Farm to Fork: Indigenous Chicken Value Chain Modelling Using System Dynamics Approach

Abstract

Farm to fork strategy, advocated by the European Commission, aims for a ‘fair, healthy, and environmentally healthy food system. It requires a renewed mindset and an in-depth analysis of the intricate agricultural-based value- chain that forms the food system. Indigenous chicken micro-farming, the focus of this study, for example, is a highly potential candidate for the Farm to Fork strategy but requires a deep analysis of its disintegrated value chain to achieve the strategy. Indigenous chicken farming provides opportunities for the poor and marginal people for a steady income while at the same time being more environmentally friendly and a source of healthy food. These have motivated this study to analyse the indigenous chicken micro-farming value chain in Malaysia, with the objectives to evaluate the present status of the indigenous chicken farm value chain and develop an initial integrated model for indigenous chicken farms. This study uses qualitative system dynamics in data collection and analysis and model development to achieve the objectives. The proposed model is simulated to understand the dynamics of interaction and behaviour among the sub-systems. The findings lead to two outcomes of the study- the first is the dynamics model of the typical indigenous chicken value chain, and the second is the potential integrated value chain model for indigenous chicken farming. These findings are imperative for future research to enhance further the integrated model to be able to realise the farm-to-fork strategy and to contribute to the sustainable development goals.