Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Is Shortening the Answer? A Literature Review for a Research and Innovation Agenda

Abstract

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are increasingly garnering attention in food systems research, owing to their rising popularity among consumers, producers and policy-makers in the last few decades. Written with the aim to identify research gaps for the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, this literature review provides a state of play of the definition and characterisation of SFSCs, and of their sustainability. Drawing on hypotheses about SFSC sustainability elaborated in an expert network in France, this review summarises a wide range of papers from various disciplines in the SFSC literature, written in English or French, while specifically highlighting the empirical results derived from European projects. Though the literature tends to generally agree on the social benefits of SFSCs, their economic and environmental impacts typically elicit more heterogeneous outcomes, while their health/nutrition and governance dimensions remain under-explored. Based on this review, recommendations for a future research and innovation programme are outlined, addressing the contribution of SFSCs to agrifood system transition and resilience in the current context of the Covid-19 crisis and of the Green New Deal objectives.

Can a Short Food Supply Chain Create Sustainable Benefits for Small Farmers in Developing Countries? An Exploratory Study of Vietnam

“…However, a difference from developed countries like France, Austria, Hungary, Italy, etc. [3,8,69] is that the major channels of sales from the survey sample in Vietnam were through the local traders and markets. This implies that local traders will have a stronger power on setting products' prices and they will have more benefit, while small farmers will be more vulnerable because they will become accepted price actors.…”

“…A lot of studies showed that SFSCs created benefits for the whole societies or specific farmers [59,60], but most of the researches were carried out in developed countries like Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Greece, Finland, Poland, Germany, Italy, etc. [69].…”

Implications of Green Logistics Management on Sustainable Business and Supply Chain Performance: Evidence from a Survey in the Greek Agri-Food Sector

“…In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, GLM has emerged as a hot topic, and agri-food supply chain resilience turned out to be of critical importance, especially since global chains have been mainly dependent on logistics, in order to resist this unforeseen shock [131]. From the point of view of practical implications, managers involved in GLM application and firm effectiveness assessment would be in a position to keep track of the status of GLM practices implemented, and to suggest which particular GLM aspects require more attention and resources to be allocated for satisfactory development, so as to enhance specific performance dimensions.…”

Resilience and Digitalization in Short Food Supply Chains: A Case Study Approach

“…The ability to anticipate and prepare for such disruptions seems fundamental to succeed in this endeavor [7]. Some of the suggested strategies for achieving this are to increase FSC resilience by shortening the supply chain [8] and the use of digital technologies [9].…”

“…With regards to shortening the supply chain, Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) have been gaining attention in food systems research during the last decade. SFSCs comprise a wide variety of initiatives, such as community-supported agriculture (CSA), farmers' markets and farmer shops, often characterized by geographical and relational proximity, local food and commitment to co-operation [8]. Several benefits are expected from SFSCs, such as "economic benefits to both producers and consumers, strengthening social relations, preserving the environment, improving nutritional aspects, and enhancing local development" [10] (p. 3).…”