Supplier selection strategies evaluation: a multi-agent based simulation

Local food systems have gained prominence in response to increasing consumer demand for locally produced food, driven by heightened interest in diet, food quality, sourcing, production methods, and food safety. These systems support the economic sustainability of small and medium-sized farms and promote consumer awareness through enhanced transparency and direct farmer-customer relationships. However, the effectiveness of these systems depends on robust and efficient supply chain operations, which are often hindered by the limited adoption of formal supply chain management practices. This study investigates the impact of farmers' local food system selection strategies and evaluates key performance metrics relevant to supplier assessment in local food networks. A theoretical multi-agent model was developed using NetLogo to simulate local food systems and analyse decision-making processes. Furthermore, this paper introduces an extended G-net model that integrates inheritance mechanisms into the G-net formalism, thereby enabling formal design and analysis of concurrent object-oriented systems. The proposed model preserves the foundational structure of Petri Nets, facilitating the use of existing analysis tools for simulation and verification. A case study is provided to demonstrate the model's utility; however, further empirical research is necessary to validate its practical application.