mechanisms to analyse for-profit and cooperative organisations. The authors explored nuances of how lead organisations are spreading sustainability standards.Design/methodology/approachFour cashew nut and honey SCs were investigated as case studies in Brazil, with data gathered through 15 interviews, secondary data and field visits. Data were examined through a content analysis process following a combined deductive and inductive approach.FindingsSustainability is spread driven by market pressure, mainly through the diffusion of technical information, either by lead organisations enablers or inter-organisational relations. The authors found that the type and structure of organisations impact the source of power (mediated or non-mediated) and level of mutual dependence between buyer and supplier. For instance, suppliers that hold a strategic position use direct governance mechanisms, which, in turn, lessens the power imbalance in regard to the lead organisation. The authors found in the analysis, a close relation between governance mechanisms and the spread of sustainability, which is ultimately based on strong SC relationships.Practical implicationsBy recognising their role and the contingencies in spreading sustainability standards along the SC, managers of lead organisations can better design their relationships as well as create strategies to increase their supply chain sustainability (SCS) performance.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the underexplored issue of how sustainability standards are spread throughout SCs in Latin America. Also, it shows how different types of SC rely on governance mechanisms that foster SCS.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Rocha dos Santos ◽  
Patricia Guarnieri

Purpose This study aims to analyze which collective actions (cooperation, coordination and collaboration), present in the supply chain of artisanal products, generate positive effects in terms of social gains. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct multiple case studies in the supply chain of seven artisanal agroindustries in the Distrito Federal, Brazil. The data were collected through interviews, documental analysis and direct observation. The data were analyzed using the content analysis technique proposed by Bardin (1977). With priori and a posteriori analytical categories, it was possible to conduct: a detailed analysis of the current situation of artisanal agroindustries regarding collective actions from the perspective of supplier/supplier and supplier/client and a detailed analysis for the possible effects of collective actions that impact the supply chain and the indicators of social sustainability of artisanal agroindustries. Findings The results indicate that cooperation and collaboration have contributed positively in the transactions of the products of the artisanal agroindustries, reflecting in social gains for the producing families. In this context, some collective actions can be highlighted as follows: the collective commercial spaces, the demonstration spaces of the artisan products in the clients’ environment, the prospecting of improvements from the final consumers, the face-to-face meetings with the suppliers, the product dissemination by the customer, the joint marketing actions and the rationalization of transportation logistics. Research limitations/implications The study used a qualitative approach and findings and discussion are inherently interpretative and cannot be generalized. Practical implications This study can contribute to researchers and practitioners interested in collective actions contributing to the incrementation of social responsibility in agri-food supply chains. Social implications Understanding how the collective actions support the inclusion of smallholding and artisanal producers in agri-food supply chains can help policymakers and managers to implement initiatives related to social responsibility, which can be measured using social indicators. This creates a social benefit through rural growth and economic development, generation of income and social productive inclusion of the artisanal producers in larger agri-food supply chains. Originality/value For the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper approaching collective actions as the main source of incrementation of social benefits, which can measure the incrementation of social responsibility in agri-food supply chains.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanka Tundys ◽  
Tomasz Wiśniewski

Creating alternative supply chains can help increase economic and social benefits for all beneficiaries of the supply chain. Alternative short supply chains for organic products are considered when seeking optimal scenarios to obtain the highest profit for producers, with maximizing profit being one of the main reasons for taking up business within this type of supply chain strategy. The aim of this study was to clarify the ideas of short food supply chains (SFSCs) and the organic production of food products and to indicate how economic benefits can be achieved in individual markets. The identified research gaps include the lack of a strong theoretical basis, as well as the lack of empirical studies concerning the multi-objective optimization of the economic effects of producers using computer simulation methods. However, the aim of this research was to identify the activities within such structures that can produce economic effects and influence the competences and soft relationships between the organizations participating in the chains. The adopted research methods included a critical analysis of the literature and the use of information technology tools and computer simulation. We found that computer simulation methods can lead to better decisions (to increase manufacturer benefits) regarding how to service selected markets within the SFSC. The most important limitations are the small territorial scope of the research and the consideration of only three of the most frequently purchased and manufactured products in Poland. This study was a pilot study, which will be developed further by the authors, from both a territorial and product point of view.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Brent Ross

Technological innovation, globalization and market segmentation have led to increasingly complex agri-food supply chains and networks. At the same time, they have also created opportunities for entrepreneurial firms to create new wealth. The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in entrepreneurial performance between firms that discover and exploit new wealth creation opportunities within existing supply chains as opposed to those that decide to establish the supply chain themselves. Using agent-based simulation, this study finds that agents that link with existing supply chains outperform those that do not both in terms of survival and wealth creation per firm. It also finds, however, that the presence of existing supply chains has positive effects for non-linked entrepreneurial firms as well.


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