Short food supply chains and the issue of sustainability: a case study of French fruit producers
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
ISSN: 0959-0552
Article publication date: 29 January 2018
Issue publication date: 31 January 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the manifestations and interactions at work between the ecological, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development and the development of short food supply chains (SFSCs) in French fruit production.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on the theoretical framework associated with SFSCs and each pillar of sustainability. The authors use an original database of 176 surveys of peach and apricot producers from the major French production regions. Three composite indicators, one for each traditional pillar of sustainability, are calculated to evaluate a degree of sustainability at farm level. A simultaneous equations model is estimated on the basis of the calculated indicators.
Findings
The results show that in the choice of a supply chain design in the agricultural sector, the search for economic sustainability is opposed to a rationale of environmental and social sustainability, the latter appearing to be independent of one another.
Originality/value
This paper complements the previous studies on the issue of sustainability in agriculture and more specifically the relationship between the adoption of SFSCs and the pillars of sustainable development. The model reveals significant interdependencies, thus emphasizing an issue in reconciling economic imperatives with social or environmental requirements.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper is benefited from the financial support of the French National Research Agency (Project ANR-11-ALID-0006ILLIAD). The authors also wish to thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.
Citation
Enjolras, G. and Aubert, M. (2018), "Short food supply chains and the issue of sustainability: a case study of French fruit producers", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 46 No. 2, pp. 194-209. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-08-2016-0132
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited