Due to its interdisciplinary nature and complexity, food supply chain management demands specialized study. The conventional food supply chain includes production, processing, retail, distribution, and consumption. Issues related to the food supply chain are perishability, seasonality, long production cycles, variability in quantity and quality, and transportation costs that might disturb the chain. Urban farming is a potential intervention method for planners to support sustainable food production and shorten supply chains. This paper aimed to determine the supply chain of two urban farm concepts in Malaysia: community gardens (CG) and plant factories (PF). This research used quantitative methods, and the primary data were collected through a structured face-to-face interview involving 154 community garden leaders and 15 plant factory producers between September 2021 and July 2022. Most of the community garden products were sold through direct sales (62%), while the plant factory marketing channel comprised of a One-Level channel that involved restaurants (26%), supermarkets (22%), and direct sales (35%). Furthermore, direct sales are preferable marketing channels for CG and PF as the freshness of the product can be maintained. The results delivered evidence of the potential to harness the multi-functionality of urban farming to improve food security and address community engagement. This shorter supply chain is also associated with higher quality products (freshness), healthy eating, and sustainable production.
Keywords: Supply chain; urban farming; community garden; plant factory; food security
Due to its interdisciplinary nature and complexity, food supply chain management demands specialized study. The conventional food supply chain includes production, processing, retail, distribution, and consumption. Issues related to the food supply chain are perishability, seasonality, long production cycles, variability in quantity and quality, and transportation costs that might disturb the chain. Urban farming is a potential intervention method for planners to support sustainable food production and shorten supply chains. This paper aimed to determine the supply chain of two urban farm concepts in Malaysia: community gardens (CG) and plant factories (PF). This research used quantitative methods, and the primary data were collected through a structured face-to-face interview involving 154 community garden leaders and 15 plant factory producers between September 2021 and July 2022. Most of the community garden products were sold through direct sales (62%), while the plant factory marketing channel comprised of a One-Level channel that involved restaurants (26%), supermarkets (22%), and direct sales (35%). Furthermore, direct sales are preferable marketing channels for CG and PF as the freshness of the product can be maintained. The results delivered evidence of the potential to harness the multi-functionality of urban farming to improve food security and address community engagement. This shorter supply chain is also associated with higher quality products (freshness), healthy eating, and sustainable production.
Keywords: Supply chain; urban farming; community garden; plant factory; food security