Alternative food networks (AFNs) have the potential to enhance and redistribute value in favour of producers and consumers through novel ways of organizing supply chain activities. What is more, AFNs are often characterized by their ‘sustainability promise’ – or the idea that their networks foster social, ecological or environmental improvements over conventional food networks. Based on a purposive sample of 286 producers across five Swedish AFNs (i.e. community supported agriculture, REKO-rings, farmers’ markets, farm stores and food nodes), we explore how differences in how supply chain activities are managed and relate them to profitability, fair wages, cooperation, logistics efforts, happiness and future beliefs. Using a combination of correlation analysis, linear regression and means comparisons, we challenge the notion that AFNs achieve their sustainability promise or enhance value through novel combinations of supply chain activities. Our findings include several key differences in how supply chain management (SCM) activities are organized across AFNs and their variant importance for profitability. Moreover, we find significant differences in happiness across AFNs that are better explained through beliefs about the future than profitability or fair wages. By exploring happiness and profitability, we offer insights into why some AFN actors thrive despite poor economic returns.

中文翻译：

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量化替代食品网络供应链活动的差异及其与社会经济成果的关系

替代食品网络 (AFN) 有可能通过组织供应链活动的新方式来增强和重新分配有利于生产者和消费者的价值。更重要的是，AFNs 的特点通常是他们的“可持续性承诺”——或者他们的网络促进社会、生态或环境改善的想法，而不是传统的食品网络。基于来自五个瑞典 AFN（即社区支持的农业、REKO 环、农贸市场、农场商店和食品节点）的 286 名生产者的有目的的样本，我们探讨了供应链活动管理方式的差异并将其与盈利能力联系起来，公平的工资、合作、物流努力、幸福和未来的信念。使用相关分析、线性回归和均值比较的组合，我们挑战 AFN 通过供应链活动的新颖组合实现其可持续性承诺或提高价值的观念。我们的研究结果包括供应链管理 (SCM) 活动如何在 AFN 之间组织及其对盈利能力的不同重要性方面的几个关键差异。此外，我们发现 AFN 之间的幸福感存在显着差异，这可以通过对未来的信念而不是盈利能力或公平工资来更好地解释。通过探索幸福感和盈利能力，我们深入探讨了为什么一些 AFN 参与者在经济回报不佳的情况下仍然兴旺发达。此外，我们发现 AFN 之间的幸福感存在显着差异，这可以通过对未来的信念而不是盈利能力或公平工资来更好地解释。通过探索幸福感和盈利能力，我们深入探讨了为什么一些 AFN 参与者在经济回报不佳的情况下仍然蓬勃发展。此外，我们发现 AFN 之间的幸福感存在显着差异，这可以通过对未来的信念而不是盈利能力或公平工资来更好地解释。通过探索幸福感和盈利能力，我们深入探讨了为什么一些 AFN 参与者在经济回报不佳的情况下仍然蓬勃发展。