Improving Local Food Systems through the Coordination of Agriculture Supply Chain Actors

Abstract

A local food system is an alternative food network that shortens and more effectively structures the supply chain system. An intermediary actor functioning as an aggregator is needed in the local food system. The food hub is one such intermediary actor with an essential role in strengthening the local food system and increasing the competence of small farmers to compete with large-scale food distribution. Many studies have been conducted on the effectiveness and efficiency of food hubs; however, changing the supply chain system to one that is based on a local food system is challenging. This study aims to build a conceptual model that describes the activities and coordination of the actors involved in a food hub to achieve a local food system. In this study, a soft system methodology and case study approach are used to answer the research question. The results show that two transformations are needed to achieve a local food system: changing the supply chain system to one that is shorter and more structured and increasing quality consistency. Recommendations are presented in the form of a series of human activity systems to achieve transformations. Human activities to achieve a shorter and structured supply chain involve building cooperation, operating operational activities to add value, product identification, promotion, and developing fair-trade contracts. Human activities required to achieve transformation of increasing quality consistency include identifying high-demand customer requirements, forecasting, scheduling planting, and harvesting, improving training, cooperating with research institutions, farmer assistance, and quality inspection.

Case Study of the School Feeding Program in Distrito Federal, Brazil: Building Quality in Short Food Supply Chains

“…The food produced and delivered by local farmers is perceived by users of the Program as a criterion of quality because, due to the short distances traveled, the products arrive fresher in the schools, unlike those distributed by long supply chains. Due to delays in distribution and on account of more distant routes, reduced quality and food loss might occur [4].…”

“…The journey of food from farm to table can vary greatly between different locations; in some cases, longer distribution supply chains are involved; in others, producers and consumers are closer. The debate around short food supply chains (SFSCs) is increasingly present in academic discussions, forums, and agendas on production and consumption policies on localized and more sustainable food systems [1][2][3][4]. These chains reside under a logic of proximity between producers and consumers, either by face-to-face proximity based on trust, or by the information that the product carries, allowing consumers to form associations and feel closer to the producers and the places of production through the symbols that the products carry [1,5].…”

Assessment of the Environmental Impacts of a Localized Food System and Food Waste Reduction in a Water-Scarce Region Using Diet Optimization Models

“…Furthermore, given the resource and monetary constraints of small-and medium-sized farms, additional research is also needed to better understand the economic feasibility of scaling up, especially when it is being integrated with the conventional food system (i.e., scaling over; see Brislen [8] and James [61]). It is also worth conducting research on how time discounting rates of various diets could influence people's attempts to decrease their food waste and boost their intake of fruits and vegetables as well as to identify the underlying forces that drive cultural and behavior level changes over the longer term, which are well beyond the scope of the model [62,63]. Future scholarly efforts would be fruitful if more food types could be included in the modeling and different sources of irrigation water could be differentiated (e.g., surface and groundwater).…”

Penerapan Standar dan Sertifikasi dalam Rantai Nilai Kopi: Peluang dan Kendala Bagi Petani

“…Rantai yang lebih pendek akan membebaskan modal untuk didistribusikan kembali kepada petani dalam bentuk harga yang lebih tinggi, lebih adil, dan menjalin lebih banyak hubungan langsung antara produsen dan konsumen (Tundys & Wis niewski, 2020). Selain itu, rantai yang lebih pendek dapat menghemat biaya dengan menghilangkan sebagian besar perantara, dan dapat memperbaiki inefisiensi dalam hal penyimpanan, pemrosesan, dan distribusi (Anggraeni Handayati, & Novani, 2022).…”