Marcos Fava Neves

Chains and networks development: a 14-point list

By Marcos Fava Neves (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-05-31 11:35

At each two years, the University of Wageningen/Netherlands hosts the International Conference on Chain and Network Management. This May we had the 8th Conference. The first was in 1996. Around 200 researchers from 40 different countries have three days discussions over developments in science and practice of integrated vertical production chains and companies networks.

In this article, I share with China Daily community important topics discussed and major developments needed for the future. My resume came up to a 14-point list that can be useful for companies, governments and academics in terms of future development and emerging topics, suggestion of policies and regulations. They can contribute to a more efficient production system, sustainable and driven to a new era of scarce resources.

1 - Chain Design, Governance and performance, since chains compete in a global arena, and against each others, and in this form, to have adequate governance, contracts can lead to a better performance in adding value, profit generation and distribution, costs, processes and other measures.

2 - Chain Waste. An integrated food chain generates waste in almost all of its agents and phases. We also have the waste of final products, estimated in almost 40%. This waste management and reduction/re-usage is of fundamental importance in an environment pressured by a society demanding sustainability. Integrated inventories management, collaborative logistics are among the most important developments to reduce redundancies, waste and depletion of fossil resources.

3 - Food risks and chain integrated risk management. The need to deal with an integrated approach with all increasing risks on food chains, like contamination, financial risks, and others. Food security should be improved and the costs of this improvement shared with all agents.

4 - Sustainable chains and certification. Considering landscape use, resources preservation nature and biodiversity. Certification processes, value and costs is a large debate

5 - Chain and networks impacts and adaptation, considering how the growing impacts coming from an unstable environment are affecting food chains and networks.

6 - Chain and networks legislation and regulation. Chains are transnational and deal with different Governments and laws, different institutional environments, bringing complexity to its management due to permanent interventions.

7 - Food and health communication. This point is linked with the previous topic, but gain importance due to several restrictions that chains are starting to face in terms of marketing communications, due to over consumption, obesity and marketing for kids.