Vulnerability of fresh agricultural products supply chain: Assessment, interrelationship analysis and control strategies

Most research in fresh agricultural products supply chain (FAPSC) vulnerability identification and evaluation is based on independent perspectives. Few studies have studied the interrelationships, transmission mechanisms, and control strategies from a network approach. Given this, this paper first identifies 7 vulnerability categories and 36 vulnerability factors based on empirical data collected from practitioners of FAPSC using grounded theory (GT). The interrelationships among the identified vulnerability factors are established immediately afterward based on complex network theory. Finally, key vulnerability factors and vulnerability impact transmission paths are identified based on the results by calculating the basic network characteristic indicators. The results show that market supply-demand imbalance and human resources issues are the key vulnerability factors. The five factors of market supply-demand imbalance, environmental pollution, socio-economic downturn, human resources issues, and arable land area as the intermediate transmission factors of the vulnerability network play a key role in vulnerability transmission. Based on this, strategies such as information sharing and measuring the environmental performance of fresh agricultural product suppliers are proposed. This study can help stakeholders control the vulnerabilities and ensure the stable operation of the FAPSC.