ENHANCING THE RESILIENCE OF SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS: TOWARD A RELATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE RESILIENCE PROCESS IN THE FACE OF INFLATION

Article by Anne-Cécile Brit

Against a backdrop of successive crises – pandemics, inflation, climatic upheavals – short food supply chains have shown a remarkable ability to adapt. A new scientific publication, published on 1 July 2025 in the journal Agricultural and Food Economics, looks specifically at the resilience of these channels in the face of inflation.

A field survey close to producers

Entitled “Improving the resilience of short food supply chains: towards a relational understanding of the process of resilience in the face of inflation”, Yentl Deroche-Leydier’s article (produced as part of her PhD at INRAE – UMR Innovation) is based on 30 interviews with market gardeners in short circuits in the south of France (Occitania) between late 2022 and early 2023.

The aim? To gain a better understanding of how human, social and professional relationships enable producers to cope with economic shocks – particularly soaring energy, input and transport costs.

Social ties as a lever for resilience

A key contribution of this research is to show that resilience in short food supply chains depends not only on economic or technical adjustments, but above all on the strength of human relationships — among producers, with consumers, and within local networks.

The study introduces the concept of “embeddedness”, or relational anchoring, as a key factor in coping with crises. It highlights promising practices, such as fostering local collective dynamics, recognising social ties in public food policies, and integrating relational resilience into territorial food transitions.

Abstract

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have proven their resilience during recent challenges, including the COVID-19 global pandemic. The recent rise in inflation in France has posed new challenges too. This study examines how short food supply chains in the South of France are responding to the challenges posed by inflation including rising production costs and a potentially shrinking consumer base. We propose integrating the resilience literature with the concept of embeddedness. Through this cross-fertilization, we conceptualize resilience as a dynamic process shaped by relationships and consisting of distinct stages: absorption, adaptation, and transformation. The study, based on 30 semi-structured interviews with horticultural farmers, reveals the existence of distinct phases in farmers’ responses to the situation. In the early stages, farmers collectively tackled the problem of rising costs by using shared resources and social networks. During the adaptation phase, pricing strategies were adjusted, facilitated by cooperative agreements between producers in different SFSCs. In the transformation phase, farmers shifted to direct sales to reduce their dependence on unreliable retail intermediaries. SFSCs not only adapted to economic shocks but also cultivated resilient strategies that strengthened community ties. Our research highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of relationships within SFSCs, which typically begin as primarily transactional and often evolve to include elements of friendship and mutual support. Such relationships facilitate flexible and collective responses to disruptions. In addition, the study identifies shortcomings in current resilience frameworks, particularly with regard to addressing systemic challenges and the role of public policy. Future research would benefit from exploring how institutional support and territorial embeddedness can further enhance the resilience of SFSCs in different socio-economic contexts.

Link to the article: https://agrifoodecon.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40100-025-00368-4#Abs1

Photo credits: Christian Mackie via Unsplash

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