No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Strategies for increasing agricultural viability, resilience and sustainability amid disruptive events: An expert-based analysis of relevance
Abstract
Responding to disruptive events is important to maintain supply chain viability. It is of the utmost importance to maintain functioning of agrifood supply chains as they provide essential goods for maintaining the population. However, there is a diverse pool of possible strategies to ensure the viability of agribusiness and agrifood supply chains. This paper seeks to identify the most relevant strategies for ensuring agrifood supply chain viability amid disruptive events. The case of Lithuania is analysed with a focus on the sustainability of the whole agri-food supply chain. Expert interviews involving farmers, associations, public sector representatives and academia are carried out to identify an effective policy path. Innovation, cooperation, diversification and knowledge-building are assessed as the candidate strategy options.
... E. Ribašauskienė et al. (2024) examined the most relevant strategies to ensure the resilience of the agricultural supply chain in the face of disruptive events. Innovation, cooperation, diversification, and knowledge accumulation are assessed as possible agribusiness strategy options. ...
In the current conditions of war, the formation of strategic vectors of agribusiness in Ukraine is an integral part of economic development in the postwar recovery. The purpose of this study was to identify the tasks that will provide opportunities to eliminate the negative trends caused by the war. The study conducted a bibliometric review of scientific papers on agribusiness in Ukraine and the world. Such an analysis helped to track trends, identify gaps and unresolved areas for further research, and formulate strategic vectors for the development of the agricultural sector. The study substantiated changes and trends in agribusiness in Ukraine as a result of the comparative dynamics of Ukraine's share in global agricultural exports. The paper focused on the specific features of exports during the Grain Initiative and identified the key continents of exports. It was found that the key problems faced by the agricultural sector in Ukraine include the unstable geopolitical situation, martial law, environmental changes, labour force shortages, and rapid globalisation. International agribusiness activities have undergone dramatic changes caused by the full-scale invasion. That is why Hoshin Kanri's strategic model for the development of Ukraine's agribusiness during the war and postwar recovery allows identifying key factors, forming trends, and anticipating risks affecting agribusiness. The proposed strategy also accommodates the need for the necessary resources to implement innovations and attract investment. This will improve the organisational design of agribusiness-oriented enterprises. The formation
... In this context, sustainable intensification of agriculture is essential. It offers a pathway to increasing land productivity and improving resource use efficiency while minimizing negative environmental impacts as much as possible [4][5][6][7]. Crop rotation is one of the most effective strategies for promoting sustainable agriculture [8][9][10][11][12][13]. ...
Background: The rapid growth of the global population, coupled with the challenges posed by a changing climate, is creating significant obstacles in food production worldwide. As agricultural practices intensify to meet rising demand, the strain on land resources has increased in recent years, accelerating land degradation processes. Land degradation represents a significant challenge to ensuring global food security. One of the key strategies for promoting sustainable agriculture is crop rotation and the preservation of biodiversity. Properly implemented crop rotation enhances soil fertility, reduces pest populations, and improves nutrient availability. It also enhances food's functional value, supporting environmental and nutritional sustainability. Objective: The research was conducted in two communities of Syunik Marz, RA, to study the efficiency of pumpkin cultivation in forest brown soils under crop rotation conditions. Methods: The research was conducted from 2017 to 2024, during which a crop rotation scheme was implemented on 100 hectares of land. Pumpkin yield indicators and functional value were studied under monoculture and crop rotation conditions. Results: Monoculture pumpkin farming, however, encountered severe issues such as fungal diseases (shriveling and false shriveling) and tick infestations, problems absent under crop rotation conditions. Additionally, the nutritional and functional values of the pumpkin were enhanced. The study revealed that under crop rotation conditions, the content of soluble solids in pumpkin fruits was 1.46%, dry matter 1.63%, reducing sugars 1.63%, and total sugars 1.63% higher than in pumpkins grown under monoculture conditions. In contrast, monoculture pumpkin farming faced significant issues with fungal diseases like shriveling and false shriveling and tick infestations, which were not present when pumpkins were grown using crop rotation. Conclusion: Under crop rotation conditions in forest brown soils, humus, and water-stable aggregates' content is higher than in monoculture cultivation. The pumpkin yield under crop rotation conditions increased by 5 tons per hectare compared to monoculture cultivation. The functional element levels for the mentioned crop sequence were higher than pumpkins grown in monoculture. Keywords: Crop rotation, pumpkin, functional food, bioactive compound, intensification.
... Increased competitiveness in agribusiness is linked to value chain management, where the innovation contributes to the generation of alternatives to (1) increase profitability by increasing efficiency or value added in the end market; (2) increase social impact by increasing inclusion; and (3) reduce the environmental footprint of the entire chain [54,55]. ...
This study explores orientations in the study of sustainability strategy in agribusinesses using quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative aspect involved a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications in the Scopus and Web of Science databases on publications in the area of business and management, while the qualitative approach involved a systematic analysis to determine strategic orientations. The research methodology used was the Constructivist and Knowledge Development Process (Proknow-C), which includes four stages: (1) portfolio selection, (2) bibliometric analysis of the portfolio using bibliometric software, (3) systematic analysis and (4) identification of future research. The results revealed four strategic directions for sustainability: Corporate Social Responsibility, Standards and Traceability, Innovation and Environmental Performance, and Governance and Food Safety. In addition, two areas for future research were identified: corporate sustainability policies and management practices. Although there is a considerable amount of literature on sustainability, research in agribusiness is still in its infancy and there is a need to deepen the interactions between the economic, environmental and social dimensions in order to promote business strategies in agribusiness that foster sustainable development.
... Over the past few years, the majority of studies have concentrated on enhancing ASCRes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (Coopmans et al., 2021;Perrin and Martin, 2021;Blessley and Mudambi, 2022;Kumar and Kumar, 2022;Mishra et al., 2022), to help ASCs recover from barriers as quickly as possible. Relatively scant research has urged ASC practitioners to pivot toward addressing the adverse impacts of climate change (Davis et al., 2021) and fostering ASCRes as a strategy to mitigate climate risks, all while striving to achieve sustainability objectives (Macfadyen et al., 2015;Buitenhuis et al., 2022;Ribašauskiene et al., 2024). Meanwhile, research focus has gradually shifted from conceptualizing resilience to analyzing its intrinsic factors. ...
Climate change is significantly and enduringly impacting global agricultural supply chains (ASCs), underscoring the urgent need to enhance their climate resilience. This study aims to identify key strategies for building agricultural supply chain resilience (ASCRes) in the context of climate change and their interrelationships. Through a comprehensive literature review and expert consultations, a framework of 12 strategies was developed. Using survey data from 312 Chinese ASC companies, BP-DEMATEL-ISM and PLS-SEM methods were employed to conduct causal analysis and factor level evaluation. The results indicate that “diversification of agricultural products and supply chain (SC) networks,” “Agriculture 4.0 and digital transformation,” and “taking proactive climate action” are critical strategies to enhance ASCRes in the context of climate change. These findings can provide theoretical basis for farmers, ASC companies, and governments to cope with the impact of climate change, so as to build more robust ASC systems.
... The Indian agriculture system produces significant crop residues, like, rice straw (highest; 152 million metric tonnes), sugar cane bagasse (second highest; 145 million metric tonnes), wheat straw (136 MMT), corn stover (41 million metric tonnes), cotton stalks (68 million metric tonnes), and other coarse cereals (29.01 million metric tonnes) that account to about 90% of total agro residues [20,21]. Among the oilseed residues, soybean is the topmost player, responsible for generating about 50% of the total oilseed residue [22,23]. Agricultural wastes form a major fraction of lignocellulosic biomass, which has been effectively exploited as feedstock for generation of biofuels. ...
Global population expansion has resulted in an acute demand for proliferated food production and distribution. As a result of this augmented food production, the agricultural sector has become a key waste producer too. Huge agricultural waste is produced annually through intense farming, cultivation, harvesting, and industrial processes. Agricultural wastes are classified as offcuts, crop residues, industrial wastes, food-related wastes, and animal wastes. Incineration of agricultural waste produces carbon dioxide and smoke which, when released into the environment, generates heat and causes global warming due to severe air pollution. Therefore, appropriate attention must be taken to decompose agricultural waste using an agricultural waste management strategy. Agriculture waste is reclaimed to produce enzymes, biofuels, vitamins, antioxidants, antibiotics, animal feed, and other useful compounds. Exploration of agricultural waste is a promising non-renewable resource alternative to support environmental feasibility and to address the increasing energy problem. This chapter discusses the right scientific approaches and methodologies for using agricultural waste as raw materials. Furthermore, we discuss numerous methods and techniques for obtaining valuable outputs and products from agricultural waste for a sustainable future.
The present paper is the first scientific investigation of the future European farmer pro
f
iles. An expert interview combined with sophisticated multi-criteria decision-making
techniques were employed as main research tools. Lithuania served as an empirical
basis for the research. The dynamics of the development of the share of future Euro
pean farmer profiles in 2023 and 2040 is assessed. The resilience index for the calcula
tion of the agricultural economic resilience level for the each of the future European
farmer profiles is created. The most resilient appear to be social care and controlled
environment farmer profiles, while intensive, regenerative and corporate farmer
profiles tend to show the lowest level of agricultural economic resilience. This fact
poses a risk to Lithuanian agriculture, as these, least resilient, farmer profiles domi
nate the agricultural sector. Thus, some steering actions toward increasing the share
of the more resilient future European farmer profiles in Lithuania are required.
The Integrated Participatory Irrigation Development and Management Project (IPDMIP) is critical in increasing agricultural production, national food security, and farmers’ income by encouraging farmers’ participation in small-scale irrigation management. This study aims to assess the impact of the IPDMIP program in Lima Puluh Kota District, focusing on farmers’ income, their participation in managing irrigation networks, and the challenges faced during program implementation. Data were collected through observation, interviews, questionnaires, and archived project records. Thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data, while descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data. The results showed that the average net income of farmers increased by 10.28% after the implementation of IPDMIP. Farmer participation in maintenance planning increased significantly from 6% to 71%, and participation in maintenance implementation jumped from 20% to 97%. However, Covid-19 restrictions affected participation in capacity-building programs. Despite these challenges, the success of community-based irrigation management is evident, providing benefits to the community by increasing farmer engagement and improving income.
FAO is analysing and providing updates on the emerging COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on agricultural markets—effects that are still largely unknown. Most current assessments generally foresee a contraction in both supply of and demand for agricultural products, and point to possible disruptions in trade and logistics. On the supply side, widely different views remain on the duration of the shocks, the price dynamics, differential impacts between domestic and international markets, differences across countries and commodities, the likely paths of recovery, and the policy actions to remedy the various shock waves. On the demand side, there is near ubiquitous agreement that agricultural demand and trade would slow-down, with contractions stemming from a deceleration in overall economic activity (GDP growth) and rising rates of unemployment. While food and agricultural systems are exposed to both demand and supply side shocks (symmetric), these shocks are not expected to take place in parallel (asynchronous) since, inter alia, consumers can draw on savings, food stocks and safety nets.
The development of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is crucial in ensuring the creation of a low-carbon society and mitigation of climate change. These tasks require concerted actions from multiple stakeholders since the very concept of CSA is rather complex and requires multi-dimensional consideration. This study defines and applies various indicators to evaluate the development of CSA in the European Union (EU). To do this, three different multi-criteria decision-making methods, namely Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR; multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution), were employed for the construction of a composite indicator. A combination of both objective (entropy) and subjective (Analytic Hierarchy Process) weighting techniques was utilized to derive the weights of the indicators. The leaders in the EU in terms of CSA are Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, whereas the countries with the lowest levels of CSA development are Cyprus, Greece and Portugal. This study also revealed divergence in the development of these practices in the EU-24 for the period 2004-2019. Thus, a more inclusive approach is needed to ensure the spread of climate-smart ideas in European agriculture sectors.
The adoption of the best practices is crucial for the survival of the dairy sheep farms that operate under extensive and/or semi-extensive systems. In this study, an efficiency analysis was implemented to reveal the best observed practices applied by the more efficient dairy sheep farms. Data Envelopment Analysis was used on data from 60 dairy sheep farms that rear Manech or Basco-bearnaise, and Lacaune breeds under semi-extensive systems in France. The main characteristics of the most efficient farms are presented and a comparative economic analysis is applied between the fully efficient and less efficient farms, highlighting the optimal farm structure and determining the major cost drivers in sheep farming. The most efficient farmers provided information within the iSAGE Horizon 2020 project regarding the management practices that enhance their sustainability. The results show that there is room for improvement in semi-extensive dairy sheep farming. The most efficient farms rear smaller flocks than the less efficient farms and achieve higher milk yields. Fixed capital, labor, and feeding constitute the main cost drivers. Results show that farms should exploit economies of scale in the use of labor and infrastructure to reduce their cost per product, as well as their uptake practices and innovations, related mainly to modern breeding and reproduction methods, efficient feeding practices and digital technologies.
Agriculture 4.0 represents the fourth agriculture revolution that uses digital technologies and moves toward a smarter, more efficient, environmentally responsible agriculture sector. Agricultural technologies have emerged to enhance sustainability and discover more effective farm methods. This encompasses all digitalisation and automation processes in business and our daily lives, including Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robots, the Internet of Things (IoT), and virtual and augmented reality. These technological advancements are having a profound impact on our lives. From a technical standpoint, it brings us to precision agriculture. This provides a data-driven strategy for efficiently growing and maintaining crops on cultivable land, enabling farmers to use most of the resources at their disposal. Throughout the supply chain, daily operations create massive volumes of data. Most of this information was previously untouched, but with the help of big data technologies, such information can be used to improve the performance and production of any crop. Depending on the crop type and its growth needs, digitised harvesters can help handle huge areas in various situations, particularly agriculture. This paper is brief about Agriculture 4.0 and its condition. Smart farming, Various key technologies and specific domains for the Exploring Agriculture 4.0 Domain are discussed in detail and, finally, identified and discussed significant applications of Agriculture 4.0 technologies. These technologies are essential to our lives since they simplify our daily duties without recognising them. In Agriculture 4.0 systems, fleets of digitised equipment employ current infrastructures like cloud computing to connect, identify the processing condition of different regions and the requirement for input materials and coordinate the machinery.
Investor and venture capital activity within food, agriculture and bio renewables (AgriTech) continues to accelerate. Investors recognize promise in AgriTech due to pressing demand to provide food and bio renewable materials for our growing population. Cellular agriculture, meat produced in vitro versus in vivo is one specific space where exceptional investor activity is occurring. This work captures investor and key informant perspectives primarily from North America about cellular agriculture by utilizing thematic analysis from qualitative interview data. Findings highlight the role and perspectives of strategic capital as a necessary mechanism to fund bringing cellular meat technologies to the marketplace. The data also indicated that cellular agriculture products would likely complement existing meat products like plant-based meats and that massive infrastructure is required to produce these products at scale. In addition, respondents posited that higher income, urban and politically liberal consumers would likely be early adopters of cellular meat products and that a significant challenge will be providing availability to the wider less affluent population.
Diversified farming systems are promoted as a pathway to more sustainable agricultural production. Yet widescale adoption may be slow because of uncertainty about the viability of farmer livelihoods on diversified farms and entrenched perceptions that monocultures are key to making farming profitable. Here, a global meta-analysis of 3192 effect sizes from 119 peer-reviewed articles provides evidence that diversified farming systems are at least as profitable as simplified farming systems. Our study showed that, on average, total costs, gross income and profits (net income, or gross margin) were higher in diversified systems relative to simplified ones, while the benefit-cost ratio was equivalent. These results held in developed and developing countries and across geographic regions. From a subset of 43 articles reporting labour inputs, we found that labour costs increased in diversified farming systems, but so did gross incomes leading to farm profits equivalent to those in simplified systems and dispelling myths that higher labour requirements undermine the viability of diversification. Our global meta-analysis provides compelling evidence that diversified farming systems are not only viable but actually economically preferable to simplified systems in the wide range of contexts represented in this study. Policies, markets, investments, and value chains need to align with this evidence and promote diversified farming systems for the benefit of farmers and rural economies.
Disruption in many supply chains has shown the vulnerability of global supply networks, especially resource-intensive ones, due to the simultaneous effects of pandemics and geopolitical crises. Reshoring and nearshoring strategies are the possible responses of manufacturing companies to disruptions in order to adapt to unforeseen events. The supply chain for the Italian ceramic sector, which is characterized by a high intensity of natural and energy resource consumption and a sourcing system with a high geopolitical risk, is examined in this study. The functional decomposition technique was used to analyze the supply chain; then, three scenarios were developed as potential remedies for the unexpected termination of Ukrainian plastic clay supply. The study also showed that complex issues require multifaceted analysis approaches, which is why a transdisciplinary approach was chosen. In addition, the analysis of the ceramic industry showed that nearshoring and reshoring strategies can reduce supply risk and have a positive impact on the environment. The study also showed how bringing extraction sources closer to factories significantly reduces CO2 emissions to the atmosphere from transportation. The main contribution of this paper is the analysis of the complexity of supply chains in times of disruption, configuring reshoring and nearshoring options through transdisciplinarity.
To determine the influence of COVID-19 on supply chains, previous research has examined the impact of supply chain diversification and digital transformation on supply chain resilience, but few studies have integrated these two aspects to understand their impact on supply chain resilience. Given this, our study implements the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to investigate the influence of supply chain diversification (supply base diversification and customer base diversification) and digital transformation (digital transformation depth and breadth) on supply chain resilience. Using data from 191 listed manufacturing firms, it is shown that the dimensions of supply chain diversification and digital transformation do not have the necessary conditions to achieve high supply chain resilience, while the analysis of sufficient conditions shows that three paths can achieve high supply chain resilience—namely, those driven by digital transformation, supply chain diversification, and supplier centralization and customer base diversification. This study demonstrates the numerous and complex linkages between antecedent and outcome, and firms can choose the path that is best for them to improve supply chain resilience based on their size, degree of digital transformation, and supply chain diversification.
The agricultural sector has a critical role in creating social and environmental value of natural resources in addition to its traditional role of creating economic value by supplying food to the ever-increasing world population. In fulfilling this dual role, the agricultural sector often faces competing pressures: to operate financially profitable businesses and to create, maintain, and benefit from ecosystem services (ES) in their operations. This paper analyses these pressures in an examination of drivers and barriers to the initiation of the business model innovation process for sustainability (BMIpfS) as perceived by ten agricultural business managers who operate farms in southern Sweden. The paper explores the interplay between managerial cognition and business decisions as revealed in semi-structured interviews. The new ES in focus connect to radical land-use change, paludiculture, as used in the rewetting of farmland intended to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drained peat soil causes. The paper contributes to the literature by identifying drivers and barriers that moderates the initiation of the BMIpfS. Although the managers acknowledge the importance of long-term, sustainable social, and environmental value creation, they have grave doubts about the profitability of activities associated with the preservation of peat soils and connected ES. These managers would benefit from taking a more proactive, long-term approach to business model changes for sustainability and from acquiring more knowledge about market demand for sustainability-oriented ES. Successful facilitation and implementation of knowledge transfer and government subsidies that support ES could improve the turning of profits based on sustainable value creation.
In recent years, CGIAR researchers have investigated the effectiveness of using agrobiodiversity, and more particularly crop and crop varietal diversity, as an adaptive practice to mitigate climate-change impacts on agriculture and to contribute to rural household and community resilience. The hypothesis informing this research is that the sustained practice of crop diversification leads to ecological redundancy, which allows farmer households and their communities to produce multiple positive livelihood benefits. The validity of this hypothesis is investigated by means of an extensive literature review (covering 2015-2020). Findings reveal ample evidence of positive outcomes, including increased yields and household incomes, improved nutrition and food security, new marketing opportunities, reduced poverty, and strengthened adaptive and innovative capacity. However, the evidence is far less convincing about the last part of the hypothetical impact pathway, i.e. the link between positive livelihood benefits and (increased) resilience. This shortcoming is addressed through the elaboration of a more clearly articulated theory of change for crop diversification and a refined methodology to support farmers in making appropriate diversification decisions. At the same time, the critical review opens a window on an important, novel perspective, which is to look at the role that crop diversification could play in a wider societal transition towards a more sustainable future.
Rural areas have undergone visible transformations in recent decades. It leads to some ecological problems. Enhancing rural resilience is necessary in the face of these changes. However, previous literature often ignored the roles of indigenous actors in this process. Consequently, we conduct participant observation and in-depth interviews to explore the process by which local farmer knowledge is produced in Fenghuang, a rural area that concentrates on the tea industry in China, and how this process contributes to the agriculture resilience of individual and rural areas. We find that local knowledge is a dynamic composition of daily practice highlighting the nature of adaptability in farmers’ pursuits. Such knowledge is found to be constructed, exchanged, and then reshaped into a new and heterogeneous form that involves a mix of scientific forces and local practices, building a solid basis for individual and rural resilience. In addition, both sustainable agriculture and successful market promotion can be achieved by knowledge production. In this way, the meaning of “place” is reconstrued, morphing from a barren and backward rural area to a green and unique land with idyllic beauty. This metamorphosis offers belongingness to tea farmers and imposes on them the responsibility to contribute their efforts to the land.
Purpose
All firms' business models are based on their interdependencies with other parties in their ecosystems. The Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to fundamentally disrupt the agri-food industry, forcing the ecosystem to change. When an ecosystem is transforming, the interdependencies among its actors can create friction. Technology providers and core actors should consider these interdependencies as they update their strategies for value creation and capture. The purpose of the present research is to consider what it might take for agri-food firms to capitalize on these interdependencies by moving from traditional business models to business models based on collaboration and open innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The present paper draws on data from four online focus groups that we created to discuss how to co-create the business models agri-food firms need in a constantly changing environment. The paper presents an application of phenomenon-driven research (PDR), an engaged methodology. The study method enables novel pathways to develop and implement innovative solutions. This study draws on the interaction of theory and practice and involves multiple stakeholders with varying roles in the agri-food ecosystem.
Findings
The authors found that any open innovation setup in agri-food needs to constantly reconfigure itself to balance the needs of farmers and the needs of the market. This interplay can only support the IoT-enabled ecosystem if continuous interaction and negotiation occur among various stakeholders of the food system. When the farmers' needs and the market's needs are aligned, the space for developing a collaborative and open business model is prepared.
Originality/value
The insights gained from this study inspire action and commitment to common goals when developing collaboration-based business models (CBMs). The paper offers insights for players in the agri-food industry who are considering CBMs in the course of digital transformation.
Enhancing farm resilience has become a key policy objective of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to help farmers deal with numerous interrelated economic, environmental, social, and institutional shocks and stresses. A central theme in resilience thinking is the role of the unknown, implying that knowledge is incomplete and that change, uncertainty, and surprise are inevitable. Important strategies to enhance resilience are exploiting social capital and learning as these contribute to improved knowledge to prepare farmers for change.
The family farm has been the pillar of rural society for decades, stabilising rural economies and strengthening social and cultural traditions. Nonetheless, family farm numbers across Europe are declining as farmers endeavour to overcome issues of climate change, viability, farm structural change and intergenerational farm succession. Issues around farm viability and a lack of innovative agricultural practices play a key role in succession decisions, preventing older farmers from passing on the farm, and younger farmers from taking up the mantel. A multifunctional farming environment, however, increasingly encourages family farms to embrace diversity and look towards innovative and sustainable practices. Across the European Union, organic farming has always been a strong diversification option, and although, historically, its progress was limited within an Irish context, its popularity is growing. To examine the impact of organic farm diversification on issues facing the Irish farm family, this paper draws on a qualitative case study with a group of Irish organic farmers engaged in the Maximising Organic Production System (MOPS) EIP-AGRI Project. The case study was constructed using a phased approach where each stage shaped the next. This started with a desk-based analysis, then moving on to semi-structured interviews and a focus group, which were then consolidated with a final feedback session. Data gathering occurred in mid to late 2020. Research results reveal the uptake of innovative practices not only improve farm viability, but also encourage the next generation of young farmers to commit to the family farm and consider farming long-term.
Resilience amidst a crisis is vital to survival in the turbulent contemporary business environment. Diversifying the supply chain has been proposed as an important means to build this capability. However, there is insufficient empirical evidence demonstrating the merits of supply chain diversification during a crisis. Sampling 1434 Chinese manufacturing firms amidst the COVID-19 crisis, our two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression analyses show that firms with a diversified supply base are associated with a larger supply stream (increased abnormal inventory) and increased profitability during the COVID-19 crisis, including both the disruption and recovery periods. In addition, firms with a diversified customer base are associated with a larger demand stream (reduced abnormal inventory) during the COVID-19 crisis (both disruption and recovery periods) but show increased profitability only during the recovery period. Our study contributes to the literature on supply chain risk, disruption, diversification, and inventory management. We also discuss the practical implications of supply chain structure design in building resilience.
Distortion in distribution and consumption of agricultural commodities is a result of disruptive shocks in prices and food value chains leading to a significant food loss as well as waste. We investigated the COVID-19 induced lockdown effects in India through an interrupted time series analysis coupled with a survey result of 729 consumers, 225 farmers and synthesis of the literature evidence on food loss as well as food waste. Our article complements the literature inventory on COVID-19 by estimating and tracking the effects on prices and consumer behaviour in the long-run apart from discussing the implications for food loss and waste. Prices post-lockdown shot up immediately and significantly for chickpea (4.8%), mung bean (5.2%), and tomato (78.2%) corroborating the loss in highly perishable product-tomato-owing to its spiked price. We find no structural break in prices due to lockdown implying that lockdown-induced price change was not sufficient to alter the long-run price movement, and the prices of the major commodities reverted to the pre-lockdown levels. The pandemic induced lockdown did restrict the access to food markets and a majority of consumers (75.31%) experienced a price increase across COVID zones of different intensity of incidence leading to food loss along supply chain and wastage at consumers end. Consumers' livelihood affected from moderate (59.53%) to severe (3.3%) with 92 per cent reporting a change in shopping behavior. The Kruskal-Wallis test on consumption behavior change indicated a significant shift among the consumers reporting altered income, mostly in the downside, post-lockdown. Despite the relaxation for agricultural related activities during the lockdown, farmers reported disruption in disposing their winter produce barring wheat, bolstered by a record state procurement in 2020. The paper affirms that the pandemic has caused a significant price change and unprecedented panic purchase that led to the food wastage but subsided soon exhibiting the resilience in Indian agriculture. We strongly recommend for promoting the capacity and collective resilience of small-scale production systems through institutions, policies and reforms. Contract farming, farmer producer organizations, creation and functioning of social safety nets to overcome income, production and price shocks, access to digital national markets and capacity building on food waste management practices will insulate vulnerable section as well as reduce the loss of food across supply chain.
Agricultural diversification efforts towards sustainable agriculture generates environmental and economic benefits. Climate change and agricultural production are characterized by a complex cause-effect relationship. In the present study, the primary dataset is collected through an interview-based survey from 410 farmers in 3 districts located in different agro-ecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. Detailed analysis is conducted by employing the Gaussian treatment effects approach. Results of the study show that the farmers who adopted agricultural diversification to mitigate the impact of climate change were less and insignificantly benefited e.g., on an average of RS 95,260 (US 772) per annum if they had practiced the agricultural diversification. Moreover, determinants of agricultural diversification such as demographic and institutional indicators were significant and larger effects to adopt as compared to social indicators. This study suggests that policies should be designed in the regional context particularly related to the improvement in demographic characteristics and institutional factors such as providing subsidies, training, and awareness to the farmers, particularly to those who practice agricultural diversification. These measures will help to raise the farmers’ adaptive capacity for the adoption of agricultural diversification, and it will enable them to generate tangible benefits by increasing income through adopting sustainable agricultural livelihood.
Covid-19 pandemic provided many negative effects on world economies and people around the world. The covid-19 creates many threats to sustainability of agriculture sector which is very sensitive because of food supply security needs. First of all, it is necessary to analyse and comprehend the immediate consequences of current pandemic on agricultural and food systems in order to develop necessary actions. The risks, vulnerability, resilience and systemic shifts of agricultural systems need to be better understood in order to adapt to covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to analyse the negative impacts of covid-19 on agriculture and food systems by applying vulnerability and resilience approach by treating covid-19 like global disaster. The concepts of ‘vulnerability’, and ‘resilience’ which dominates disaster studies historically initiated after the World War II were applied to systematise literature review. The main input of this paper is systematization and grouping of the main measures to enhance resilience of agriculture systems in the face of covid-19 pandemic based on recent scientific studies published in 2020. The future research guidelines are also provided based on conducted systematic literature review.
Achieving food and feed self-sufficiency is important for both China and the world. While China's food self-sufficiency has been examined at the national and provincial levels, few studies consider lower administrative levels or different food and feed items. This study quantifies self-sufficiency in the eastern regions of China and examines correlations with agronomic (arable area, yield, fertilizer input, and machinery power) and socioeconomic (population density, gross domestic product [GDP]) variables at the local level, which are related to the interactions of the Sustainable Development Goals. We calculated food and feed balances, and checked correlations across and within regions grouped by population density levels between production, balance indices, and other agronomic and socioeconomic variables. The results showed that most regions can achieve self-sufficiency in cereals, vegetables, and meat. Regarding eggs and maize, there was self-sufficiency in the north but deficiency in the south. Nearly all regions demonstrated extreme shortages of milk and soybeans. The results also showed a positive correlation between the production of some food commodities and the population in eastern regions of China, demonstrating that the aim of achieving food self-sufficiency at the local level is pursued. For cereals, vegetables, and maize, the yield and arable land per capita were positive factors for self-sufficiency, while GDP per capita was a negative factor for cereals, meat, and maize. Various factors have different impacts on the food and feed self-sufficiency of regions based on population density. Protecting arable land by rural revitalization and mitigating urban sprawl can retain food and feed self-sufficiency in large cities. This study outlines important implications for policymakers seeking to achieve food and feed self-sufficiency in China.
View-only version: https://rdcu.be/clkgs or access article via: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03681013 || Abstract: In the political discussion, the promotion of local food systems and short supply chains is sometimes presented as a means to increase the resilience of the food system, e.g. in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is also suggested as a means to improve the environmental footprint of the food system. Differentiating between local food systems and short supply chains, a review of the literature on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability is carried out. “Local food” cannot simply be equated with “sustainable food”; in most cases, it neither can ensure food security nor does it necessarily have a lower carbon footprint. For the environmental sustainability of food systems, many more factors matter than just transportation, not least consumers’ dietary choices. In terms of social sustainability, local food systems are not necessarily more resilient, but they can contribute to rural development and a sense of community. In terms of economic sustainability, selling via short supply chains into local markets can benefit certain farmers, while for other producers it can be more profitable to supply international markets.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has forced global food systems to face unprecedented uncertain shocks even in terms of human health. Urban agriculture is expected to be more resilient because of its short supply chain for urban people and diversified farming activities. However, the short-and long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on urban farms remain unclear. This study aims to reveal the conditions for farm resilience to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the relationship between short-term farm resilience and long-term farm development using data from a survey of 74 farms located in Tokyo. The results are as follows. First, more than half of the sample farms increased their farm sales during this period. This resilience can be called the “persistence” approach. Second, short-term farm resilience and other sustainable farm activities contributed to improving farmers’ intentions for long-term farm development and farmland preservation. Third, the most important resilience attributes were the direct marketing, entrepreneurship, and social networks of farmers. We discussed the necessity of building farmers’ transformative capabilities for a more resilient urban farming system. These results imply that support to enhance the short-term resilience of urban farms is worth more than the short-term profit of the farms.
Crop diversification finds an important place in the strategy of dealing with risk and uncertainty related to climate change. It helps to increase the resilience of farmers, significantly improving their income stability, but at the same time, it can lower the economic efficiency of small farms. The aim of the article is to identify the determinants of crop diversification and the impact of crop diversification on the economic efficiency of small farms in Poland. This article first provides a critical review of the literature on crop diversification, its role in stabilizing agricultural income and its impact on economic efficiency in small farms. Secondly, the level of crop diversification was determined and empirical research was conducted considering the economic, social and agronomic characteristics of farms. Thirdly, the economic efficiency of farms diversifying crops was compared with farms focused on one type of production. The research material consisted of small farms participating in the Polish system of collecting and using farm accountancy data (FADN) in 2018. The level of diversification was determined using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. The factors influencing crop diversification were identified using the logit regression model. The Mann–Whitney U rank sum test was used to assess the significance of the differences in distributions. The research results indicate an average level of crop diversification in small farms in Poland and its regional differentiation. In addition, a statistically significant positive impact on the probability of crop diversification in small farms in Poland was found of variables such as the level of exposure of agricultural production to atmospheric and agricultural drought and the location of the farm in the frost hardiness zone and a statistically significant negative impact of the variable: value of fixed assets. The existence of significant differences in the level of economic efficiency of farms diversifying crops and farms focused on one profile of agricultural production was proved. The study is an important voice in the discussion on increasing measures to strengthen support for small farms that diversify crops so as to ensure their greater stability and economic efficiency.
The related literature highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on agri-food entrepre-neurship, the government measures and support on agri-food entrepreneurship, and the shift of agri-food entrepreneurship towards digitization, innovative ideas, and new market solutions. Agri-food entrepreneurship faces numerous challenges, but at the same time, the crisis can generate opportunities. The studies made so far indicate that COVID-19 can cause transformational changes to agri-food entrepreneurship, although further research is needed to clarify open issues.
The importance of agri-food systems for global sustainability calls for researching and advancing socio-technical transitions towards environmentally friendly models of farming. These transitions hinge on many prerequisites, one of which is providing access to land for farmers and new entrants who experiment with sustainable farming models. However, for socio-technical transitions in farming to be viable, access to land should be complemented with securing access to “intangible” resources such as skills, knowledge or networks. It seems that increasingly often these resources are being provided by various grassroots initiatives. The goal of this paper is to identify how the strategies employed by grassroots initiatives support farmers and new entrants in transitioning to sustainable farming models. In order to answer that question, we perform case studies of three Polish initiatives—Agro-Perma-Lab, PermaKultura.Edu.PL and the Ecological Folk High School in Grzybów—active in promoting agroecology, permaculture and organic farming. The results show a diversity of strategies employed by these initiatives that reflect the frameworks in which they operate. Considering these strategies from the perspective of transition studies suggests that they can be replicated in other contexts and potentially contribute to advancing socio-technical transitions of agri-food systems.
Purpose
The main objective of this study is to test whether firms with a higher level of intellectual capital (IC) perform better in terms of their supply chain resilience compared to those with lower levels of IC. Likewise, the study also examines the impact of IC (characterized by human capital, relational capital and structural capital) on supply chain resilience directly and through supply chain learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from the 159 processed-food sector firms using a close-ended questionnaire during the corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), partial least squares multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test a set of hypotheses emanating from a conceptual model of IC and supply chain resilience.
Findings
Empirical results revealed a significant influence of all dimension of IC on a firm's supply chain learning and supply chain resilience. Likewise, findings also exhibit a momentous role of supply chain learning in reinforcing the impact of IC on supply chain resilience. Cross-firm size comparison reveals that supply chain resilience of firms with a higher level of IC performed significantly better than those with lower levels of IC. Firms with a higher level of structural capital had a highly resilient supply chain.
Practical implications
Findings of the study imply that IC and supply chain learning should be considered as a strategic tool and should be strategically developed for uplifting a supply chain performance of a firm. The development of IC and supply chain learning (SCL) not only improves the supply chain resilience of a firm but also can help to integrate the internal and external knowledge for harnessing supply chain resilience.
Originality/value
This research study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic which provides a unique setting to examine resiliency and learning.
Diversifying supply chains has been a policy objective of the Japanese government to construct a robust and resilient economy since the spread of COVID‐19 in the final stages of the Abe Administration. Although geographically expanded supply chains incur a risk of inflows of negative economic shocks from other regions and countries, this risk can be alleviated by more diversification. In addition, diversified supply chains are found to promote the performance of firms. Recently, the domestic supply chains of Japanese firms started to be diversified, but firms still agglomerate in Tokyo substantially. Moreover, the international supply chains of Japanese firms rely considerably on Chinese suppliers and clients. Therefore, more geographic diversification of supply chains of Japanese firms is suggested for the more robust, resilient, and high‐growth economy in the post Abenomics period, including diversifying within Japan, reducing the reliance on China, and strengthening links with developed countries, with the help of the government.
In many sectors of the industry, for example in agriculture, many countries find alternative sources of energy as an acceptable and feasible choice, given the high energy requirements on the one hand and the negative environmental effect of fossil fuels, on the other. Sustainable agriculture is a delicate equilibrium to increase crop production and preserve economic stability while reducing the use of scarce natural resources and the negative effects of the environment. The use of renewable energy systems for sustainable agriculture, therefore, needs to be promoted. This paper is a state of art on the numerous update and feasible technologies of renewable energy applications in the agricultural sectors. It also discusses the significance of renewable energy as environmentally clean technologies and the most reliable energy source. This study covers different types of renewable energy sources like solar systems, biomass energy, and hydropower. Such forms of renewables have been proven to be suitable options in agriculture, and in particular for remote rural areas.
Environmental variability and shock events can be propagated or attenuated along food supply chains by various economic, political and infrastructural factors. Understanding these processes is central to reducing risks associated with periodic food shortages, price spikes and reductions in food quality. Here we perform a scoping review of the literature to examine entry points for environmental variability along the food supply chain, the evidence of propagation or attenuation of this variability, and the food items and types of shock that have been studied. We find that research on food supply shocks has primarily focused on maize, rice and wheat, on agricultural production and on extreme rainfall and temperatures—indicating the need to expand research into the full food basket, diverse sources of environmental variability and the links connecting food production to consumption and nutrition. Insights from this new knowledge can inform key responses—at the level of an individual (for example, substituting foods), a company (for example, switching sources) or a government (for example, strategic reserves)—for coping with disruptions.
There is no shortage of data demonstrating that diversified cropping systems can sustain high levels of productivity with fewer external inputs and lower externalities compared to more simplified systems. Similarly, data exist indicating diverse cropping systems have greater capacity to buffer against and adapt to weather extremes associated with climate change. Yet, agriculture in the US Corn Belt and other major crop production regions around the world continues to move toward simplified rotations grown over increasingly large acreages. If our goal is to see more of the agricultural landscape made up of diverse agricultural systems and the ecosystem services they provide, it is critical we understand and creatively address the factors that both give rise to monocultures and reinforce their entrenchment at the exclusion of more diversified alternatives. Using the current state of farming and agriculture policy in the US as a case study, we argue that a pernicious feedback exists in which economic and policy forces incentivize low diversity cropping systems which then become entrenched due, in part, to a lack of research and policy aimed at enabling farming practices that support the diversification of cropping systems at larger spatial scales. We use the recent example of dicamba-resistant crops to illustrate the nature of this pernicious feedback and offer suggestions for creating “virtuous feedbacks” aimed at achieving a more diversified agriculture.
Unpredictable disruptions of the supply chain, as they have been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, require a rapid adaptation of the supply chain, i.e., the reconfiguration of processes and structures to re-establish resilience and maintain viability. Promising reconfigurations need to be identified and assessed regarding anticipatable supply chain performance and costs. Nevertheless, a comprehensive comparison of all potential reconfigurations is difficult as several objectives need to be aligned. To support a rapid preselection of the most promising ones, this paper presents the novel approach of a Supply Chain Resilience Analysis (SCRA), which allows to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of supply chain reconfigurations under disruption to ensure long-term recovery. Key concept of the SCRA is the combination of all relevant metrics into a single Supply Chain Resilience Index (SCRI) that builds upon an adapted process capability index (PCI). The PCI is usually applied in quality management of production processes to assess if a process adheres to specified limits of quality characteristics. In combination with a digital twin of the supply chain, the SCRA methodology can be applied for an automatic pre-selection of supply chain reconfigurations. For verification and validation of the developed methodology and its index, the presented methodology has been applied in a use case of an automotive supply chain.
In recent times, there has been greater awareness of safety issues, emerging risks and challenges in food supply chain. To this effect, transparency, traceability and information flow have become mandatory to minimize waste in the farm to fork supply chain. Furthermore, value stream mapping is well known for detecting and reducing waste in manufacturing by streamlining value-added (VA) activities, minimizing the non-value-added but essential (NVAE) activity, and removing non-value-added (NVA) activities. The processing time of milk collection, processing, storing and supplying dairy products is obtained from the dairy firm located at Rewari, Haryana (North India). With the help of the processing time of each step, we calculated the lead time for the dairy supply chain. A diagram depicting the process is created to represent the operation’s current status known as current stream map. VA, NVAE and NVA activities are identified inside and between each process, depending on its time and resource consumption. The process is evaluated for the possibility of significantly reducing and simplifying it to the minimum possible steps. By decreasing waste, the process throughput speed increases, and the lead time for the dairy supply chain decreases. Implementing the lean tool reduces lead time by approximately 34.79%.
Agricultural diversification is proposed as a solution to achieve food security and sustainability in intensified agriculture, but a large-scale policy implementation is lacking. As a leading agricultural producer, the integration of diversification in major policies in China could provide an important example of how to facilitate a sustainable food system transformation globally.
CONTEXT
Conventional cropping systems in south-western France contribute greatly to the degradation of environmental resources. Crop diversification is considered to be an effective mechanism to increase the sustainability of cropping systems and promote their transition to agroecology. To test this hypothesis, farmers, agricultural advisers and scientists developed a participative co-design project.
OBJECTIVE
The main objective was to co-design cropping systems to reduce the use of inputs, experiment with them on farms and assess their sustainability over several years.
METHODS
Eight diversified cropping systems were designed during multi-actor co-innovation workshops. These systems were established and monitored for eight years (2010–2017) on two fields on each of eight farms located in areas with different soil and climate conditions. At the end of the eight-year study, the performance of these cropping systems was evaluated using 15 economic, environmental and social indicators.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Crop diversification improved most of the environmental indicators. Pesticide use decreased by 20–64% in five of the eight systems but increased in the other three, due to production contracts that required systematic applications or in order to control high levels of pest or weed pressure. In parallel, mean energy consumption (−30%), greenhouse gas emissions (−36%) and irrigation water consumption (−43%) decreased significantly after diversification, which helped the systems mitigate and adapt to climate change. The economic performance, however, was more contrasted, with four of the eight farms showing a decrease in semi-net margin of 10–35% compared to those of the initial systems, but the other four showing an increase of 5–190%. Production of food energy also generally decreased (by up to 40%) after diversification, mainly due to a decrease in the amount of cereals produced (especially maize). Thus, crop diversification usually improves the environmental sustainability of cropping systems; however, for certain specialised high-value cropping systems, which often have high environmental impacts, it tends to reduce their economic performances.
With emergencies occurring frequently nowadays, supply disruption has become a potential threat to firms’ operations and supply chain sustainability. To mitigate supply disruptions, downstream manufacturers increasingly provide subsidization for improving supply reliability or implement diversification by employing a dual sourcing strategy. Under either strategy, we consider a supply chain in which a manufacturer with private demand information decides whether to share such information with upstream supplier, whereas the supplier improves the supply reliability level. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we reveal that the manufacturer may have an incentive to share information with the supplier, and such information sharing can improve the supply reliability. Our results further indicate that when the reliability improvement efficiency is high, the manufacturer prefers diversification. In this situation, with an increase in reliability improvement efficiency, she also shares the demand information. When the reliability improvement efficiency is medium, the manufacturer forgoes the subsidization and diversification strategies and only shares the demand information. When the reliability improvement efficiency and subsidy fraction are low, the manufacturer prefers to provide subsidy to help the supplier overcome the cost on improving reliability (subsidization). In this case, she keeps the demand information to avoid an aggressive wholesale price. We also extend our analysis to the scenario when the manufacturer is allowed to adopt both subsidization and diversification. Interestingly, such combined strategy may even undermine the manufacturer's profit.
We establish a link between supply chain finance (SCF) and the diversification of core firms through a proprietary dataset of listed firms on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. Our findings suggest that SCF may significantly reduce diversification with a stronger impact on firms of lower supply chain concentration. Our exploration, from the perspectives of resource occupation, innovation incentive and market power improvement, suggests that SCF may allow the core firms to better focus on their major businesses. Further tests suggest that SCF may significantly reduce the diversification by private and non-manufacturing firms, and those of high executive shareholding. It
may also lead to reduced agency costs and enhanced production efficiency with positive economic consequences. Our findings may have such policy implications that SCF may significantly serve the real economy and help sustain high-quality economic growth in the Asian Era.
Lately, there has been increased interest among researchers in studying the resilience of manufacturing supply chains. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in global supply chains, which have led to calls for greater resilience in these supply chains. This study provides insights into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on supply chain resilience by conducting a multiple case study in three intertwined industries based on the dynamic capability view and the relational capability view as a theoretical underpinning. Data were collected during the pandemic in a two-stage interview process with 18 supply chain and production experts directly involved in crisis management. Internal and external documents supplemented the interviews. The results revealed seven higher-level capability groups for building resilience in intertwined supply chains during a pandemic outbreak: agility, collaboration, digital preparedness, flexible redundancy, human resource management, contingency planning, and transparency and visibility. Each capability group is supported by associated capabilities extracted from the data analysis. The findings obtained based on the results of the multiple case study are discussed, and implications for management and future research directions are presented.
Collaboration in warehousing has the potential to decrease warehousing costs and increase supply chain efficiency and is therefore popular in practice. However, there is little literature quantifying the benefits of warehouse collaboration. In this paper, we study the impact of collaboration on two main internal resources of the warehouse; order pickers and dock doors. The setting we consider is relevant to multi-user warehouses, where the owner provides facilities and services to multiple clients depending on their needs. We investigate the impact of sharing the resources among the clients of such a warehouse. We present an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation, which aims at planning the order picking and shipping process while minimizing the total tardiness of shipping trucks. We use this ILP to solve the non-collaborative and collaborative case and evaluate the performance improvement resulting from the collaboration, based on operational data from a retailer. We perform computational experiments under varying warehouse configurations to investigate under what circumstances collaboration leads to the highest benefit. We find that collaboration has a significant impact on decreasing the tardiness of trucks, and the benefits mostly come from sharing the pickers rather than sharing the dock doors. We further find that the maximum benefit of collaboration is obtained at the medium-level of resource utilization. Even at low levels of utilization of a particular resource, benefits can be obtained by collaborating on complementary resources.
Supply chains have been challenged by the Covid’19 Pandemic more seriously than ever before. A global health crisis left supply chain managers with solutions developed for limited and foreseeable crises. This paper aims to understand how well existing solutions served to build supply chain resilience in UK perishable goods market. In line with the aim, a research model based on supply chain resilience literature is developed and tested with Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling. The data is collected from 282 employees of retailers. Supply chain velocity is preferred as a resilience measurement. Findings demonstrated that the disruption of the pandemic affects resilience-building activities, and both proactive and reactive approaches towards resilience building worked during the pandemic; yet they were not good enough to remove all the negative effects of the pandemic. Innovation appeared as the most effective factor, followed by robustness, empowerment, and risk management via reduced risk. The effect of firm size is significant only on supply chain risk management. Larger companies are more efficiently apply risk management practices. The results show the importance of innovation in supply chain resilience. Regardless of firm size, innovation works for every company. Empowerment is another costless and effective tool. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that innovation and empowerment can help organizations to manage their supply chains effectively during crises. Companies can strengthen their supply chain resilience by developing strong relationships with their supplier and employees.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial to accomplish renewable energy targets throughout the world, including electrical vehicles and wind energy. Despite the extensive requirements of REEs, current supply chains are mainly fulfilled by the Chinese rare earth (RE) industry. This typically results in price volatility, supply chain uncertainties, and RE trade disputes. The authors identified 13 factors as constraints to develop RE supply chains outside China and these constraints were rated by the major RE companies outside China, including RE industry experts. The survey results obtained from RE industry experts have been statistically analysed to ascertain the key factors that affect the development of independent rare earth (RE) supply chains outside China. 4 key factors were identified as statistically important, among them, business uncertainties within the RE industry and the Chinese RE influences on global supply chains being the dominant factors.
The COVID 19 pandemic was a two-edged sword; it exacerbated the already inefficient agri-food system but, in doing that, made us reflect, rethink possible and sustainable solutions to address SDG’s 1, 2, 11, and 5. A lot has been written on the immediate effect of the pandemic on different crops/animals and nodes of the value chain. In this chapter, we look at the negative and positive effect of the pandemic on sustainability in the context of a dynamic agri-food chain focusing on areas of localized input supply and food system sustainability, diversification, and Resilience, and consumer behavior Surveys were carried out in May/June 2020 to understand the effects of COVID 19 on the agri-food system in Southern, West, Central, and Eastern Africa and strategies to secure sustainable solutions and resulting policy implications. For this chapter, we reflect on the results from ten countries from Southern and Eastern Africa.
Results show that farmers in Eastern Africa had a diverse portfolio of processed livestock products than those in Southern Africa. Secondly, most farmers in Eastern Africa had diverse processed products. Thus, product diversification created resilience capacities for dairy systems. Diversity in access to inputs also increased the resilience and sustainability of supplies during precarious periods. The findings also reveal that sustainable consumer behavior during pandemics goes beyond responsible consumption. Instead, consumers need to rethink and devise consumption models that alleviate the food consumption-related effects of the pandemics and increase the availability and consumption of alternative products with social, economic, health, and environmental impacts.
Agricultural innovation is a key component of the global economy and enhances food security, health, and nutrition. Current innovation efforts focus mainly on supporting the transition to sustainable food systems, which is expected to harness technological advances across a range of fields. In this Nano Focus, we discuss how such efforts would benefit from not only supporting farmer participation in deciding transition pathways but also in fostering the interdisciplinary training and development of entrepreneurial-minded farmers, whom we term “AgTech Pioneers”, to participate in cross-sector agricultural innovation ecosystems as cocreators and informed users of developing and future technologies. Toward this goal, we discuss possible strategies based on talent development, cross-disciplinary educational and training programs, and innovation clusters to build an AgTech Pioneer ecosystem, which can help to reinvigorate interest in farming careers and to identify and address challenges and opportunities in agriculture by accelerating and applying advances in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and related fields.
The Agri-food Supply Chains (AFSC) dealing with perishable items have suffered a lot due to the COVID 19 pandemic. During this uncertain time, developing resiliency has become a priority for management. Therefore, the main purpose of the study is to explore the impact of COVID-19 on AFSC and the possible strategies for improving the resilience of the AFSC. Impacts on AFSC and possible strategies are explored through the literature review and experts’ opinions. The importance rating of impacts of COVID-19 on AFSC is determined using the Best-Worst Method (BWM). These impacts are further correlated with the strategies for improving the resilience of AFSC using Quality Function Deployment (QFD). The findings of the study will help farmers, food processors, distributors, and retailers to maintain the uninterrupted flow of food items from farmers to end-users during the uncertain business environment. It will also contribute to formulating effective policies by the government and other stakeholders for improving the resilience of AFSCs.
Purpose
The present paper is aimed at 1) performing a systematic literature review (SLR) on applications in the perspective of sustainable agri-food supply chain (SC) of blockchain technology (BCT); 2) analyzing the selected literature, focusing on the advantages of the sustainable uses of the blockchain of the aforementioned SC and 3) presenting an outlook and research directions capable of addressing unresolved problems.
Design/methodology/approach
The SLR was conducted using detailed criteria to identify academic articles. Moreover, specific keywords and databases were used. The time frame considered included the years 2010–2020.
Findings
The review analysis indicates that the use of BCT or BCT supported by ICT/IoT contributes to sustainability of agri-food production. However, this technology can lead to several challenges such as scalability, privacy leakage, high cost and connectivity problems.
Research limitations/implications
The paper demonstrates that BCT can widely use agri-food supply chain due to its intrinsic characteristics. However, it is not excluded that the criteria chosen may not have identified important articles regarding BCT, the agri-food sector and sustainability.
Originality/value
Although the body of academic literature published on this topic is expansive, the effect of BCT on the agri-food SC's sustainability aspects has not yet been adequately analyzed. Thus, the article is aimed at investigating how BCT is used in the SC. In particular, the article is intended to update information about BCT and its impact on sustainability.
This article reviews and categorises early policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a dataset of 496 measures taken by 54 countries between January 1 and April 28 and collected by the OECD from government officials and additional sources. Findings show a large diversity of measures, some of which were urgent and necessary, some that may continue to be beneficial once the pandemic has subsided, while others are potentially disruptive for the functioning of markets or damaging for the environment. National allocations of measures show differences between developed OECD countries, which used more agriculture or support related measures, and emerging economies, which focused on trade policies, information provision or food assistance. A minimum USD 47.6 billion was allocated by OECD governments to the agriculture and food sector, mostly in the form of domestic food assistance and support to agriculture and the food chain.
Sugarcane and cassava are major economic crops in Thailand. They are usually grown in similar geographical conditions, so they effectively compete for the same land. This paper analyzes the social performance of sugarcane and cassava products using Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), together with an analysis of product yields and expected demands for these crops. This study will help with making sustainable agricultural production and consumption decisions. More specifically, it could be used to inform the decision of which crop to choose when the land is suitable for both crops. The key stakeholder groups considered in the study included workers, farm owners, machine owners, and local community. The main social sustainability indicators considered were fair wages, health and safety, working conditions, economic growth, access to technology and loans, market security, and employment generation. The study found that the overall social performance of cassava was slightly better than sugarcane, although both were assessed at the level of very good. Following consideration of the social performance, together with product yields and expected demands for these crops, it is suggested that sugarcane be promoted. However, the challenges of promoting sugarcane also need to be considered.
Firms today are striving to adopt innovations to ensure their survival, value creation and success. Innovation is increasingly seen as an outcome of a collaborative process, involving various stakeholders both within and outside the firms, in supply chain relationships. Collaborative arrangements are gaining traction and the focus of innovation is shifting from firms to their supply chain networks. This leads to the notion of supply chain innovation, which has been widely accepted as an important ingredient for improving the organisational and supply chain performance of firms. Inefficient practices such as improper crop selection, involvement of too many intermediaries, flood irrigation, over-fertilization and food waste necessitate innovative practices that will improve the sustainability of the food supply chain. In this regard, there is a need to investigate how collaboration among food supply chain entities leads to innovative practices and how these innovative practices in turn improve the sustainability of the food supply chain. This study aims to address this gap using the case of the Indian Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). Further, using the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, the supply chain of FPO is divided into five levels - plan, source, make, deliver and return and the case is analysed across these levels. The findings show that the formation of FPO through collaboration facilitates many innovative practices that result in several economic, environmental and social benefits to the FPO.
The purpose of this study is to propose and validate a theoretical model to investigate the mediating effect of risk management capabilities (RMCs) on the relationship between supply chain innovation (SCI) and competitive advantage (CA). In addition, by utilizing contingent resource-based theory, we propose a moderating effect of the buyer-supplier relationship on the relationships between SCI and RMCs (i.e. robustness and resilience). We collected data through a survey with time-lagged observations in the construction industry in Pakistan. Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used in the study to investigate the theoretical framework. Our results show a positive impact of SCI on CA through the two risk management capabilities (mediating effect). Further, the findings provide evidence for the moderating effect of the buyer-supplier relationship on the SCI-CA relationship, with resilience capability as a mediator. However, the moderated mediation effect of the buyer-supplier relationship and robustness capability is not supported by our data. Our study addresses the question of the contribution of SCI to robustness and resilience capabilities and finally its impact on the competitive advantage of firms in the construction sector. Our study contributes to the empirical research on SCI and validates a model that links it to CA through the robustness and resilience capabilities of firms in the construction sector. Our study also provides insights for managerial decisions on investment in technology and process innovations and shows that SCI and RMCs are both necessary to achieve competitive advantage.