
CHAIN
In contrast, the agri-food chain is the set of organisations and their material flows that contribute to the creation, distribution, commercialisation, and delivery of an agri-food product.
The supply chain allows for the achievement of planned objectives, organisation through chain leaders, self-control, guarantees, and efficiency of farms or processing plants.
There are two types of supply chains: short and long.
In contrast, the short supply chain allows the enhancement of the producers and the quality of the product; this type of supply chain encourages greater transparency and traceability, very important tools for achieving new levels of sustainability, environmental responsibility, and food safety.
The short supply chain, therefore, involves a few steps, and a direct contact with farmers.
In contrast, the long supply chain has developed with the rise of globalisation. It is characterised by high levels of efficiency tha treduce internal costs and retail prices. It allows widespread distribution, reaching markets far away from the place of production. However, the high number of intermediaries and steps reduces the profit margin and contractual power of farms.