IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i17p8047-d1744020.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Short Food Supply Chain Status and Pathway in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Evance Hlekwayo Moyo

    (Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Kingsway Campus, Cnr Kingsway and University Road Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
    Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (Africa), University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa)

  • Noleen Pisa

    (Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Kingsway Campus, Cnr Kingsway and University Road Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
    Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (Africa), University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa)

Abstract

This study reviews the status and direction of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) in Africa, examining their potential to enhance food security, resilience, and smallholder empowerment. Synthesising 69 peer-reviewed studies from 25 African countries, the analysis identifies nine recurring themes consolidated into four clusters: governance, resilience and sustainability; urbanisation and participation; innovation and logistics; and inclusion and equity. The findings show that research is concentrated in South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya, but also highlight emerging diversity across the continent. SFSCs strengthen local resilience and urban food system integration, yet remain limited by weak digital infrastructure, policy fragmentation, and underdeveloped equity measures, especially regarding youth and gender. The review contributes to debates on food sovereignty, political ecology, and sustainability transitions by situating African SFSCs within broader food system transformations. It proposes a policy roadmap prioritising participatory governance, digital market innovation, and inclusive procurement as pathways for institutionalising SFSCs in Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Evance Hlekwayo Moyo & Noleen Pisa, 2025. "Short Food Supply Chain Status and Pathway in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:8047-:d:1744020
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/8047/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/8047/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ortmann, G.F. & King, R.P., 2010. "Research on agri-food supply chains in Southern Africa involving small-scale farmers: Current status and future possibilities," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 49(4), December.
    2. Malan, Naudé, 2015. "Urban farmers and urban agriculture in Johannesburg: Responding to the food resilience strategy," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 54(2), September.
    3. Zhou, Agatha Carol & Hendriks, Sheryl L., 2017. "Does Food Assistance Improve Recipients' Dietary Diversity and Food Quality in Mozambique?," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 56(3), July.
    4. Gunnar Vittersø & Hanne Torjusen & Kirsi Laitala & Barbara Tocco & Beatrice Biasini & Peter Csillag & Matthieu Duboys de Labarre & Jean-Loup Lecoeur & Agnieszka Maj & Edward Majewski & Agata Malak-Raw, 2019. "Short Food Supply Chains and Their Contributions to Sustainability: Participants’ Views and Perceptions from 12 European Cases," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-33, September.
    5. Naudé Malan, 2015. "Urban farmers and urban agriculture in Johannesburg: Responding to the food resilience strategy," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(2), pages 51-75, June.
    6. Yaheng Cui & Ibrahima Diarrassouba & Cédric Joncour & Sophie Michel Loyal, 2024. "Optimization and Analysis of the Impact of Food Hub Location on GHG Emissions in a Short Food Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-26, September.
    7. Zakariah-Akoto, S & Armar-Klemesu, M & Ankomah, A & Torpey, K & Aryeetey, R, 2024. "Socio-cultural norms in the local food system and potential implications for women’s dietary quality in rural Northern Ghana," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 24(01), January.
    8. Tanmoy Malaker & Qingmin Meng, 2024. "Urban Disparity Analytics Using GIS: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-26, July.
    9. A. Thom & B. Conradie, 2013. "Urban agriculture's enterprise potential: Exploring vegetable box schemes in Cape Town," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(sup1), pages 64-86, March.
    10. Nicole Paganini & Kustiwa Adinata & Nomonde Buthelezi & David Harris & Stefanie Lemke & Alberto Luis & Jennifer Koppelin & Abdulrazak Karriem & Fezile Ncube & Enzo Nervi Aguirre & Tandu Ramba & Inês R, 2020. "Growing and Eating Food during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Farmers’ Perspectives on Local Food System Resilience to Shocks in Southern Africa and Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-26, October.
    11. Baseedy Bojang & Diana Emang, 2024. "Can Cashew Value Chain Industry Improve Food Security: An Empirical Study from The Gambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-20, August.
    12. Jorinda Steenkamp & Elizelle Juanee Cilliers & Sarel Stephanus Cilliers & Louis Lategan, 2021. "Food for Thought: Addressing Urban Food Security Risks through Urban Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-29, January.
    13. Alexandra Doernberg & Annette Piorr & Ingo Zasada & Dirk Wascher & Ulrich Schmutz, 2022. "Sustainability assessment of short food supply chains (SFSC): developing and testing a rapid assessment tool in one African and three European city regions," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 885-904, September.
    14. Marcello Rosa & Chrysanthi Charatsari & Evagelos D. Lioutas & Yari Vecchio & Margherita Masi, 2024. "Staging value creation processes in short food supply chains of Italy," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Michael Rapinski & Richard Raymond & Damien Davy & Thora Herrmann & Jean-Philippe Bedell & Abdou Ka & Guillaume Odonne & Laine Chanteloup & Pascal Jean Lopez & Éric Foulquier & Eduardo Ferreira da Sil, 2023. "Local Food Systems under Global Influence: The Case of Food, Health and Environment in Five Socio-Ecosystems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, January.
    16. repec:ags:ijag24:346838 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Xiaofan Tian & Ruifang Zhang & Zifan Wang & Xinna Kang & Zhixin Yang, 2024. "Exploring Community-Supported Agriculture through Maslow’s Hierarchy: A Systematic Review of Research Themes and Trends," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, September.
    18. Agatha Carol Zhou & Sheryl L. Hendriks, 2017. "Does Food Assistance Improve Recipients' Dietary Diversity and Food Quality in Mozambique?," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(3), pages 248-262, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tomas Gabriel Bas, 2025. "Globalization vs. Glocalization: Learn Lessons from Two Global Crises, Such as the Russia–Ukraine Conflict and the COVID-19 Pandemic, for the Agro-Food and Agro-Industrial Sector," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-47, January.
    2. Luiza Vigne Bennedetti & Paulo Antônio de Almeida Sinisgalli & Maurício Lamano Ferreira & Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira, 2023. "Challenges to Promote Sustainability in Urban Agriculture Models: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Adrián Csordás & Péter Lengyel & István Füzesi, 2022. "Who Prefers Regional Products? A Systematic Literature Review of Consumer Characteristics and Attitudes in Short Food Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Alexandra Doernberg & Annette Piorr & Ingo Zasada & Dirk Wascher & Ulrich Schmutz, 2022. "Sustainability assessment of short food supply chains (SFSC): developing and testing a rapid assessment tool in one African and three European city regions," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 885-904, September.
    5. Olson, Kent, 2013. "Trends, issues, threats, and opportunities affecting farmers," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 52(4), August.
    6. Martyna Wronka-Pośpiech & Sebastian Twaróg, 2025. "Social Economy Organizations as Catalysts of the Green Transition: Evidence from Circular Economy, Decarbonization, and Short Food Supply Chains," Resources, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-28, August.
    7. Fabíola Sostmeyer Polita & Lívia Madureira, 2021. "Evolution of Short Food Supply Chain Innovation Niches and Its Anchoring to the Socio-Technical Regime: The Case of Direct Selling through Collective Action in North-West Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-24, December.
    8. Chrysanthi Charatsari & Evagelos D. Lioutas & Marcello De Rosa, 2024. "Going Short and Going Digital: How Do Consumers View the Impacts of Digitalizing Short Food Supply Chains?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Andrea Lulovicova & Stephane Bouissou, 2023. "Environmental Assessment of Local Food Policies through a Territorial Life Cycle Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-20, March.
    10. Rodríguez-Fuentes, Marian & Zepeda-Domínguez, José Alberto & Kluger, Lotta C. & Fumero-Andreu, Claudia María & Ponce-Díaz, Germán & Zetina-Rejón, Manuel J., 2025. "Supply networks of fisheries social-ecological systems: A systematic review of the network approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    11. Mirko Prosen & Rebeka Lekše & Sabina Ličen, 2023. "Health Professionals’ Role in Promoting Health and Environmental Sustainability through Sustainable Food Advocacy: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-13, September.
    12. Genest-Richard, Pascal & Halde, Caroline & Breune, Isabelle & Mundler, Patrick & Devillers, Nicolas, 2025. "Multivariate analysis of economic performance and environmental impacts of multispecies pastured livestock farms using direct marketing," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    13. Tom Henfrey & Giuseppe Feola & Gil Penha‐Lopes & Filka Sekulova & Ana Margarida Esteves, 2023. "Rethinking the sustainable development goals: Learning with and from community‐led initiatives," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 211-222, February.
    14. Thi Nga Bui & An Ha Nguyen & Thi Thu Huong Le & Van Phuong Nguyen & Thi Thanh Hao Le & Thi Thanh Huyen Tran & Ngoc Mai Nguyen & Thi Kim Oanh Le & Thi Kim Oanh Nguyen & Thi Thu Trang Nguyen & Hong Van , 2021. "Can a Short Food Supply Chain Create Sustainable Benefits for Small Farmers in Developing Countries? An Exploratory Study of Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, February.
    15. Sina Razzaghi Asl & Hamil Pearsall, 2022. "How Do Different Modes of Governance Support Ecosystem Services/Disservices in Small-Scale Urban Green Infrastructure? A Systematic Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, August.
    16. Wojciech Sroka & Karol Król & Jakub Kulesza & Marcin Stanuch & Sławomir Lisek, 2025. "Community Readiness for Agro Living Lab (ALL) Projects: Factors Influencing Engagement of Young Urban Residents," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-33, January.
    17. Boris Gorelik, 2025. "Ethnic Divisions Within Unity: Insights into Intra-Group Segregation from Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Society," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-13, March.
    18. Jernej Prišenk & Jernej Turk & Karmen Pažek & Črtomir Rozman & Andreja Borec & Nejc Zidar, 2024. "An Assessment of Food Value Chains to Identify Gaps and Make Recommendations for Further Development: A Slovenian Case Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-35, March.
    19. Yan Zhou & Chunjui Wei & Yong Zhou, 2022. "How Does Urban Farming Benefit Participants? Two Case Studies of the Garden City Initiative in Taipei," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    20. Lilliana Stefanovic, 2022. "SDG Performance in Local Organic Food Systems and the Role of Sustainable Public Procurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-29, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:8047-:d:1744020. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.