Reconfiguring Food Supply Relationships for Territorial Sustainability: The Role of Local Production, Market Organization, Governance and Resilience
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Abstract
Short food supply chains have become increasingly prominent in debates on territorial development, food-system sustainability and resilience. Their potential derives from closer producer–consumer relations, improved local value retention, stronger territorial identities and opportunities for small producers to access alternative markets. Nevertheless, geographical proximity and reduced intermediation do not automatically generate sustainable outcomes. This paper examines the relationships among short supply chains, local production and territorial sustainability through a structured review of recent literature. Particular attention is given to producer participation and economic viability, consumer trust and territorial identity, collective governance, public procurement, logistical organization, environmental performance and crisis resilience. The literature indicates that short chains can contribute to territorial development when they combine viable economic arrangements with social embeddedness, efficient logistics, institutional support and environmentally responsible practices. Digital technologies, cooperative structures, food hubs and public procurement can extend market access while preserving territorial connections, provided that governance mechanisms maintain producer participation and equitable value distribution. The analysis also shows that resilience depends on diversified channels, adaptive capabilities and connections across geographical scales rather than on local self-sufficiency. Overall, territorial sustainability emerges from the interaction between proximity, organizational capacity, governance and resource conditions rather than from supply-chain shortness alone.
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