Vinay Surendra Yadav’s research while affiliated with Indian Institute of Management Shillong and other places

Purpose Substantial pressure from civil society and investors has forced governments around the world to take climate neutrality initiatives. Several countries have pledged their nationally determined contributions towards net-zero. However, there exist various obstacles to achieving the same and the agriculture sector is one of them. Thus, this study identifies and models the critical barriers to achieving climate neutrality in the agriculture food supply chain (AFSC). Design/methodology/approach Sixteen barriers are identified through a literature survey and are validated by the questionnaire survey. Furthermore, the interactions amongst the barriers are estimated through the application of the “weighted influence non-linear gauge system (WINGS)” method which considers the both intensity of influence and the strength of the barrier. To mitigate these barriers, a framework based on green, resilient and inclusive development (GRID) is proposed. Findings The obtained results reveal that lack of collaboration amongst AFSC stakeholders, lack of information and education awareness, and lack of technical expertise obtained a higher rank (amongst the top five) in three indicators of the WINGS method and thus are the most significant barriers. Originality/value This paper is the first attempt in modelling the climate neutrality barriers for the Indian AFSC. Additionally, the mitigating strategies are prepared using the GRID framework.

Digital Twin (DT) is a technology platform that is revolutionizing the supply chain digitization process by creating virtual representations of physical systems. Agro-food supply chain (AFSC) is one of the most important supply chains that can be made more efficient by widespread adoption of DT. However, the adoption and implementation of DT in AFSC is very limited due to various hindrances. Thus, it is imperative to identify and analyze the DT barriers thoroughly; and subsequently, develop strategies to overcome the dominant barriers for the successful implementation of DT in AFSC. This study identifies the barriers to DT implementation through a literature review and experts’ opinions. The interaction amongst the barriers is captured using the “Weighted Influence Non-linear Gauge System (WINGS)” method. Lack of technology infrastructure, technology immaturity, and high capital investment emerge as the dominant causal barriers. Furthermore, to overcome the identified barriers, a framework based on a triple helix approach is suggested. The findings of the study will be useful for government agencies, policymakers, agricultural institutions, and agro-food industry stakeholders to eliminate the obstacles to the successful implementation of DT in AFSC.

The proposed study aims to identify the major challenges for blockchain adoption to manage reverse logistics activities of recyclable hospital waste in the Indian healthcare sector, in the COVID era. Fifteen challenges are identified through literature review and experts’ views and are prioritized and analyzed for cause-and-effect relationships using a hybrid approach combining Best–Worst Method (BWM) and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL). A sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the results’ robustness. The results reveal that the Technological and Regulatory challenges category plays the most influential role consisting of Lack of Government Support and Policies, Lack of Strategic Planning, Lack of Knowledge and Qualified Expertise, Lack of Standards and Regulations, High Cost Involved, and Lack of Top Management Support are the most significant challenges affecting blockchain adoption. This study can support healthcare stakeholders, policymakers, government, and researchers in planning the strategic removal of the challenges to blockchain adoption in the Indian healthcare sector. The identification of the mutual interaction among the challenges will help healthcare decision makers address strategic questions of waste management from a holistic point of view. Since the work is achieved in the Indian healthcare context, generalization of the results must be carefully considered. The present study contributes significantly to discussing blockchain’s potential in healthcare waste management. The study’s findings can aid decision making process of managers, policymakers, and benefit researchers in this field.

Waste management in the textile and clothing (TAC) industry is a challenging issue due to high resource consumption and pollution generation. Therefore, the adoption of industrial symbiosis (IS) is the need of the hour for the TAC industry. However, the adoption of IS in emerging economies like India, Brazil, Bangladesh, etc. is limited due to various impediments. The present work aims to identify and analyse these barriers and develop mitigation strategies in the context of Indian TAC industry. Eighteen IS barriers have been identified and validated; and the interrelationships among them are studied by applying the ‘weighted influence non-linear gauge system (WINGS)’ method, which not only estimates the intensity of influence but also takes the self-strength of barriers into account. The results show that lack of trust amongst supply chain partners, lack of financial incentives from the government, lack of guidance from regularity bodies and industry associations and lack of consumer awareness are the most significant barriers. Additionally, the strategies to mitigate these barriers are developed based on a quadruple helix framework considering academia–-government–industry–society as the main actors. The findings of the study will be helpful for the TAC industry, policymakers and other concerned stakeholders in framing suitable strategies to improve the long-term waste management practices of the industry and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The circular economy (CE) concept has gained significant attention to deal with the sustainability challenges in supply chain (SC). CE practices offers innovative approaches to optimize various SC processes leading to sustainable growth. However, adoption of CE practices faces many roadblocks where application of disruptive digital technologies can be a game changer. The extant literature lacks the investigation on drivers, enablers, critical barriers, and challenges in adopting disruptive digital technologies along with CE practices in SC. To fill this lacuna, an in-depth state-of-the-art of review of 187 articles has been conducted which resulted in the identification of 49 drivers and enablers, and 25 barriers and challenges. Furthermore, a framework has been proposed to elucidate the connection between disruptive digital technologies and CE performance in SC. Our review reveals that digital technology enabled CE practices helps to improve several performance metrics like resource optimization, waste reduction, product life cycle, occupational health, social performance, product safety and quality, and customer loyalty and satisfaction. The proposed framework will help industry practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in devising strategies for adopting disruptive digital technologies enabled CE practices in SC to achieve sustainability.

Abstract: The food supply chain (FSC), being a complex network, faces major issues such as traceability, food security, safety and sustainability. Blockchain technology (BLCT) is regarded as an innovative technology that can transform FSC by means of its traceable, irrevocable, tamperproof network. BLCT being a new technology, little work has been carried out on the FSC domain. The purpose of the study is to examine the most recent trends, benefits, challenges, and application of BLCT in the FSC and explore the comprehensive adoption and application of BLCT, stating how it helps to achieve a triple bottom line (TBL) and net zero in the supply chain. The methodology used in this article is a systematic literature review (SLR) comprising 55 papers spanning the years 2018 to 2022. The findings of the study state that BLCT helps to achieve food safety, security, and traceability and increases the performance of the FSC. It also contributes to achieving the TBL of sustainability which can further help to achieve net zero. Based on this work’s insight and observations, practitioners and academics can better understand how companies can implement BLCT and achieve TBL benefits in the FSC, which could eventually provide a path to achieving net zero.

The need for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is felt across “agriculture food supply chain (AFSC)” to tackle the global demand for food items and concerns regarding food safety and security. Further, this transformation is possible due to recent advancements in I4.0 technologies, including “Internet-of-Things (IoT), Blockchain, Big Data (BD), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Cloud Computing (CC) and Cyber-Physical System (CPS)” etc. Each of these technologies has a specific role in making the AFSC eco-system smart enough to address today’s world challenges. Thus, this paper reviews these major technologies in AFSC to understand their applications and recent trends. The review is based on 146 articles from the “Scopus and Web of Science” database. The articles include peer-reviewed journals published between 2010 and 2020. The applications of reviewed technology in AFSC are analysed under five research dimensions, namely traceability and food safety, information system management, food waste, control and monitoring, decision making and agribusiness, and other miscellaneous-based applications. The study suggests that the integration of reviewed technologies can be more useful to provide low-cost solutions and empower sustainability in AFSC. Further, blockchain can emerge as a game-changer to ensure food safety and security. The current challenges and future research agenda in concerned themes are also identified to further motivate researchers to develop this area. This is the first paper that summarises the recent developments of six technologies for AFSC research.

Blockchain has the potential to improve sustainable food security due to its unique features like traceability, decentralized and immutable database, and smart contract mechanisms. However, blockchain adoption is still in the naïve stage. To this effect, this article aims to identify blockchain drivers to achieve sustainable food security in the Indian context and model them using an integrated MCDM (Multiple Criteria Decision Making) approaches. For this, the blockchain adoption drivers are identified through an exhaustive literature search and opinion of domain experts from industries, academia, and Agriculture Supply Chain (ASC) stakeholders. Further, the integrated MCDM approach is developed by combining "Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) and Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL)," which not only investigates the interrelation between the identified constructs and builds hierarchy but also determine the intensity of causal interrelationships. At a later stage, Fuzzy MICMAC (Matriced' Impacts Croise´s Multiplication Applique´e a UN Classement) is used to clusters the identified drivers to evaluate the importance of each driver. The results revealed that Traceability (BD1), Real-time information availability to agro-stakeholder (i.e., information system) (BD6), and Decentralized and immutable database (BD10) are the most significant drivers. Policymakers, government organization may utilize the information about the interrelationship between these drivers and their influential power, and another relevant stakeholder to frame suitable strategies for enhancing the adoption rate of blockchain in Indian ASC.