The Term Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) Refers To A Form Of Food Retail Market Organisation That Links The Consumer Directly To The Food Producer. The Premise Of The SFSC Is Simple: By Reallocating Intermediary Tasks To Producers And Consumers, Costs Can Be Reduced For Both Parties And The Financial Surplus That Previously Went To Intermediaries Can Be Shared.
Actions To Shorten Food Supply Chains Are Most Often Motivated By The Need To (A) Increase Transparency – The Food Consumer Knows Exactly Where The Food Comes From And How It Was Produced (B) Reduce Costs, To Provide A Competitive Price To The Consumer While Ensuring Quality And Continuity Of Supply (C) Increase Producer Income And (D) Socio-Economic Revitalisation Of A Specified Area Or Region.
Organisers/Promoters Of SFSC Schemes Are Looking To Increase The Impact And Competitiveness Of Local Markets For Locally-Produced Food By: (1) Increasing The Number Of (Geographically Dispersed) Participating Producers And Consumers; (2) Increasing The Variety And Range Of Products Offered, Promoting And Taking Advantage Of “Seasonality” To Provide Fresh, Tasty Products; (3) Providing Customised Logistical Solutions (4) Increasing Sales Volumes And Enabling Settlement Of Transactions. At The Same Time, The Need Is To Ensure Competitiveness By Reducing The Costs Of Operating And Maintaining The SFSC System.
Iso-Tech Works With The Organizers Of Local Markets For Locally Produced Food To Develop Organizational, IT, Technological And Financial Solutions To The Problem Of Increasing The Scale And Impact. These Are Most Often Local Governments, Agricultural Advisory Centres, Agricultural Organisations And NGOs.