Social Impact and Sustainability in short food supply chains: an experimental assessment tool.

Luigi Corvo, Lavinia Pastore, Annarita Antonelli, Damiano Petruzzella

doi:10.30682/nm2103l

Abstract

In recent years, as global food chains have expanded, a wide range of terms has been used in the academic, political, technical or social debate to illustrate innovative re-organisation of food supply chains aiming at re-connecting producers and consumers and re-localising agricultural and food production. These include short supply chains, alternative food networks, local farming systems and direct sales. This paper presents a research carried out during the SMARTCHAIN project (Horizon project within the research line “Innovative agro-food chains: unlocking the potential for competitiveness and sustainability”). The research aims at iden-tifying an assessment model for grasping the level of social innovation in Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) taking into consideration the social and sustainability indicators. A specific tool, the Social Innovation Assess-ment Template (SIAT) was created for this purpose. The SIAT investigates five dimensions of SFSC: economic, environmental, socio-cultural, governance and influence (positive impact on other sectors & stakeholders) dimensions. The assessment has been tested in 9 European countries and 16th case studies. The findings show both managerial implications for the SFSC and policy implications for strengthening the SFSC ecosystem.

Highlights

Background and objectivesIn the second half of last century, the agri-food system has been invested by rapid and radical changes
The assessment has been tested in 9 European countries and 16th case studies. The findings show both managerial implications for the Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) and policy implications for strengthening the SFSC ecosystem
This paper aims at presenting the research carried out within the SMARTCHAIN project on the assessment of social innovation level of the organizations involved in the project as case studies, using a specific tool, the Social Innovation Assessment Template (SIAT) created for this purpose

Summary

Introduction

Background and objectivesIn the second half of last century, the agri-food system has been invested by rapid and radical changes. The dominant organizational model of the agro-food system was characterized by long distances between producers and consumers with a consequent high environmental impact. In the industrialized food supply model, large scale food processing firms and supermarkets chains dominated the scene, in the framework of a fast-growing globalized food system. Urbanization was one of the main factors widening the gap between agricultural production and food consumption, asking for a growing number of connections (transport, storage, packaging, processing) carried out by a plurality of actors. Both income growth and changes in work organisation and family structure asked for improved services

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