An Exploratory Study of Risks and Food Insecurity in the Agri Supply Chain

Abstract

Globally, the agricultural industry has increased the market for various farm products. The timely production and distribution of harvested crops and fruits are essential because of the increased demand across the globe. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, one third of the food produced for consumption is lost or wasted worldwide, amounting to approximately 1.3 billion tons per year. The productivity of the farm’s yield decreases mainly because of unstandardized processes. The employment of an optimal supply chain management scheme must be the key to the situation. This would not only promote consumer shielding; however, it will jointly help corporations sustain economic supply chains. Due to health and socio-economic consequences, the most vulnerable population groups’ food security is likely to decline further (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2020). The agriculture sector’s supply chain faces many challenges, such as inadequacy of information flow, lack of logistics efficiency, lack of infrastructure and storage facilities, lack of risk mitigation systems that are critical during unforeseen disruptions. The paper identifies various risks in the supply chain and their ability to disrupt the supply chain in terms of severity, food insecurity, and sustainability. A study has been done among a hundred stakeholders, and thirty experts from the field, and the exploratory research suggests possible approaches to these challenges using technology.