Agricultural Supply Chain Management Research

This book focuses on three essential elements of agricultural supply chains: Planting and Growing, Processing and Selling, and Government Interventions. For decades, most agricultural economists applied macro-economic theory in decisions pertaining to the optimization of food production and distribution. However, few researchers used micro-economic theory to examine how individual farmers respond to market information, incentive pricing mechanisms and different market structures in the trade of agricultural goods. Examining challenges in agricultural supply chain operations through the lens of micro-economic theory is imperative because it can enable policymakers and social enterprises to develop and design market information provision policy, incentive contracts and market structures for improving farmer and consumer welfare. In each chapter, contributing authors motivate their research questions by providing the context and articulating the importance of their questions. They present their analysis to examine the respective research questions and explain their results. At the end of each chapter, they provide a short list of future research questions.

The development of a sustainable agricultural system is a critical concern for any nation in modern society. By implementing proper supply chain processes, available natural resources and food can be better utilized. Agri-Food Supply Chain Management: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is a compendium of emerging perspectives on the development of an effective agricultural value chain and the optimization of supply chain management within the agriculture and food sectors. Highlighting theoretical frameworks, real-world applications, and future outlooks, this book is a primary reference source for professionals, students, practitioners, and managers actively involved in agricultural development.

This book explores the impact of industry 4.0 on agricultural supply chains, exploring how changes such as increased digitisation, automation, and the digital value chain, will impact food production globally. At a time when increasing population and environmental degradation puts stress on food supply chains, traditional farming operation models struggle to maintain both sustainability and transparency. Industry 4.0 could lead to digitalised ways of farming and agricultural production processes that will transform the traditional operating and process models to digital, data-intensive methods focusing on analytics and decision-making practices. This book aims to provider the reader with an understanding of the concept of Agriculture 4.0 in relation to supply chain management. Different applications of Agricultural 4.0 supply chains are discussed in relation to their respective advantages and disadvantages. Dr. Stella Despoudi is Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chan Management at Aston University and Adjunct Lecturer in Supply Chain Management at the University of Western Macedonia, Greece. Dr. Konstantina Spanaki is a Lecturer in Information Management at Loughborough University, UK. Dr. Oscar Rodríguez-Espíndola is a Senior lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management at Aston University and a member of the Aston CRISIS centre, UK. Dr. Efpraxia Zamani is a Senior Lecturer of Information Systems at the University of Sheffield, UK.

The agribusiness supply chain includes a number of processes such as supply management, production management, and demand management to customers through a competitive distribution channel. Each step of the way can be plagued with issues such as diversity of production and demand, bulkiness of produce, perishability, and seasonality. Highlighting t

This book offers a coherent view on agri-food supply chains by discussing the possibilities and limitations of quantifying performance, risks and investments in the agri-food chain. A wide variety of approaches was used to analyze the complex systems of agri-food supply chains and develop appropriate models for management decision support. Research gaps and discussion points are identified by an international forum of researchers.

Food chain management research can help in the analysis and redesign of value creation and the product flow throughout the chain from primary producer down to the consumer. The aim is to meet consumer and societal requirements effectively at minimal cost. In the Wageningen UR strategic research program, Agrologistics and Supply Chains (2005-2009), a large number of Wageningen UR research institutes were involved in multi-disciplinary and applied research projects in order to shed light on diverse food supply chain management challenges such as, design of chain strategies, collaboration efficiencies between chain partners, management of risks in chains, innovative modeling concepts and application of information technologies. This book presents the results of this program. It offers a diverse disciplinary spectrum on food supply chains and it’s challenges in 15 chapters. It contributes considerably to the advancement of our knowledge on management and control of food supply chains.

"This book brings together a rich collection of material on management and organization in agri-food chains and networks. Producers, processors, traders and retailers of agricultural and food products operate in an economic and institutional environment that is increasingly dominated by global developments. Therefore, organizing efficient and effective supply chains as well as managing collaboration among participating firms requires an international perspective. This book presents theoretical and practical insights from many different parts of the world. Topics covered include classical supply chain management issues like logistics, information exchange (e.g. tracking and tracing), quality control, safety assurance, and chain performance. Other timely issues covered are joint innovation, and shared responsibility for sustainability in agri-food supply chains. Special attention is given to issues of governance and organization of chains and networks, for example, by focussing on the role of producer organisations (such as farmer cooperatives) in their effort to combine horizontal and vertical collaboration in the international upply chain. This book is relevant for both academics and managers interested in the latest advances in research on management and organization of international agri-food chains and networks."

Food Supply Chain Management Edited by Michael A. Bourlakis and Paul W. H. Weightman The food supply chain is a series of links and inter-dependencies, from farms to food consumers’ plates, embracing a wide range of disciplines. Food Supply Chain Management brings together the most important of these disciplines and aims to provide an understanding of the chain, to support those who manage parts of the chain and to enhance the development of research activities in the discipline. Food Supply Chain Management follows a ‘farm to fork’ structure. Each chapter starts with aims and an introduction and concludes with study questions that students in particular will find useful. Topics covered include the food consumer, perceived risk and product safety, procurement, livestock systems and crop production, food manufacture, retailing, wholesaling and catering. Special consideration is also given to supermarket supply networks, third party logistics, temperature controlled supply chains, organic foods and the U. S. food supply chain. A final chapter looks at the future for food supply chain management. Michael Bourlakis and Paul Weightman, the editors and contributors to this timely and fascinating book, have drawn together chapters from leading authorities in this important area, to provide a book that is an essential purchase for all those involved in the supply of food and its study. Those involved in the food supply chain within food companies and in academic establishments, including agricultural scientists, food scientists, food technologists, and students studying these subjects, will find much of great use and interest within its covers. Libraries in all universities and research stations where these subjects are studied and taught should have several copies. Dr Bourlakis and Dr Weightman teach and research at the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, U. K. Also available from Blackwell Publishing The Microbiological Risk Assessment of Food S. Forsythe 0 632 05952 4 HACCP S. Mortimore & C. Wallace 0 632 05648 7 Listeria, 2nd edition C. Bell & A. Kyriakides 1 405 10618 2 Salmonella C. Bell & A. Kyriakides 0 632 05519 7 International Journal of Food Science & Technology Published 10 times per year ISSN 0950-5423 Metal Contamination of Food, 3rd edition C. Reilly 0 632 05927 3