Publication

The impact of a values-based supply chain (vbsc) on farm-level viability, sustainability and resilience: case study evidence

Hooks, Teresa
; 
Macken-Walsh, Áine
; 
McCarthy, Olive
; 
Power, Carol
Repository DOI
Publication Date
2017-02-14
Keywords
co-operative, values-based supply chain (vbsc), viability, sustainability, resilience, family farm, beef, family farms, agriculture, environment, innovation, ireland, economy
Type
Article
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Citation
Hooks, Teresa; Macken-Walsh, Áine; McCarthy, Olive; Power, Carol (2017). The impact of a values-based supply chain (vbsc) on farm-level viability, sustainability and resilience: case study evidence. Sustainability 9 (2),
Abstract
The 'Agriculture of the Middle' (AotM) development paradigm emphasises that in order to survive, family farms must transition from a supply chain approach to a values-based supply chain (VBSC) approach, involving amendments to both product type and actor dynamics within the chain. This paper presents a qualitative case study of a beef co-operative integrated to a VBSC. We use an analytical framework of viability, sustainability and resilience to analyse impacts at farm-level. Our analysis highlights a number of positive effects on farm-level viability, sustainability and resilience. These benefits stemmed largely from improvements to market orientation, price stability, and members' capacities in responding to problems. However, the autonomy of the co-operative was challenged by VBSC chain members, which impacted negatively on the stability of the co-operative.
Funder
Publisher
MDPI AG
Publisher DOI
10.3390/su9020267
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Ireland
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Collections
Externally hosted open access publications with University of Galway authors (2)