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

Abstract

The interest in short food supply chains (SFSCs) has grown significantly in the last decade, notably in respect of their potential role to achieve more sustainable food chains. However, a major barrier to achieving sustainable supply chains is the uncertainty associated with supply chain activities. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the different resilience capabilities that SFSCs possess and the potential role of digital technologies as enablers of SFSCs’ resilience. Using a case study research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted in two SFSCs in Mexico. Collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that SFSCs possess the supply chain resilience (SC resilience) capabilities investigated here, namely flexibility, redundancy, collaboration, visibility and agility. A key finding is the importance of low-cost digital technologies (including freeware and social media) that can support flexibility, collaboration, visibility and agility. These findings raise important implications for SFSCs actors exploring opportunities to improve their collective resilience. This study expands the current literature by proposing a conceptual framework that summarizes a wide variety of strategies that support SC resilience capabilities in the context of SFSCs.

Agroecological producers shortening food chains during Covid-19: opportunities and challenges in Costa Rica

“…Our conceptual framework is focused on one element of food system resilience: how farmers adapt to disturbance and specifically to changes in markets and consumer behavior due to Covid-19. We specifically situate our case study in the literature on SFSC resilience, an area reported by scholars as understudied in general and especially in the context of Covid-19 (Chiffoleau and Dourian 2020 ; Michel-Villarreal et al 2021 ). We acknowledge this is a large area for study and thus we focused on analyzing smallholder farmer responses and adaptations to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.…”

“…Blay‑Palmer et al ( 2020 ) propose that, in the light of uncertainty, new possibilities and pathways have been opened by the pandemic (Blay‑Palmer et al 2020 ). One of these possibilities is to examine food supply chain (FSC) resilience in the face of the disruption due to the pandemic (Michel-Villarreal et al 2021 ).…”

“…Shortening food supply chains has been proposed to increase food system sustainability and resilience (Chiffoleau and Dourian 2020 ; Michel-Villarreal et al 2021 ; UNIDO 2020 ). Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC) are defined as those that reduce “…the distance between agriculture and final consumption, directly re-connecting farmers to consumers…”.…”

“…In comparison to long chains, SFSC they have been reported to: (1) reduce economic uncertainty for farmers since they are not subject to the market volatility of longer supply chains, (2) contribute to the local economy, (3), support more inclusive and equitable participation in the food system, and (4) better preserve agrobiodiversity (Chiffoleau and Dourian 2020 ). Scholars highlight, however, that the literature on the resilience of SFSC is limited; one specific gap is regarding the strategies that farmers have to face system shocks (Michel-Villarreal et al 2021 ). Covid-19 is one important disturbance that can be studied to better understand what strategies best support farmers as well as what factors hinder their ability to continue their livelihoods.…”

Study and Analysis of the Implementation of 4.0 Technologies in the Agri-Food Supply Chain: A State of the Art

“…The implementation of Industry 4.0 in the AFSC is a way to improve the production processes, increase productivity and reflect individual demands and short-term management wishes [12,13]. Furthermore, these technologies are gaining importance for their ability to improve food safety, shelf life and nutritional and sensory qualities [14][15][16][17][18][19]. For example, Jagtap and Rahimifard (2019) present a case study in which the reduction in food waste improved thanks to the acquisition of real-time data [20].…”