Over the last decade, the circular economy (CE) has attracted attention due to the current unsustainable model of production and consumption, which involves an increased resource use and depletion. Agri-food is one of the key sectors where action must be taken to ensure the transition to a more sustainable development model in line with circular economy principles. This study aims to evaluate the potential of implementing the circular economy in the pitahaya agri-food chain in Ecuador. The research was conducted from 2019 to 2021, during which a checklist was applied that included 91 items grouped into nine dimensions: source or supply of materials, design, manufacturing, economic circle, distribution and sales, consumption/use, 4R, remanufacturing, and sustainability. The level of the circular economy evaluated in the study was low (2.14 points out of 5). Therefore, improvements are required in the agri-food management of fruit cultivation and processing. Critical points were identified and strategies were proposed to increase competitiveness, improve environmental performance, and promote the implementation of the circular economy in this production chain. A final recommendation is to explore research on the concept of CE in the sector, mainly focused on the valorization of biomass as a contribution to the bioeconomy in order to contribute to the country’s growth within the context of sustainability.

The strategic members of collaborative supply chain have been looking for actions to synchronize their links. The purpose is to improve the customer service and fulfill the challenges of the globalized competitiveness. This trend is known as integrated supply chain and improves the companies performance as a whole. In this paper, an integration model of collaborative supply chain was developed considering the strategical, tactical and operational perspectives. To implement it, a measurement instrument was designed and validated statistically. Also a mathematical model using fuzzy logic was designed and applied among 36 small, medium and large Mexican companies to determine their integration level and propose specific actions that allow them to improve it.

In order to define chain strategies for a backyard agricultural production system, this study identified agricultural products produced by high development priority communities with indigenous presence located in the Chontla and Tempoal municipalities in Veracruz, Mexico. The production system was integrated into a generic model decomposing the supply chain into hierarchical components. Data were collected through a face-to-face semistructured questionnaire based on statistical sampling of rural households, backyard producers, intermediaries, retailers, and wholesalers, as well as municipal authorities. The research was carried out from January 2017 to June 2018 and a computational program was designed to analyze the data. As a result, products were identified and their production destinations were quantified. Moreover, it revealed a backyard agricultural supply chain of five echelons with opportunities for improvement in areas such as unstructured agricultural processes and practices, inappropriate product storage and handling, and the lack of production records, and up to three intermediaries that sequentially drove up product cost in regional consumption centers. In this study, 20.9% of total production was destined for sale, 34.8% for self-consumption, and 44.2% was noncommercialized. Nopal, creole pumpkin, coriander, plum, passion fruit, and jobo were products with greater economic value for noncommercialized production. An improvement strategy would be to build inclusive agro-food chains through consolidated centers of backyard agricultural products.

Objetivo: Estudiar el sistema de producción agrícola de traspatio con un enfoque logístico, asumiendo que el conocimiento de los eslabones que componen la cadena de suministro contribuirá a desarrollar estrategias productivas y operacionales que vinculen a los productores con cadenas agroalimentarias cortas. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Se presenta el caso de estudio de las localidades de alta marginación y presencia indígena de los municipios de Chontla y Tempoal, Veracruz. Se analizó la cadena de productos agrícolas de traspatio a partir de un modelo genérico identificando los productos del caso de estudio y realizando una proyección económica anualizada. La información se recolectó con muestreo de oportunidad mediante encuestas a productores de traspatio, intermediarios, comercializadores minoristas y mayoristas, agentes municipales y autoridades locales. Resultados: La cadena de suministro de productos agrícolas de traspatio está definida por cinco eslabones: producción de materias primas, procesamiento, manufactura, presentación del producto y consumidor final; el esquema de comercialización es semiestructurado entre tradicional y de circuitos cortos. Se identificaron cuatro áreas de oportunidad: procesamiento no estandarizado, condiciones inapropiadas de almacenamiento, ausencia de registros y deficientes canales de distribución y comercialización. Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: La proyección económica indicó que 35.8 % de los productos se destina al autoconsumo, 21.2 % se comercializa en mercados locales y municipales y el 43 % de la producción no se comercializa. Hallazgos/conclusiones: Para disminuir la cantidad de producto no comercializado y fortalecer la economía local, se propone ubicar estratégicamente centros de acopio para vincular a los productores en cadenas agroalimentarias cortas.

La teoría de juegos es una herramienta matemática que permite modelar la cooperación entre agentes racionales e inteligentes. En este trabajo se presenta la teoría de juegos como una aplicación que propone escenarios de cooperación dentro de la cadena de suministro (CS) para mantener el equilibrio entre los costos logísticos de distribución que son cubiertos por los clientes de una empresa distribuidora de productos abarroteros. A partir de la aplicación del valor de Shapley y el modelo del ruteo de vehículos con capacidad (CVRP), se logró encontrar una distribución equilibrada de costos entre todos los clientes; considerando variables como la demanda, la distancia entre los nodos-clientes, la capacidad de carga y el rendimiento del vehículo. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron a la empresa lograr ahorros cercanos al 40% con relación a los costos actuales de distribución.