Challenges and issues

In the current context of food systems in transition, it is necessary to analyse the forms of organisation and the strategies of all the stakeholders of food systems: public entities, producers and producer organisations, companies, distributors and consumers. To this end, the research group focusses on three main axis: Messa in particular addresses forms of organisation relating to distribution, consumption, global value chains and entrepreneurship; Bio-éco focusses on bioeconomics, which gives rise to new forms of organisation, and on the specific problems resulting from this; and num@org explores digital transition as well as the social and solidarity economy and new forms of organisation generated by their impact, with a particular focus on the issues of governance and performance. 

Scientific issues

Axis 1 - MESSA : Marketing, Entrepreneuship and Strategy in Food Systems

Questions relating to the organisational challenges and strategies of stakeholders within the systems. Approaches adopted: value chain analyses, network approaches and systemic vision of forms of organisation; interactions between stakeholder strategies throughout the agricultural and food value chains.

Axis 2 - Bio-eco : Bioeconomics

Is the development of circularity and bioeconomics accompanied by, or does it involve, a change in stakeholder behaviour and a reconfiguration of their relationships; and on what new business models is this built?

Axis 3 - Num@org : Digital Technology and Organisations

What are the links between governance, innovation and sustainable performance of food systems and the different organisations they comprise: digital innovations (and the ecosystem of innovation in which they are implemented), managerial innovations (governance), organisational innovations and social innovations in food systems?
 

Fields of expertise

Meso level: food systems in France and abroad, in particular in the Mediterranean Basin and Africa: value chains (wine-making, fruit and vegetables, cereals), alternative food systems; food distribution, sustainable consumption and circularity.

Micro level: organisations of the social and solidarity economy (cooperatives, farmer organisations, etc.); strategies of agricultural and agri-food companies and AgTech start-ups.

Main geographic areas

• Africa
• Europe
• Japan
• Mediterranean area