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Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Food Production and Supply Chain Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2024) | Viewed by 11369

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nauman Khalid

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Guest Editor

Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
Interests: agroinformatics; waste management; sustainable food production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed

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Guest Editor

National Culture Collection of Pakistan, Bioresource Conservation Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan
Interests: microbial ecology; sustainable food production; soil fertility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food security is challenging research area that needs to progress at a rapid pace to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The onset of COVID-19 remarkably changed the dynamics of food production and the food supply chain, as well as the overall management of food around the globe. Agriculture forecasting tools need to be designed to take into account the effect of the pandemic, as well as the issues of food security and access. Agricultural distribution networks need to be designed using new analytical and simulating tools to control fluctuations in prices, affordability, and access. Moreover, the complete restructuring of food choices and dietary habits is necessary in order to achieve food security. All contemporary issues in food and nutrition sciences must be linked with the concept of sustainability to achieve the SDGs, especially the goal of zero hunger. Dietary guidelines and food policies need to be returned, and not just to meet basic macro/micronutrient needs. Upcoming research in this area must integrate the concepts of bioinformatics, omics, decision science, and risk assessment to achieve sustainable crop and animal production. The microbiome and gut microenvironment need to be healthy and have the potential to boost natural immunity to fight against pathogens. This Special Issue is dedicated to the impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Global Agriculture, focussing mainly on technical studies on crop and animal production, the marketing and value addition of agricultural produce, and technical perspectives on boosting immunity through enriched foods.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Nauman Khalid
Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed
Guest Editors

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Keywords

sustainability
food production
pandemic
food security
simulation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reconfiguration of Agrifood Supply Chain Management in Latin America during COVID-19: A Brief Literature Review

by Rafael Granillo-Macías, Héctor Rivera-Gómez, Isidro Jesús González-Hernández and Francisca Santana-Robles

Sustainability 2024, 16(9), 3743; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093743 - 29 Apr 2024

Viewed by 512

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the changes in the agrifood supply chain (AFSC) configurations in Latin America (LATAM) imposed by the markets as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper analyzes the results of mobility trends, production rates, logistics performance, and the strategies developed by managers and decision makers of the organizations of the agro-industrial sector for supply chain configurations during the early stages of the pandemic in a food-exporting region that contributes 14% of the world’s production of agricultural and fishery products. Through a literature review of reports and scientific articles on the behavior of the pandemic published by international organizations, research centers, and researchers around the AFSC in LATAM, the impacts on logistical disruptions, configuration strategies, and disruptive technologies applied in Latin American agrifood supply chains during the lockdown are identified. As a result of this reconfiguration of the AFSC, the development of short supply chains and the digitalization of supply based on electronic commerce were the most used strategies during COVID-19 in LATAM. The results of this study show that Mexico, Chile, and Brazil maintained a prominent position as leaders in the different logistics indicators for the AFSC by developing strategies that include short supply chains and the digitalization of supplies based on electronic commerce. Finally, this study also highlights the imminent need to address new research and theories on the reconfiguration of the AFSC, which allows expanding analytical capabilities in organizations to face future risks and challenges that will enable the reconfiguration of the supply chain in the face of catastrophic scenarios such as COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Food Production and Supply Chain Management)

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20 pages, 5081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Market Prices and Food Supply in Urban Markets in Nairobi, Kenya

by Catherine Nkirote Kunyanga, Morten Fibieger Byskov, Keith Hyams, Samuel Mburu, Grace Werikhe and Rawlynce Bett

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021304 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2898

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption of food systems worldwide, with most governments taking severe containment measures to curb the spread. This resulted in unpredicted negative impacts of the agri-food supply chains coupled with food price inflations. Ultimately, this affected the food security and urban livelihoods for most households, who are dependent on urban markets for food supply. This study examined the implications of the pandemic on food prices and commodities supplies to urban markets conducted through structured interviews. A review of the secondary data was also conducted to show the trends of commodity prices over the last 5 years. The high inflation of commodity prices with a decline in sales volumes was reported by most traders (97%) with decreases in supply quantities. Changes in the consumption behaviour in households was reported by consumers (75%), with 65% experiencing reduced food diversity at home. Households adopted varied coping mechanisms, including reduced food portions (52%), reduced food varieties (44%) and skipping meals (32%). Market prices increased by an average margin of 13.8% for grains and pulses with price decline observed for cabbages (−30.8%) and Irish potatoes (−19.4%). The findings may inform policymakers of additional future shock and pandemic control protocols, whose actions would assure food protection of urban livelihoods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Food Production and Supply Chain Management)

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18 pages, 2742 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Importance of Agricultural Export Performance on the Economic Growth of Indonesia: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Khilda Faoziyah Arifah and Jonghwa Kim

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16534; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416534 - 9 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4544

Abstract

The agriculture sector has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Indonesia, agriculture is the most cultivated sector, especially in rural areas. During the COVID-pandemic, agriculture survived and positively contributed to economic growth. In light of this, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural export and also the impact of agriculture export during the COVID-19 pandemic on economic growth. We also give some recommendations on ways to enhance agriculture export performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indonesia agricultural export quarterly panel data from the years 2012 to 2021 were analyzed with the 2SLS regression model. Agriculture export was used as an endogenous variable and the COVID-19 pandemic was used as a dummy variable to reflect the number of years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The empirical results demonstrate that agriculture export and the COVID-19 pandemic have positively affected economic growth. A 1% increase in agriculture export and the COVID-19 pandemic may increase economic growth by 0.69% and 0.16%, respectively. In contrast, the labor force and inflation were found to have inverse effects on economic growth. Therefore, we recommend that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, agriculture export should be used as an alternative way to increase economic growth. Policies could be developed to increase the agricultural export value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Food Production and Supply Chain Management)

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13 pages, 1152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Food Quality and Nutritional Attributes on Consumer Choices during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Zainab Bintay Anis, Hafiz Ubaid ur Rahman and Nauman Khalid

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15172; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215172 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2153

Abstract

(1) Background: During COVID-19, disruption in food demand and supply chain led to changes in food choices in response to consumer demand, frequency of delivered items, and production setup during a pandemic. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of quality and nutritional attributes on consumer food consumption behavior, attitude, and practices. (2) Methods: In this regard, cross-sectional survey research was conducted through a structured questionnaire. (3) Results: The results of the study showed that there was no difference in the receptiveness of COVID-19 infection between both genders. Quality perspective (p = 0.001) was deemed a significant positive predictor in the change of food consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also stated price (p = 0.045) and purity (p = 0.009) as a quality factor while sugar (p = 0.028) and fiber (p = 0.034) content, as nutritional attributes, influenced the consumption frequency of food groups. The overall experience of online shopping was in the neutral category. (4) Conclusions: It was concluded that food quality cues as well as nutritional attributes affected consumer food choices during the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of gender. Online shopping trends were influenced but overall experience remained neutral during the pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Food Production and Supply Chain Management)

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