Navigating disruptions

: the role of sustainable practices in enhancing resilience in upstream agricultural supply chains

Abstract

Sustainability and resilience are key objectives for managing upstream agricultural supply chains, especially in the face of increasing disruptions from factors such as climate change, geopolitical instability, and logistical challenges. This thesis examines the relationship between sustainable practices and supply chain resilience, with a focus on agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa, tea, and spices. Through interviews with industry experts, this research identifies effective and ineffective sustainable practices for managing disruptions and highlights the trade-offs and alignments between sustainability and resilience. The findings suggest that many sustainable practices, such as farmer training, biodiversity, and fostering supplier relationships, improve resilience. However, there are also trade-offs; for example, while direct procurement and guaranteed purchase quantities strengthen sustainability, they can conflict with the resilience capability of sourcing flexibility. Additionally, this thesis argues that the concept of recovery commonly used in resilience definitions is often inappropriate for upstream agricultural supply chains, as there are situations where recovery is not feasible. Limitations such as geographical focus and commodity-specific insights are acknowledged, pointing to future research opportunities to generalize the findings and integrate quantitative methods. Overall, this thesis highlights the importance of developing strategies that keep supply chains both sustainable and resilient in an increasingly unpredictable global landscape.

Date of Award	12 Feb 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ekin Ilseven (Supervisor)