Measuring Short Food Supply Chain Sustainability: A Selection of Attributes and Indicators through a Qualitative Approach

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are one of the most direct approaches to more directly connecting consumers with producers. The scaling-up of SFSCs is often challenged by critical issues which can be overcome with identification of the most sustainable, replicable schemes. This paper presents the results of a participatory analysis conducted within the agroBRIDGES H2020 project, with the aim of defining a list of economic, social, and environmental attributes and indicators to assess the sustainability of SFSCs and set up a decision-making tool to support producers in self-assessing their sustainability level and choosing the most appropriate business model (BM) from those identified within the project. The proposed framework was based on a literature review and validated using co-creation exercises (Delphi rounds and focus groups) with relevant European stakeholders. A final set of 47 indicators was identified, and their potential for use in assessing the sustainability level of various BMs was also validated. Early results highlighted three main issues: indicator calculation feasibility, business model categorization, and the simplicity of the framework for sustainability self-assessment. Some recommendations are made, including the importance of using a participatory process in building an evaluation framework on SFSC sustainability and the necessity of its adaptation to territorial contexts and needs.

Automated summary

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are direct approaches connecting consumers with producers, but face challenges in scaling up. This study developed a decision-making tool to assess the sustainability of SFSCs and identify the most appropriate business model. The framework consisted of 47 indicators validated through participatory analysis and highlighted the importance of adaptability to territorial contexts and needs.