Short food supply chains

Principles: the idea of a short food supply chain (translation of « circuits courts alimentaires de proximité ») is to bring the consumers closer to the producers and eliminate the number of intermediaries in the supply chain (some definitions talk of one intermediary only)

It brings together very diverse realities: direct purchases from the producer on his farm for example, on a farmers' market, through Local Solidarity-based Partnerships for Agroecology initiatives (LSPA), through shops acting as only intermediaries with the producers, through producer-consumer cooperative shops.

Their advantages are numerous : it raises the consumers’ awareness of the seasonality of products, optimise the short-distance transports, reduce packaging and waste. It brings more autonomy to the producers and may be the cause of jobs creation. However, selling in the short circuit requires producers to internalise various trades linked to the production, like processing of the food products, that they would be doing themselves (marmelades, dried herbal teas) or through others (fresh meat packaging), as well as distribution.

The local character of the products is induced by this rapprochement between local producers and local or non-local consumers (tourists). It is not always the starting point.

The key elements of these short supply chains are :

• maintaining farms on a human scale ;
• transparency about the origin of the product and the methods of production and processing ;
• fair remuneration (more added value for the producer. instead of the few central purchasing centers that put them in competition with each other and thus keep prices low) ;
• maintenance of quality production ;
• local character of the production ;
• often linked to organic production (no chemical inputs, better management of the soil, etc) ;
• better protection of the resource because it is better valued (e.g. fishing, wood) ;
• transformation of the commercial relationship: weaving social links with the producer based on trust, knowledge of her/his work, habits of puchase, inter-knowledge (example for fishing short supply chains : "you know the places of sale, the times, the species, the gear used to catch your fish, and even the names of the boats and fishermen you will meet", quoted by the Pleine mer association)
• consequences on a vision of the territory and its public policies.

For example, the 2020-2022 pandemic in Europe highlighted the fragility of the globalisation of production : the commercial food supply chains were broken with the closing of borders, restaurants were closed, markets. Local authorities and citizens had to recreate in their area short food circuits to sell off producers' stocks and satisfy consumers' needs.

Equivalent concepts

• Short local food supply chains
• Short circuits

History of the concept

It has a long history as direct farm sales were the norm through a large part of history around the world. Since the 2000s, they have been seen as very innovative forms of schemes to support local agriculture and a revaluation of peasant farming.

Public policies associated with this theme

A recognition, through the form of a definition of short food supply chains, was obtained in 2009 in France by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing. At European level, the Development Programmes 2007-2013 supported them, establishing a Working Group on Short Supply Chains in 2011. The Rural Development Programmes 2014-2020 the European Commission integrated short supply chains in its regulation proposal.

Within the framework of food policies, aiming at more sustainability, solidarity and territorial anchorage, local authorities can :

• Act on collective catering (percentage of school meals supplies in sustainable, local or even organic products);
• Act on food aid (same idea);
• Carry out territorial diagnoses, recreate links in distribution circuits, etc. (e.g. during the pandemic).

Main networks working on this issue

France Association Pleine Mer for a sustainable transition for the fishing sector; RTES, Réseau des Territoires pour l'Economie Solidaire, public policies at local level.

Links

With socioeco.org

Matching Socioeco.org thematic keyword

With pedagogical tools in socioeco.org

• European Handbook on Community Supported Agriculture, Learn the skills, gain the knowledge, Be part of CSA, 2013
• Healthy Food Systems: A Toolkit for Building Value Chains, 2009
• Putting Local on the Menu: Tools and Strategies for Increasing the Utilization of Locally Raised Food in Restaurants and Food Service, 2014
• Be Part of CSA! Supporting Booklet for Training on Community Supported Agriculture, 2016
• CSAct!, 2019
• The CSA farmer to farmer booklet, 2019
• Syllabus: Solidarity Economy Movements, 2016