WT35 – Sustainable agri-food supply chains and systems

In partnership with :

Consorzio Risteco of Turin
Alimenterra : www.alimenterra.org

Workshop presentation

Production systems, which are beyond the scope of each individual business, are organised along long supply chains that go from primary operations, farming and the exploitation of natural and mining resources to final consumption. The whole chain is without doubt the most relevant framework in which to tackle the issue of sustainable development. Indeed a business can lay claim to ethical practices or proper respect for the environment whilst shifting the more unattractive tasks or those that have worst environmental effects onto other links in the chain.

The agri-food supply chain is one of the most interesting and one of the most important channels since it concerns, at one end, the entire management of land and ecosystems with agricultural practices, and at the other, the well-being and health of the population. This is why the “sustainability” of the world’s agri-food supply chain is a fundamental issue in China and in Europe. It gives rise to countless debates relating to the sharing of added value right along the chain (it is in the sphere of farming that the concept of fair trade has particularly developed), environmental impact, food safety, the degree of independence of different countries with regard to food supply, and the final quality of food that is so decisive for health.

Furthermore, most of the time the agri-food supply chain involves players of all different sizes and all different kinds, from traditional fishermen and small family farms to major multinational seed, chemical, food-processing and distribution companies. Besides, in Europe, the change in food fashions is largely prompted by the development of mass catering in schools, businesses, hospitals, retirement homes, etc. This development of mass catering has itself given rise to the creation of new specialist multinational companies.

Can these many and various players be brought around a table to devise sustainable agri-food supply chains and systems?

What knowledge do we have about the realities of these supply chains? Do we have examples of sustainable agri-food supply chains and do we have the means to define them?

These are some of the questions that will be discussed at this workshop in the light of Chinese and European experiences and contexts.