Agriculture supply chain management and environmental sustainability in Alkharj: Moderating role of economic and social sustainability

Abstract

The agriculture sector and other agribusinessescan have a long-lasting effect on the environment. The present studyinvestigates the effect of Agricultural Supply Chain Management (ASCM), fromproducer to consumer, on Environmental Sustainability (ES) in the Alkharj governorateby collecting primary data from 312 respondents in the ASCM in Alkharj and byapplying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Moreover, the moderating roles ofeconomic and social sustainability in the nexus between ASCM and the ES arealso tested. The results of the analyses show that ASCM directly improves theES in the agriculture sector. Moreover, ASCM also improves both economic andsocial sustainability. Consequently, economic and social sustainability improvesthe ES. Thus, economic and social sustainability have positively moderated therelationship between ASCM and the ES. The results suggest that the governmentof Alkharj governorate should further improve the economic sustainability ofagribusinesses in Alkharj by providing incentives. Moreover, education andtraining programs should be initiated to improve social sustainability. Thus,both improved social and economic sustainability of agribusinesses could encouragesustainable practices to promote the ES in the whole ASCM in Alkharj.