The logistic leverages of short food supply chains performance in terms of sustainability

Summary

Local food supply chains seem now to be considered as a serious alternative to global ones in terms of sustainability. A lot of initiatives are developed and they often are associated with economical, social and environmental benefits. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the reality of these advantages. They are notably considered as a way to relocate or maintain agricultural activities, particularly in suburban areas. They are also supposed to be able to restore the connection between producers and consumers and to promote an alternative agricultural model based on "greener" production methods and the reduction of transport distances (the "food miles"). However, several studies have shown the limits of these models. Firstly, many important retailers have developed short food supply chains, questioning the local food system as an alternative business model. Moreover, it needs specific resources that many producers can't always offer. Secondly, an inadequacy between consumer's and producer's expectations can be observed, and many initiatives aren't based on collective approaches but on individual actions. Thirdly, these models aren't always based on alternative producing models (as organic agriculture) and the limitation of distances isn't always a factor of reduction of greenhouse gases. The paper tries to assess the performance of local food systems and the logistic leverages that could improve that performance. Long food chains have demonstrated the importance of logistic as a means to improve performance, and we can wonder how the improvement of the logistic organization of short food systems could increase their economical, social and environmental performance. Considering the fact that there's not only one local food system but a wide range of possibilities based on different numbers of intermediates or different geographic scales, our work will, at first, be based on Parker's article [2005] that defines short food supply chains as systems that reduce both the distance and the number of intermediates. After a brief presentation of short chains and of the advantages related to them, we will discuss their environmental assessment and impact, showing the role of transport and production mode in that dimension. An analysis of long food chains will then enable us to show how strategic logistics has become in that sector and the means necessary to the implementation of efficient logistic schemes. After a first look at logistics in short chains, we will propose a detailed study of the logistic schemes observed in fruit and vegetable basket systems in the Paris Region. This will lead us to build a typology of organizations to study their potential role in the improvement of short chains performance and more specifically their ability to improve coordination between the actors of those chains.