SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS (SFSC): WHAT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE WEB OF SCIENCE?

BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS

Abstract

Studies on Short Food Supply Chains have intensified since the second decade of the 21st century, which has been a substantial focus of academics and researchers, resulting in an increasing number of case studies. Researchers characterize them as supply chains that involve a limited number of operators, committed to cooperation, development and close geographical and social relations between farmers and consumers. The purpose of the present study is to analyze scientific publications on short food supply chains. Bibliometric research was carried out in the Web of Science database for making available a large number of journals in different areas of knowledge, in addition to allowing the analysis of results through the number of citations of articles, names of authors, year and journals, as well as for providing the updated h-index3. With the aid of the VOSviewer software, the analysis revealed that short supply chains present socioeconomic, structural and organizational approaches, as well as aspects of sustainability, health, and food security. The results of the research, generated from the most prestigious and recent works, point to a growing trend of studies in this area with proximity networks, cooperation, alternative systems, and sustainable development.