On October 14, 2025, the PLAT4TERFOOD project published a summary entitled “Short food supply chains, an alternative economy for sustainable food systems: a mixed approach over time” in the journal Agricultural and Food Economics.
This summary is based on more than 10 years of participatory research on the economic dimension of short food supply chains. It shows that the economic results (e.g., regular cash flow) and operating rules of these chains (price setting by producers, risk sharing, etc.) are generally favorable to agroecological transition. Generally, but not systematically. The article shows that short supply chains involving large retailers can be economically attractive for farmers but, in the case of fruit and vegetables, impose standards that require the use of chemical inputs to ensure regular and consistent production.
The article is based on original quantitative and qualitative data, the production of which was facilitated in part by the Local Food Technology Network, as well as by several European projects. The PLAT4TERFOOD project provided a structured framework for producing this summary.
The PLAT4TERFOOD project aims both to capitalize on available data on territorialized food systems structured by short supply chains and local sectors, and, given the significant lack of data, to develop methods and tools to better characterize these systems and assess their impacts.
The objective is to advance scientific knowledge on the levers of agroecological and food transition, to structure and equip the research community and partnerships on this subject, and to support public, private, and citizen action, particularly in the context of Territorial Food Projects and Territorial Demonstrators of Agricultural and Food Transitions.
- Yuna Chiffoleau, INRAE
- Frédéric Wallet, INRAE
- Paolo Prosperi, CIHEAM-IAMM
- Frédéric Collewet, CIHEAM-IAMM
- Françoise Morizot-Braud, CERD