Sustainable Development Goals and Agri-Food Supply Chain

Dear Colleagues,

Global food supply chains are confronted by many challenges, such as climate change (and weather variations/unpredictability), the loss of arable land, and—at the same time—feeding more than nine billion people by 2050. Agri-food supply chains also have specific characteristics that may impact achieving sustainability goals. In particular, because of the perishability of products, a temperature-controlled cool chain must be designed to prevent or minimize waste along the chain. Additionally, the nature of the agri-food products and safety and food security regulations may cause additional barriers to the design and operation of a closed-loop (circular) supply chain.

At the same time, agri-food supply chains can (directly/indirectly) contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as defined by the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Reducing global food waste is critical to achieving responsible consumption and production goals (SDG 12). SDG 2's focus on zero hunger highlights food security and calls for reliable, sustainable, and resilient global agri-food supply chains. Furthermore, global food chains may have a considerable impact on achieving other SDGs, as the operation of agri-food chains may have significant energy (SDG 7) and climate implications (SDG 13) and may call for new types of collaborative efforts and partnerships (SDG 17).

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers to present state-of-the-art and original works on how we can improve the sustainability of agri-food supply chains. The articles can also discuss how agri-food supply chains can contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and targets. Although some of the previous issues tried to address the sustainability of food supply chains, in this issue, we would like to cover broader aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals. If relevant, it would be helpful for authors to address in their manuscripts and cover letters which specific SDG their studies will cover.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Challenges in waste reduction in the agri-food sector.
• Data-driven methods to achieve sustainability in agri-food supply chains.
• Possible circular pathways for the food supply chain.
• Social sustainability (like working conditions and forced/fair labour practices) in agri-food supply chains.
• Packaging and its impact on the sustainability of agri-food supply chains.
• Sustainable sourcing and farming.
• Sustainable distribution and packaging.
• The role of consumers in achieving a sustainable food value chain.
• Enablers for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in agri-food supply chains.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Behzad Behdani
Guest Editor

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• agri-food supply chains
• closed-loop supply chain
• resource recovery
• sustainability
• circularity
• food waste
• sustainable development goals