Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms

Abstract The digital transition toward sustainable food systems is a key challenge, boosted by recent policy initiatives to build up digitalized and sustainable business models at farm and territorial levels, which may address new opportunities for alternative food systems. The paper presents the re...

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Main Authors: Margherita Masi, Marcello De Rosa, Chrysanthi Charatsari, Evagelos D. Lioutas, Yari Vecchio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-06-01
Series:Agricultural and Food Economics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-025-00377-3
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author Margherita Masi
Marcello De Rosa
Chrysanthi Charatsari
Evagelos D. Lioutas
Yari Vecchio
author_facet Margherita Masi
Marcello De Rosa
Chrysanthi Charatsari
Evagelos D. Lioutas
Yari Vecchio
author_sort Margherita Masi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The digital transition toward sustainable food systems is a key challenge, boosted by recent policy initiatives to build up digitalized and sustainable business models at farm and territorial levels, which may address new opportunities for alternative food systems. The paper presents the results of an anticipation exercise whose purpose is to identify the value-generating potential of digital platforms for short food supply chains and compatibility issues. The starting point was a theoretical distinction of value into primary and secondary values, where the first is absorbed by supply chain actors, and the second goes beyond supply chain boundaries in the form of social, environmental, ethical, and cultural benefits. In the empirical analysis of the study, the awareness–knowledge–adoption–product sequence was instrumental in investigating the potential adoption of the two different digital solutions and assessing their effectiveness in terms of expected benefits. For the analysis, data were drawn from a sample of farmers who distribute their products through short food supply chains in Italy. Results reveal that digital innovations represent socio-technical phenomena whose value-generating capacity is socially context-dependent and that, beyond their function as marketplaces or information-storing devices, these platforms can help pursue sustainability-related goals.
format Article
id doaj-art-1bb2c21f75b74d5baf44df652846fd86
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issn 2193-7532
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher SpringerOpen
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series Agricultural and Food Economics
spelling doaj-art-1bb2c21f75b74d5baf44df652846fd862025-08-20T02:37:13ZengSpringerOpenAgricultural and Food Economics2193-75322025-06-0113111710.1186/s40100-025-00377-3Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platformsMargherita Masi0Marcello De Rosa1Chrysanthi Charatsari2Evagelos D. Lioutas3Yari Vecchio4Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of BolognaDepartment of Economics and Law, University of Cassino and Southern LazioDepartment of Agricultural Economics, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiDepartment of Supply Chain Management, International Hellenic UniversityDepartment of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of BolognaAbstract The digital transition toward sustainable food systems is a key challenge, boosted by recent policy initiatives to build up digitalized and sustainable business models at farm and territorial levels, which may address new opportunities for alternative food systems. The paper presents the results of an anticipation exercise whose purpose is to identify the value-generating potential of digital platforms for short food supply chains and compatibility issues. The starting point was a theoretical distinction of value into primary and secondary values, where the first is absorbed by supply chain actors, and the second goes beyond supply chain boundaries in the form of social, environmental, ethical, and cultural benefits. In the empirical analysis of the study, the awareness–knowledge–adoption–product sequence was instrumental in investigating the potential adoption of the two different digital solutions and assessing their effectiveness in terms of expected benefits. For the analysis, data were drawn from a sample of farmers who distribute their products through short food supply chains in Italy. Results reveal that digital innovations represent socio-technical phenomena whose value-generating capacity is socially context-dependent and that, beyond their function as marketplaces or information-storing devices, these platforms can help pursue sustainability-related goals.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-025-00377-3Short food supply chainDigital platformInnovationPotential adoption
spellingShingle Margherita Masi
Marcello De Rosa
Chrysanthi Charatsari
Evagelos D. Lioutas
Yari Vecchio
Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
Agricultural and Food Economics
Short food supply chain
Digital platform
Innovation
Potential adoption
title Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
title_full Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
title_fullStr Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
title_short Enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
title_sort enhancing value creation in short food supply chains through digital platforms
topic Short food supply chain
Digital platform
Innovation
Potential adoption
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-025-00377-3
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AT chrysanthicharatsari enhancingvaluecreationinshortfoodsupplychainsthroughdigitalplatforms
AT evagelosdlioutas enhancingvaluecreationinshortfoodsupplychainsthroughdigitalplatforms
AT yarivecchio enhancingvaluecreationinshortfoodsupplychainsthroughdigitalplatforms