*2.2. Sample Profile and Data Collection*

The data for this study to measure LSQ attributes were collected from agricultural enterprises in four united territorial communities (UTCs) in the Uman district of the Cherkassy region in Ukraine from 1–23 February 2022. The UTCs were established as a result of adopting the law on the voluntary association of territorial communities in 2015. This law granted UTCs the same power as cities of regional significance and improved their budget allocation in proportion to their area and population. Table 1 shows some general information about these UTCs and the sample profile for each UTC. In all UTCs, the share of agricultural land is high and the economy of all four UTCs has an agrarian specialization. As Table 1 shows, the entire population of agricultural enterprises equals 205 companies. Initially, 119 enterprises were selected randomly with a comparable share of farms to the total agri-businesses in each UTC.


**Table 1.** Determined sample frame of enterprises in four rural UTCs.

In three of the four UTCs, the share of farms in the sample is half or higher. Respondents were asked to complete the survey questionnaire per email. They were not motivated by any rewards for completing the survey. The respondents' profile is shown in Table 2: 50% of respondents are farms. A high share of farms (67%) is typical for the agricultural enterprises in Ukraine at the national level [38]. The analysis of responses showed that 63.5% of respondents' companies has fewer than 50 workers.

The questionnaire was written in Ukrainian. The translation into Ukrainian was amended by Ukrainian experts. Some rewordings of logistics-related terms and outsourcing-related services took place. Finally, the heads of four communities were invited to give their suggestions. The questionnaire with an introductory letter employed closed questions and was rounded off with instructions for a structured interview (in case a company was selected for an in-depth interview).


**Table 2.** Respondents' profile.

Some respondents were contacted by email and invited for an in-depth structured interview. Three weeks after sending the first mail, a reminder was not possible because of the Russian aggression with projectiles hitting Uman. The beginning of the war was defined as the cut-off date. The survey resulted in 32 responses over a period of three weeks. Thus, the response rate was around 27% (119 contacted enterprises/32 completed questionnaires). In parallel, 20 in-depth structured interviews took place. The qualitative data collected using structured interviews helped to triangulate quantitative data collected with a questionnaire in order to gain a better understanding of a typical agri-food supply chain and the characteristics of its logistics. This kind of triangulation is known as "between (or across) methods" for cross-validation when two distinct methods are found to be congruent and yield comparable data [39]. The overall response rate of the population contacted per email and interviewed personally equals 43.7%. In order to increase the response rate [40], the local university's support for the survey was gained, and UTCs' and settlements' heads. These organizations are familiar to the population (e.g., their former university or their local head). Furthermore, the cover letter was personalized and appealing, giving an optional possibility to receive a report on the study's results.
