A hybrid decision support system for analyzing challenges of the agricultural supply chain

Abstract

Agricultural supply chain management (ASCM) covers all the activities involved in moving products of agri-sector from the field to the customer, and it helps to enhance the production, cultivation and improving economic growth of the nation. The purpose of the paper is to identify the challenges of ASCM in India through an integrated method using Delphi, decisionmaking trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and interpretive structural modelling (ISM). In the present investigation, eleven crucial ASCM challenges are identified through a literature survey and Delphi technique. DEMATEL identifies the cause-effect interrelationship diagram, and the systematic hierarchical structures of ASCM challenges are efficiently discussed through ISM. The implementation of the approach in an Indian context shows that two factors, namely limited integration among the national agricultural markets, and limited agricultural market infrastructure are the most important ones. The integrated model intends to guide the agricultural policy makers and decision makers at various stages of the supply chain for improving the performance of ASCM in India.

Barriers and Facilitators for Adopting Sustainable Soil Management Practices in Mediterranean Olive Groves

“…The Delphi method involves several phases [18,23]: The formation of a panel of experts to consult; a first round of individual interviews; the elaboration of a report of the results; the communication of the results to the participants and a new round of consultations; the comparison of the results of the different rounds; and once a consensus has been reached, the conclusion of the process. With respect to the formation of the panel, the participants should ideally come from a diverse variety of fields closely related to the research topic [24]. The appropriate size of a panel will depend on the degree of heterogeneity of the group of experts.…”

“…Singh et al [29] focused on prioritizing different types of vegetables for their cultivation in greenhouses in Saudi Arabia based on comprehensive criteria related to sustainable agricultural practices. Gardas et al [24] applied the Delphi method to analyze the challenges faced by the supply chain in the case of the agricultural sector. Other studies that have applied this methodology to the sector of Mediterranean olive growing are those of Karray and Kanoun [30], and Ozden and Dios-Palomares [31,32].…”

Decision support system in supply chain: A systematic literature review

“…DSS is built in the supply chain to overcome problems with suppliers, including the problems in choosing suppliers, evaluating relationships with suppliers for measuring supplier performance. Problems that also get considerable attention to the use of DSS in the supply chain are production (Gardas et al, 2019;Rezaei et al, 2018;Escalante et al, 2016) and delivery, transportation and transportation (Fikar, 2018;Essien et al, 2018;Turkey & Mounir, 2014). Maintaining production performance is also one of the most important factors to maintain supply chain performance in general, the deterioration of production time and the accuracy of the quantity and quality of products produced are important to reduce additional costs such as inventory costs and costs arising from production errors.…”

“…This condition is different from the agricultural sector where the factors related to the assumption of DSS are still difficult to predict due to the presence of natural factors such as season and rainfall which still have significant effects. Nevertheless, the researchers began to focus on making DSS in the agricultural sector, as research conducted by Hu et al Gardas, et al (2019). The use of DSS in the agricultural sector is still limited to distribution routes and products in general and has not varied in use such as the manufacturing sector in general.…”

An architectural framework of a Decision Support System (DSS) to increase the returns of small scale farmers in Kanchipuram District, India

“…Managing supply chain in terms consumption driven produce is a key challenge in agri-marketing. A detailed investigation on the dynamic Indian market is necessary to frame a decision support system to help farmers [19].…”