Sustainability of Global and Local Food Value Chains: An Empirical Comparison of Peruvian and Belgian Asparagus

Jana Schwarz, Monica Schuster, Bernd Annaert, Miet Maertens and Erik Mathijs
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Jana Schwarz: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Division of Bioeconomics, Celestijnenlaan 200 E, Leuven 3001, Belgium
Bernd Annaert: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Division of Bioeconomics, Celestijnenlaan 200 E, Leuven 3001, Belgium

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: The sustainability of food value chains is an increasing concern for consumers, food companies and policy-makers. Global food chains are often perceived to be less sustainable than local food chains. Yet, thorough food chain analyses and comparisons of different food chains across sustainability dimensions are rare. In this article we analyze the local Belgian and global Peruvian asparagus value chains and explore their sustainability performance. A range of indicators linked to environmental, economic and social impacts is calculated to analyze the contribution of the supply chains to economic development, resource use, labor relations, distribution of added value and governance issues. Our findings suggest that none of the two supply chains performs invariably better and that there are trade-offs among and between sustainability dimensions. Whereas the global chain uses water and other inputs more intensively and generates more employment per unit of land and higher yields, the local chain generates more revenue per unit of land.

Keywords: local food value chains; global food value chains; food trade; asparagus; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Sustainability of global and local food value chains. An empirical comparison of Peruvian and Belgian asparagus (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:4:p:344-:d:67774

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