This book is the result of several years of research activity on the topic of how to better link farmers, processors and retailers with each other in order to ensure and improve the supply of food products which meet consumer needs and wants. The book is structured in three parts. Starting with an overview regarding main developments in the agri-food sector with relevance for chain relationships (chapter 1), Part I is mainly concerned with providing the theoretical foundations for analysing agrifood chain relations (chapters 2, 3 and 4). Building on this conceptual basis, the second part presents in-depth empirical evidence for different countries, food chains and chain stages regarding the issues of trust and sustainable relationships in agri-food chains (chapters 5 to 14). The red meat industry (beef and pigmeat) is the focus of chapters 5, 7 and 9. Cereals (bread and malting barley) are analysed in chapters 5, 7, 8, 10 and 13. Horticultural products (fresh produce and wine) are investigated in chapters 6, 12 and 14. Regionally, the studies cover Europe, North America (the USA), China, Australia and the Philippines. While most studies were conducted in developed markets, chapters 6 and 12 look at the particularities of transition or developing economies. As to individual agri-food chain stakeholders, a number of chapters (chapters 5 to 12, 14 and 15) offer and discuss separate findings for farmers, food processors or retailers. Based on the theoretical and empirical findings in the first two parts of the book, recommendations for agribusiness managers (chapter 15) and policy-makers (chapter 16) are described in the third part. Chapter 17 discusses avenues for future research.

Against the background of global market liberalization, increasing consumer awareness and concerns and the spreading of complex technology, new ways to produce, distribute and consume food are evolving. The organization of agricultural production and distribution systems need to adapt, including the development and maintenance of sustainable business relationships between farmers, food processors and grocery retailers. While agricultural value chains have been promoted for decades, more attention is needed on how to enable economic agents to develop lasting relationships and trust within value chains. Using qualitative and quantitative empirical results, Agri-food Chain Relationships offers an insight into the sustainability of current agribusiness relationships and discusses how these may be improved. Theoretical foundations for analysing agri-food chain relations are considered alongside case studies of different countries, food chains and chain stages regarding the issues of sustainable relationships and trust.

the sustainability, of supply chain relationships among farmers, processors, and retailers.

Il volume collettaneo analizza le tematiche connesse alla disciplina dei rapporti tra i diversi attori della filiera agroalimentare alla luce della Direttiva UE 2019/633 “in materia di pratiche commerciali sleali nei rapporti tra imprese nella filiera agricola e alimentare” e della sua attuazione negli Stati membri, nell’ottica della più ampia problematica della disciplina del mercato agroalimentare. In tale prospettiva, nella prima parte del volume la disciplina dei rapporti contrattuali della filiera agroalimentare viene inquadrata nell’ambito della PAC e della disciplina della concorrenza, evidenziandosi altresì le connessioni con altri profili di rilievo; nella seconda parte, l’analisi si concentra sull’attuazione della Direttiva UE 2019/633 nei diversi Stati membri, al fine di evidenziare i punti di forza e le debolezze del mutato quadro normativo europeo. DOI: 10.13134/979-12-5977-231-2

Local Agri-food Systems in a Global World: Market, Social and Environmental Challenges is an important new collection of essays making a landmark contribution to the ongoing debate on local agri-food systems, local development in rural areas and new patterns of agri-food systems. There is a new awareness of the links between local and global strategies of food production and processing, and these have become an increasingly important topic of research worldwide. Effective analysis of the spatial dynamics of agri-food systems requires an interdisciplinary approach involving economics, geography, sociology, demographics and agronomy. Chapters cover areas such as: current spatial dynamics in agri-food systems; the socio-environmental impact of agri-food systems on rural development; the role of local resources in agri-food systems; the governance and public policies of local agri-food systems; and, last but not least, new methodological approaches to spatial dynamics of agri-food systems. The book provides an essential tool for researchers and academics in rural economics, sociology, geography and social sciences as well as policy makers.

"This book brings together a rich collection of material on management and organization in agri-food chains and networks. Producers, processors, traders and retailers of agricultural and food products operate in an economic and institutional environment that is increasingly dominated by global developments. Therefore, organizing efficient and effective supply chains as well as managing collaboration among participating firms requires an international perspective. This book presents theoretical and practical insights from many different parts of the world. Topics covered include classical supply chain management issues like logistics, information exchange (e.g. tracking and tracing), quality control, safety assurance, and chain performance. Other timely issues covered are joint innovation, and shared responsibility for sustainability in agri-food supply chains. Special attention is given to issues of governance and organization of chains and networks, for example, by focussing on the role of producer organisations (such as farmer cooperatives) in their effort to combine horizontal and vertical collaboration in the international upply chain. This book is relevant for both academics and managers interested in the latest advances in research on management and organization of international agri-food chains and networks."

Farmers’ markets, veggie boxes, local foods, organic products and Fair Trade goods – how have these once novel, "alternative" foods, and the people and networks supporting them, become increasingly familiar features of everyday consumption? Are the visions of "alternative worlds" built on ethics of sustainability, social justice, animal welfare and the aesthetic values of local food cultures and traditional crafts still credible now that these foods crowd supermarket shelves and other "mainstream" shopping outlets? This timely book provides a critical review of the growth of alternative food networks and their struggle to defend their ethical and aesthetic values against the standardizing pressures of the corporate mainstream with its "placeless and nameless" global supply networks. It explores how these alternative movements are "making a difference" and their possible role as fears of global climate change and food insecurity intensify. It assesses the different experiences of these networks in three major arenas of food activism and politics: Britain and Western Europe, the United States, and the global Fair Trade economy. This comparative perspective runs throughout the book to fully explore the progressive erosion of the interface between alternative and mainstream food provisioning. As the era of "cheap food" draws to a close, analysis of the limitations of market-based social change and the future of alternative food economies and localist food politics place this book at the cutting-edge of the field. The book is thoroughly informed by contemporary social theory and interdisciplinary social scientific scholarship, formulates an integrative social practice framework to understand alternative food production-consumption, and offers a unique geographical reach in its case studies.