A research on the evaluation of short food supply chain types used in the sale of raw milk in sustainabilty context

Food systems are systems that involve different processes from the production of food sources to their distribution, seeking alternative solutions under pressures such as population growth, climate change, environmental problems, and increasing competition to ensure sustainability. In addition to large-scale production models used to ensure more efficient use of resources, changes in the lifestyles of societies, have increased the share of industrial and global food supply chains in food systems. However, the proliferation of these chains brings with it not only advantages but also various risks. The recent pandemic process has led to a renewed interest in short food supply chains (KGTZ) due to society's concerns about food security. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the sustainability of KGTZ in terms of their environmental, economic, and social dimensions. In the study, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on the concept of short food supply chains, the food systems they are part of, their effects on consumers, producers, and societies, and the concept of sustainability. Following this, a qualitative study was conducted to evaluate the impact of short food supply chains that sell raw milk in the Konya province on producers in terms of sustainability, in line with the opinions of relevant participants. The semi-structured interview method was used to provide systematic and comparable information. Questions were formulated to capture the defined indicators, and these questions were directed to the interviewees. When the data obtained from the interviews were evaluated, it was found that the examined short food supply chains did not always have a positive impact on sustainability, and the most positive impact was in the social sustainability dimension.