Building Up Resilience in Agricultural Supply Chains and Integrated Approach

TY - UNPB

T1 - Building Up Resilience in Agricultural Supply Chains and Integrated Approach

AU - Tallontire, Anne

AU - Doherty, Bob

AU - Wong , Chee Yew

AU - Young, William

AU - Tse, Mike

AU - Saintier, Severine

AU - Ollerenshaw, Zoe

AU - Said-Allsopp, Mina

AU - Topi, Corrado

AU - Ogelthorpe, David

PY - 2015/2

Y1 - 2015/2

N2 - There is a growing interest in the resilience of agri-food supply chains. Questions are emerging regarding the features of a resilient supply chain and how one can enhance resilience, particularly with respect to food production and supply given the ‘perfect storm’ facing the nexus between food, climate, energy and water. As with many buzz words, it is apparent the term is used in different ways, with different assumptions, scopes and objectives, and in ways that potentially may be incompatible. This paper is based on both a systematic literature review (SLR) and a multi-stakeholder workshop. Our analysis of the academic literature highlighted a gulf in understanding of resilience in the context of agri-food supply chains between academic disciplines, especially between the social-ecological and the supply chain literatures in terms of what resilience along a whole supply chain may mean suggesting a large research gap. Moreover, our engagement with practitioners has highlighted a gap between the academic literature and thinking and practice among various stakeholders (companies, NGOs etc.) at different parts of the food supply chain. We aim to build up a shared understanding of resilience in agricultural supply chains and set an agenda for inter-disciplinary research that enhances the ability to build up resilience in this context. Future research on resilience needs to consider the appropriate focus of analysis (resilience for whom, incorporating views and needs both upstream and downstream the supply chain, to adopt a dynamic approach that engages with non-linear processes of environmental and societal change and should also incorporate governance as well as other legal and regulatory tools and understanding of power relations.

AB - There is a growing interest in the resilience of agri-food supply chains. Questions are emerging regarding the features of a resilient supply chain and how one can enhance resilience, particularly with respect to food production and supply given the ‘perfect storm’ facing the nexus between food, climate, energy and water. As with many buzz words, it is apparent the term is used in different ways, with different assumptions, scopes and objectives, and in ways that potentially may be incompatible. This paper is based on both a systematic literature review (SLR) and a multi-stakeholder workshop. Our analysis of the academic literature highlighted a gulf in understanding of resilience in the context of agri-food supply chains between academic disciplines, especially between the social-ecological and the supply chain literatures in terms of what resilience along a whole supply chain may mean suggesting a large research gap. Moreover, our engagement with practitioners has highlighted a gap between the academic literature and thinking and practice among various stakeholders (companies, NGOs etc.) at different parts of the food supply chain. We aim to build up a shared understanding of resilience in agricultural supply chains and set an agenda for inter-disciplinary research that enhances the ability to build up resilience in this context. Future research on resilience needs to consider the appropriate focus of analysis (resilience for whom, incorporating views and needs both upstream and downstream the supply chain, to adopt a dynamic approach that engages with non-linear processes of environmental and societal change and should also incorporate governance as well as other legal and regulatory tools and understanding of power relations.

KW - resilience

KW - supply chains

KW - Food

KW - Agriculture

M3 - Working paper

VL - 79

SP - 1

EP - 31

BT - Building Up Resilience in Agricultural Supply Chains and Integrated Approach

PB - Sustainability Research Institute (SRI)

ER -