The concept of short supply chains in the food economy

Abstract

In the last two decades, the topic of sustainability has moved from the fringes of supply chain management research to the mainstream and is now an area of significant research activities, and in particular the short food supply chains (SFSCs). There are many different forms of SFSC, but they share a common characteristic of reduced numbers of intermediaries between the farmer or food producer, and the consumer. The growing interest in SFSCs reflects the consumer demand for quality and traceability. In this paper, the authors highlight the importance of the SFSC for sustainable economic development and present the barriers to the SFSCs creation. Furthermore, they point out the global context of the SFSCs. The SFSCs have the potential to increase farm value added (profit allocation), promote sustainable farming systems, diversify production and contribute to local economic development.