Sustainable Distribution in Alternative Food Networks : Evaluating the Potential of Crowd Logistics

Titelangaben

Cramer, Florian ; Fikar, Christian:
Sustainable Distribution in Alternative Food Networks : Evaluating the Potential of Crowd Logistics.
2022
Veranstaltung: 32nd EURO Conference , 03.-06. July 2022 , Espoo, Finland.
(Veranstaltungsbeitrag: Kongress/Konferenz/Symposium/Tagung , Vortrag )

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Abstract

Crowd logistics is a mostly unexplored concept to facilitate efficient deliveries in short food supply chains (SFSC). By employing agentbased modelling combined with elements from discrete event simulation, various crowd logistics scenarios for local food providers are explored in this work. Demographical data from Bavaria, Germany, such as population structure, employment rates, and available data on alternative food outlets, such as farmers’ markets and farm shops, act as input. The computational experiments explore four settings: (i) a base scenario without any crowd logistics activity, (ii) a crowd logistics scenario, where shoppers at outlets are participating as occasional drivers (ODs), (iii) a crowd logistics scenario, where also non-shoppers participate as ODs, and (iv) a scenario that additionally considers the effect of introducing mobile transhipment nodes. The effect of changing the willingness to participate as ODs on an increase in market reach, food miles, and food waste is studied. Results show, among others, that by introducing mobile transhipment nodes, both the number of participating ODs and farmers’ market reach can be increased with the additional benefit of providing intermediate cold storage options for perishables to facilitate a reduction in food waste.