Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable, diverse and resilient value chains are a preconditions for sustainable growth, food security and natural resource use. Food supply chains operate in a dynamic complex environment characterized by new consumer demands and game-changing technologies. The latter define the processes within the whole chain of agri-food production. Agricultural machinery, originally led by tractor manufacturing, has almost eliminated human labour in many areas of production. Biotechnology has become an important driver for change within the sector as it applies to agrichemicals, plant breeding, and food processing. Instruments and tools deriving from information technology advancements are crucial, with computer networks and specialized software providing the support infrastructure to allow for systems interactions.

Within the existing scientific literature, the relationship between production processes and innovation in the agrifood supply and value chains is marked by conceptual and methodological issues that limit the ability to understand their mutual effects. This Special Issue aims at collecting contributions from different fields of study, thus highlighting and discussing the foundations which could guide the research efforts in this area. The need to decarbonize the agrifood sector to meet climate change goals is compounded with considerations of supply chain efficiency, and an increasing interest in circular economy. In this scenario, Industry 4.0 framework provides impetus to sustain the value creation process across and beyond the supply chains, generating a new set of questions and opening up new research directions. Research should thus play the role of unraveling the links between the complexity of food systems and their efficiency, resilience and sustainability.

Dr. Giulio Paolo Agnusdei
Prof. Dr. Eleonora Bottani
Prof. Dr. Giada La Scalia
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Vignali
Guest Editors

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• innovation
• industry 4.0
• supply chain
• vulnerability
• food security
• sustainability
• resilience