Scenario Planning for Sustainable Food Supply Chains

Abstract

Regional impact scenarios of climate change show a high risk of supply deadlocks in respect to food security. Moreover, the impact of climate system on food security is induced by consumption systems due to shifting demand patterns within fast urbanization processes. Therefore, the transformational management of food supply chains shows an urgent demand for “integrated” and system-related solutions, considering related effects of resource scarcity (e.g., mineral fertilizers, water, constraints on energy use, and land use) as well as demographic change and interlinked resource consumption. Thus, the development of strategies for human wellbeing, national income generation, ecological stability, and social integrity have to be also considered while developing various scenarios for future food systems. Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) could fertilize the trendsetting concept of the sustainable and innovative food supply chains by analyzing climate change impacts, adjustments in operational action fields, proactive countermeasures, as well as policy improvements being focused on the resilience of the food supply chains, meanwhile allocating the resources efficiently and meeting population demands.