Dear Colleagues,

Agri-food supply chains and entire agri-food sectors across the global economy are increasingly exposed to business uncertainty and risks. Due to public health measures such as social distancing, forced shutdowns and quarantines, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the risk of labor shortages, reduced productivity, and increased food losses/waste (Kumar, and Kumar Singh, 2021; Mishra et al, 2021). The war between Russia and Ukraine has further aggravated risks related to food and energy security due to the breakdown of agri-food production in these regions and the loss of key suppliers of crops, oil, manure and components needed for the production of animal feed. Outbreaks of animal- or plant-related diseases result in risks of the failure of intensive farming and agriculture based on economies-of-scale solutions: large farms, monocultures, and reduced biodiversity.

These are just some of the examples of external factors and risks that affect the economic performance and sustainability of agri-food systems and supply chains. There is a strong need for agri-food businesses and systems to adapt to these new circumstances. Many businesses in agri-food supply chains are now considering possibilities.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The redesign of supply chain structure and decrease of risks related to supply chain length and complexity (i.e., to create local, short supply chains and establish circular flows). One of the solutions is to install anaerobic digestors to manage food waste and by-products and obtain compost and gas/electricity for own operations or trade (Vlajic and Hsiao, 2018; Ghisellini et al, 2021).
• The development of cooperative models based on a sharing economy (Ciccullo et al., 2021; Rodrigues et al., 2021): e.g., joint investment in and sharing of high-productivity agricultural equipment to reduce financial risks and manage shortage of labor; the renting or leasing of agricultural fields to increase yield or produce a variety of crops; cooperative solutions to reduce food waste.
• Innovative digital solutions to manage the efficiency of agri-food supply chains and detect disruptions in material, information, or financial flows, thus reducing risks of supply chain delays or failures, and ensuring sustainability (Ndraha et al, 2020, Hrustek, 2020).
• Technological innovations related to alternative raw materials for food products, an extension of food products' shelf-life or compostable packaging (Borrello et al., 2016).
• The creation of various types of regional industrial symbiosis which would enable effective collaboration and efficient exchange of by-products and residue materials between agri-food companies and, thus, reduce supply and transaction costs (Herczeg et al., 2018; Haller et al., 2022).
• Value-recovery activities for unsold, lower-grade products or by-products and residues, such as the creation of innovative food/meal recipes, development of natural bio-polymers from by-products and organic residues, and the creation of healthcare or cosmetic products from organic material (Vlajic et al., 2018, Vlajic et al., 2021).

Key questions are: Can circular economy models and innovative practices help agri-food supply chains and agri-food sectors adapt to these new circumstances, mitigate risks and increase resilience and sustainability? What are some of the risks associated with moving towards circular models and supply chains (e.g., biohazards associated with the cycling of certain materials, job losses amongst smallholders as fewer virgin inputs are needed) and how they can be avoided or mitigated? What are the conditions under which the benefits of moving towards circular models outweigh these costs/risks (and vice-versa)?

The purpose of this Special Issue is to critically assess circular economy models and solutions that are used in agri-food supply chains and agri-food sectors more broadly. We welcome submissions related to solutions of supply chain redesign and increased circularity, cooperative models and sharing economy, innovative digital and technological solutions or product and/or process innovation in the agri-food sector, as well as other types of circular economy models and innovative practices that are meant to contribute to a better sustainability performance of agri-food business and supply chains. We are especially interested in contributions that take a balanced perspective on this topic. Thus, for example, studies that examine not only the positive role circular models can aid farmers and agribusiness in better managing increased uncertainty and risks in their operations, but which also explore the risks and unintended consequences that may arise from adopting such modes.

Dr. Jelena Vlajić
Dr. Mark Wever
Dr. Hsin-I Hsiao
Dr. Hualiang Lu
Guest Editors

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• agri-food supply chain resilience
• agri-food supply chain risks
• transition risks
• circular agri-food supply chains
• circular economy practices
• innovative food products and agri-food processes
• supply chain and process redesign
• cooperative models and sharing economy
• innovative digital and technological solutions in agri-food sector
• pandemic, wars and conflicts
• climate change and extreme weather
• food security
• COVID-19
• responsible innovations
• digital transformation
• agriculture sustainable development