Abstract
Research on agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) has attracted significant attention in recent years due to the challenges associated with sustainably feeding the global population. The purpose of this study is to review the potentials of big data for sustainable AFSCs. One hundred twenty-eight (128) journal articles were selected to identify how big data can contribute to the sustainable development of AFSCs. As part of our focus, a framework was developed based on the conceptualization of AFSCs in the extant literature to analyse big data research in the context of AFSCs and to provide insights into the potentials of the technology for agri-food businesses. The findings of the review indicate that there is a noticeable growth in the number of studies addressing the applications of big data for AFSCs. The potentials of big data for AFSC sustainability were synthesized in a summary framework, highlighting the primary resources and activities that are ready for improvement with big data. These include soil, water, crop and plant management, animal management, waste management and traceability management. The challenges of big data integration in AFSCs, the study’s implications, contributions, and the future research directions are highlighted in detail.
Highlights
In recent years, agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) have witnessed a series of structural changes that have significantly changed how firms do business and deliver products to consumers (Marques Vieira et al 2013)
The analysis of the literature pointed toward the development of a summary framework that encapsulates the potentials of big data for the development of sustainable AFSCs
We recommended 13 actionable future research directions. This is not the first time the environmental impacts of AFSCs have been studied, our proposed framework goes beyond current practices to improve sustainability, efficiency, and competitiveness for AFSCs
Summary
Agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) have witnessed a series of structural changes that have significantly changed how firms do business and deliver products to consumers (Marques Vieira et al 2013). AFSC actors need to rethink their existing business practices and adopt new technologies in order to become more efficient and productive in the agri-food industry. The food sector is traditionally characterized by low research intensity (Garcia Martinez and Briz 2000; Grunert 1997), several factors drive the adoption of emerging technologies in AFSCs. For instance, AFSC businesses seek to enhance customer perception of fresh food products, reduce production costs, shorten lead times, achieve a competitive advantage and optimize AFSCs processes (Gašová et al 2017).
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