جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « supply chain » در نشریات گروه « کشاورزی »

In the supply chain of essential grains such as rice, fraud, poor supervision and delay in reaching the product to the final destination, are always among the main challenges of the beneficiaries of these chains. Improving the supply chain monitoring and tracking system is the best solution to reduce discrepancy among business partners and information asymmetry in these chains. Blockchain enables the mapping and visualizing of steps in a supply chain easily because of its interconnected and encompassing bridging of actions. it builds trust among the parties included in a supply chain because it provides open access to key data points it captures. Blockchain encapsulates smart contracts and automatically update actions when predetermined conditions of the actions are met. Since blockchain is a distributed ledger consisting of multiple copies, it is almost impossible to tamper with a specific transaction because one has to alter all the copies simultaneously. Blockchain is also advantageous for ensuring and sustaining consensus over the process because all the parties know that the transactions are automated and valid. The application of blockchain technology in the management of supply chains brings many benefits such as traceability, information security, transparency and trust. The traditionality of the method of monitoring and tracking in the rice supply chain brings serious concerns about fraud and lack of quality assurance. In this situation, it is very difficult to create trust and transparency between the stakeholders of the chain. The application of blockchain technology can be the driver of the transition from the traditional management of the rice supply chain in Iran. Identifying the factors affecting the application of this technology in the supply chain and determining their importance can improve the policy-making process in this field. Considering the importance of rice in the food basket of Iranian households and the existing concerns about safety and issues such as fraud in the supply chain of this product, the present study identifies the drivers influencing the use of blockchain technology in the rice supply chain and also, their prioritization took into account.

This study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of research method. The research tool is a pairwise comparison questionnaire based on the objective, criteria and sub-criteria of the decision tree. The decision tree was formed with the aim of identifying and prioritizing the drivers affecting the use of blockchain technology in the rice supply chain, and it includes six criteria and 26 sub-criteria. The findings of previous researches and the opinions of sample experts were used in designing the decision tree. The required information was obtained by completing the pairwise comparison questionnaire by 10 rice market experts in Guilan province during the spring of 2023. In order to analyze the data and determine the relative weight of research criteria and sub-criteria, spherical fuzzy hierarchical analyze was used. This process is carried out in five stages, including creating a decision tree, creating a matrix of paired comparisons using linguistic terms, checking the consistency of the matrix of paired comparisons, calculating fuzzy weights and determining the final rating score of the options. In order to categorize the sub-criteria in terms of the effect intensity, the interval of standard deviation from mean was used.

According to the number of decision tree criteria and sub-criteria, seven comparison groups and 62 pairwise comparisons were analyzed. The validity of the research findings was evaluated using the inconsistency index. The value of the inconsistency index in all comparisons were less than 10%, which indicates the validity of the relative weights. The criteria of "smart contract", "traceability and prevention of fraud" and "simplification of transactions" with a total relative weight of more than 57% are three important criteria according to experts’ comments, respectively. Among the sub-criteria of the smart contract, "increasing the credibility of the rice supply chain" is the most important with a relative weight of 29.52 percent. Regarding the sub-criteria related to "traceability and prevention of fraud" and "simplification of transactions", "quick identification of rice" with a relative weight of 20.30% and "doing payment without the need for a bank" with a relative weight of 24.65% were the most important drivers. Classification of drivers using the interval of standard deviation from mean showed that there are four sub-criteria in the impact category with very high intensity, eight sub-criteria in the impact category with high intensity, 11 sub-criteria in the impact category with low intensity and three sub-criteria in the impact category with very low intensity. Increasing the credibility of the rice supply chain, no need to physical presence in setting up contracts, safe storage of rice supply chain information, and speeding up data transfer in the rice supply chain are sub-criteria with very high impact intensity.

The use of blockchain technology in managing and optimizing the supply chain of agricultural and food products is emphasized by many researchers, operational managers and policy makers. Many challenges in the rice supply chain require promoting the use of new technologies such as blockchain. The findings of this research, including the identification, prioritization and classification of drivers affecting the use of blockchain technology in the rice supply chain, provide a suitable opportunity to formulate a related policy package and operational measures in the supply chain.

There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has had numerous adverse impacts on every aspect of human existence. In times of crises like epidemics throughout history, ensuring a sufficient food supply has always been a crucial concern. Given that the agricultural sector plays a vital role in the food supply chain and maintaining sustainability in this sector is essential for food security, this study aims to identify and prioritize the factors that influence the sustainability of the agricultural supply chain, specifically focusing on the wheat crop, during and after the Corona era.

Based on the research background, the factors that impact the sustainability of the agricultural supply chain were determined. In the agricultural sector, like previous studies on supply chain sustainability, the study focused on the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. However, experts suggest that the study is more centered on these three dimensions, which are particularly significant in the agricultural industry. By utilizing the Fuzzy Delphi method, 28 sub-criteria related to these hidden sustainability variables were identified. The Fuzzy DEMATEL method was then employed to examine cause-and-effect relationships and the interaction between criteria. Finally, the Fuzzy method was used to determine the degree of importance and weight of these criteria.

To achieve sustainable agriculture, research centers should prioritize the necessary research in this field, as highlighted by Sharghi et al. (2010). Farmers who possess more information about sustainability have been found to have more sustainable farms, confirming a direct correlation between these two factors (Afrous & Abdollahzadeh, 2011). The outcomes of the present study align with previous research, demonstrating that the level of attention given by research organizations to required research on sustainability is the most influential criterion within the causal group of sustainable procurement with a weight of 3.34, it holds the highest importance in the ranking according to the SWARA method. Updating and sharing information in DEMATEL's method has the fourth highest impact on other factors in the cause-and-effect group. However, in the SWARA's method was found to be the second most important factor, with a weight of 0.2403. Another study confirmed that the three main limitations of sustainable wheat production are the farmers' limited knowledge, lack of approved and resistant seeds, and inadequate management systems, especially for weeds. The use of local suppliers, specifically utilizing stored seeds from farmers, can lead to the spread of diseases and an increase in weed populations (Husenov et al., 2017). The proliferation of weeds leads to the squandering of production resources and a decrease in production levels. The most impactful factor for the sustainability of the wheat supply chain, as determined by the causal group, is the requirement of collaborating with an ISO-certified supplier. This criterion holds a significant weight of 0.4915 and is essential for achieving sustainable supply and design. Recognizing the significance of this criterion is crucial to enhance production and mitigate the risk of potential diseases. However, farmers, due to the expensive cost of modified seeds, resort to utilizing seeds from their previous crop. Based on the Fuzzy DEMATEL method, water consumption management ranked fifth among the criteria that influence other criteria. However, according to the Fuzzy SWARA method, it ranked second with a weight of 0.251. With water resources being scarce in the region, it is crucial to use water efficiently and prevent wastage, as this will positively impact productdid not support the significance of stopping gray marketing of products. According to experts, this study determined that the most effective criteria for the causal group in stabilizing the agricultural supply chain of wheat products during the Covid-19 era is to stop gray marketing. This criterion received the highest degree of importance, with a weight of 0.4469, in the dimension of sustainable distribution.Imports decreased because of the restrictions and quarantine measures, which led to a shortage of seeds for crops like wheat that relied on imports. Social distancing measures also caused a shortage of labor in agriculture, leading to a significant reduction in farming activities. By focusing on supply and sustainable design during epidemics and crises, there is an ability increased to manage the supply chain and positively impact other aspects of production sustainability.

Based on the results obtained, increasing farmers' awareness, and utilizing approved seeds can prevent resource wastage and enhance the stability of the supply chain. Additionally, reducing gray market activities can contribute to the supply chain's stability and ultimately enhance food security. Effective management of water consumption is also crucial for ensuring the sustainability of the supply chain, particularly due to the water scarcity crisis in the region. Enhancing the stability of the supply chain not only facilitates resilience during crises like Covid-19 but also promotes self-sufficiency in producing agricultural products essential for Iranian households, including wheat, which is a fundamental necessity.

Cellulosic industry organizations try to establish appropriate strategies to perform the main production processes and provide services to customers by improving productivity and reducing costs. Environmental concerns, energy scarcity, depletion of natural resources, and increased competition among organizations have made the study of a sustainable supply chain cost-effective for market success. The purpose of this study is to identify effective indicators for a stable supply chain sustainability model in the cellulosic industry with multi-objective decision making methods.

The present study is an exploratory research in terms of orientation, applied and in terms of method, quantitative-qualitative, which has used the data theory strategy of the foundation. The data collection tool in the qualitative section aimed at identifying the components and sub-components of stable supply chain sustainability, in-depth and semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling method. In the quantitative part of the research, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed. The obtained data were used to measure variables and weight by Vickor and Shannon entropy methods.

Eleven main components and thirty sub-components were identified by qualitative studies for stable supply chain stability. By examining the relationships and ranking of indices using quantitative methods, green storage indices with a numerical value of 0.133 and continuous improvement with a numerical value of 0.134 were considered as the top components. According to the Vickor index, the components of green warehousing, quality improvement, economic stability, intra-organizational pressures, information technology capabilities, company commitment and strategy, logistics optimization, social values, institutional pressures, strategic supplier cooperation and environmental protection, respectively. Stable supply chain stability affects the cellulose industry.

Due to the shortest distance to achieve sustainability in green warehousing and quality improvement, cellulose industry organizations in the country can use the results of this study to increase productivity and reduce organizational costs  .

Extended Abstract
Introduction and

Today internationalization of small bussinessesis considered as a main factor in the economic development of warsaw economic units. Internationalization is beneficial for economic development,welfare of countries and gaining international reputation and as an important strategics option for the growth of small units.The purpose of these research is to examine the relationship between internationalization strategies and the classifications of knoeledge based companies structures.

The research is a quantitative research in terms of practical purpose and in terms of strategy. Depending on how the data is collected, the research is of a descriptive-survery type.The statistical population of this research is senior managers,middle managers and marketing officials of knowledge-based standard questionaries,which after face validity was confirmed with the help of PLS software,its construct validity was confirmed. Reliability was calculated and confirmed using Korniach,s alpha.Multiple regression and structured model were used to investigate the relationship between research variables.

In the test of the conceptual model of the research by PLS software,the pass confficient egual to (0.914) was obtained,which indicates the possitive impact of internationalization strutegies on structural classification and eccording to the T-statistics (6.035)at the %95 level,there is a significant relashionship between the internationalization strategies or the classification of the structures of knowledege-based companies,and this hypothesis has been accepted.
Conclution: It confirms the significant relashionship and influence of the role of internationa lization strategies or structural classification of knowledge.Based companies and among the changing dimensions of internationalization strategies,internationalization in the internal dimension has had the greatest effect om the structural classification of knowledge-based companies.

Currently, the agricultural food supply chain is facing many challenges including the increase in the diversity of consumer demand, quality, product safety, and unsustainable growth, as well as many challenges including environmental, economic, and social concerns. Despite its importance, unfortunately, until now, there has been very little coherent and coordinated research on identifying and solving the challenges in this field. On the other hand, a wide range of indicators for monitoring and evaluating sustainability issues in the field of agri-food are seen sporadically, but a few of them are specifically related to this field. Therefore, this research aimed to provide a model of effective indicators of the sustainable supply chain of agricultural food and to increase attention to the research results obtained using a systematic review approach. To identify accurately the indicators by searching in the databases, 74 articles in the field of the sustainable supply chain of food and agriculture were reviewed separately. Finally, 40 articles were selected until the beginning of 2023 and analyzed to reveal the prospects and research gaps in this field. Previous studies have focused individually on the aspects of identification, safety food safety, and performance evaluation, but the simultaneous examination of the supply chain of agricultural food sustainability with other indicators involved in this field has rarely been investigated. The main category of key performance criteria and indicators (i.e. efficiency, flexibility, responsiveness, product quality, and reliability) have been identified as effective indicators in this field. A new concept for evaluating and identifying indicators, chain challenges provide an agricultural food supply that includes sustainability indicators and other relevant indicators along with special indicators.

Red meat supply chains are of special importance because they are one of the most important consumable materials in the basket households. This chain can be examined from various aspects; one of the most important of which is the red meat production ring. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the position of traditional livestock keepers in the red meat supply chain (Case study: the southwestern skirt of Zagros). In order to achieve the overall goal of the study, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In the quantitative phase of the research, using proportional sampling method (multi-stage classes), information was collected from traditional sheep and goat livestock keepers. In the quality phase, using Delphi and SWOT methods, deep and extensive quality information was extracted from red meat supply chain specialists (including livestock experts of Jihad Keshavarzi). The results of the study showed that traditional livestock keepers are in a very critical economic (27.8 out of 100) and social (35.5 out of 100) situation. Finally, among the strategies developed, the highest attractiveness was related to "knowledge-based development and injection of information and technology to increase the quality and productivity of red meat production through useing scientific and modern methods" and the lowest attractiveness was related to "reducing the risk of red meat production through expanding livestock keepers and livestock insurance with appropriate and reasonable support conditions."

Considering the role of new technologies and integrated information and communication technology in improving the supply chain, as well as the importance of investigating the preferences of actors to accept technology, the purpose of this study is to identify and rank the indicators of blockchain technology for the configuration of the vegetable oil supply chain. For this purpose, the symmetric analysis method was used and the relative importance of features and the desirability of evaluating parts of the surfaces were calculated. This method is used to identify and understand the combined effects of attributes on the preference for a product or service. To collect information, 9 cards were designed using XLSTAT software, and then 42 vegetable oil supply chain agents, including farmers, importers, oil factories, and other supply and distribution sectors. , completed online in 2022. Based on the results, the features of "Do the order on time & Close relationship with suppliers", "Transparency in all physical-financial-product transactions", "Reduce Lead time", "Compatibility and planning" and "Data immutability" were respectively the most desirable. This research showed that by using the features of blockchain technology, it is possible to facilitate the cooperation and integration of the vegetable oil supply chain and create the highest benefit for the chain actors. In the following, by designing the structure of this technology in accordance with the preferences of the actors of the vegetable oil supply chain and also with the cooperation of policymakers in order to plan and prepare the necessary infrastructure in order to implement blockchain technology in the country, the conditions of this chain can be improved.

Investigating the behavior of market players in pricing higher than the competitive level determines the bargaining power of the higher economic profits and leads to their market power. This is especially important for policymakers in terms of equity pricing in agricultural pricing policies. Fruit consumption plays an important role in diet variability and prevention of chronic diseases. Given the significant share of these products in horticultural production on the one hand and their unique role in providing household food security on the other, it is necessary to analyze the market power of supply chain actors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the behavior of fruit market players in each of the supply chains using weekly data during the period 2012-2017 in Tehran. The findings showed that the wholesale market power of all products except apple and watermelon was higher than the retailer and dominated the other levels throughout the entire marketing chain. The results also showed competitive behavior in the market for all fruits except oranges, and finally, market players reacted differently to relative price changes at different levels of the supply chain. Therefore, it is recommended that planners try to modify the behavior of market players against relative price changes at different levels of the supply chain.

The purpose of current applied research was to explain the promotional educational factors affecting the sustainability of the supply chain of healthy agricultural products. The research was conducted with a mixed exploratory perspective. The participants of the research in the hierarchical analysis section included 45 experts related to the research topic who were involved in extracting, ranking and weighting the criteria and sub-criteria of sustainable supply chain and determining the importance of educational-extension methods in sustainability of supply chain of healthy agricultural products. Also, in the quantitative section, the statistical population of the study consisted of all farmers participating in training and extension courses related to supply chain management supported by the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Ilam Province in 2020 and 2021 years. The sample size was determined using the sampling table of Bartlett et al. Data were collected using a questionnaire and the apparent and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by a group of experts and the reliability of the questionnaire was estimated by the sequential alpha (α = 0.98). The results of hierarchical analysis showed the most important factors for the sustainability of the supply chain of healthy agricultural products were economic, social, and environmental factors. Also, Result and Method demonstration method was the most appropriate extension training method for the sustainability of the supply chain of healthy agricultural products. Logistic regression analysis revealed that promotional educational factors confirmed 72% of variance of the stability of the supply chain of healthy agricultural products.

Sustainable management of thesupply chain has a special place in thesupply of products to thefinal consumer.Iran's pistachio industry is also very important in providing foreign exchange and improving thecountry's trade balance.Therefore, reforming thesupply chain through theexpansion of knowledge and awareness will greatly contribute to thegreater competitiveness of this industry in theglobal market and thestability of thesupply chain.Therefore, thepresent study seeks to investigate theeffect of thelevel of knowledge and awareness of customers on improving thesustainability of thepistachio product supply chain in Iran from the experts' point of view.This research was applied interms of purpose, which was done with a mixed approach.In thequalitative stage, thestudied population included20experts of Iran's pistachio industry, who were selected through thewebsite of theIranian Pistachio Association, using thepurposeful snowball sampling method.In thequantitative stage, thestatistical population included156people from thefield of pistachio industry,130 people were determined according to Cochran'sformula and simple random sampling was used.In thequalitative part, thematic analysis method was used to identify the categories and concepts, and in thequantitative part, thestructural equation modeling method was used with SmartPLS3 software to analyze therelationships between thevariables.Based on theobtained results, in thequalitative section,55concepts were identified in theform of 6main categories. Also, theresults of thequantitative section showed that the categories of agricultural knowledge have a direct effect on processing knowledge, processing knowledge on warehousing and transportation knowledge,warehousing and transportation knowledge on marketing and distribution knowledge,marketing and distribution knowledge on support and service knowledge.Also, allthe categories, except the marketing and distribution category, which wasnot approved, have a direct impact on sustainable supplychain management.

 Agricultural cooperatives are mainly considered as key actors in the food supply chain. Although these actors can play a role in the formation of cooperative relationships in different stages of the food supply chain, they lack a comprehensive pattern for mapping cooperation. Accordingly, the current study seeks to provide a model for the collaboration of livestock production cooperatives across the food supply chain.

This qualitative study was conducted using classic grounded theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 32 experts and cooperatives' managing directors. Snowball and theoretical sampling techniques were used to select participants. In order to facilitate data collection and analysis, a five-step process was performed using Glaser's 6Cs coding family.

The results showed that the formation of a collaboration triangle among cooperatives, members, and the union, based on the contract approach, directs the activities of the cooperatives across the supply chain. This collaboration triangle is facilitated or restricted by various factors, such as trust-based action. Overall, the collaboration structure of cooperatives has a potential context, and in order to provide a real model of this cooperation, it is necessary to implement the principles of cooperation agreements at three levels of production, management, and marketing and market in such a way that the capacities of cooperatives and the needs of the market are taken into account. In the meantime, transparency and formalization of the capacity-need model seem inevitable.

The potential of food insect-related industries has led to the creation of international markets for related food insect conversion and complementary industries such as food insect food, food insect pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries; Therefore, creating an industry supply chain network is important. For this purpose, the present study, using the library-field method, has extracted the obstacles related to the establishment of the food insect supply network in seven categories: educational, economic, health, infrastructure, cultural, legal and managerial. Then, the extraction barriers were analyzed using the best-worst model (BWM) method. Based on this, three categories (cultural (24%), economic (21%) and legal (12%) were selected as the most important categories and prevented a negative attitude towards the use of insects weighing 0.14 as important ‌ The most obstacle was identified. In order to facilitate the creation of supply chain networks, it is suggested that in addition to the publication of research related to the consumption of edible insects and effective advertising through the national media, this negative mentality be changed. It is also suggested that in the food industry related to edible insects, products be processed in such a way (product design) that its appearance is different from the appearance of insects.

Now days, the use of lean manufacturing techniques, as a constructive factor in sustainable supply chain planning, is emphasized not only to eliminate wastes, but also to create and improve customer value in the waste elimination process. This study aimed to provide a causal model between lean manufacturing tools affecting the supply chain sustainability in production cooperatives in East Azerbaijan Province. The statistical population of the study consisted of the managers of both industrial and agricultural production cooperatives in East Azerbaijan province, including 1573 mangers of cooperatives and 10 experts familiar with the research area. 301 mangers of cooperatives were selected based on the Krejcie and Morgan's table. A questionnaire was used to collect the data that its validity and reliability have already been confirmed. In order to data analysis, exploratory factor analysis and DEMATEL techniques were used. According to the results, nine main components can be considered as lean manufacturing tools affecting supply chain sustainability. Furthermore, the results of the developed model showed that the causal relations in the research conceptual model were confirmed, and can be effective for the supply chain sustinability of production cooperatives, increase profitability, reduce environmental proplems, and provide better performance to employees, customers and society.

In recent months, the price of chicken meat has risen sharply, endangering the welfare of consumers; On the other hand, rising input prices have created several problems for producers. Given the problems that exist along the supply chain of this product and due to the large number of activities and agents involved in this chain; In this study, a system thinking approach has been used to investigate the challenges of the chicken meat supply chain.Two types of complexity, including combinatorial complexity and dynamic complexity can occur in systems such as the supply chain of the agricultural products. Combinatorial complexity is due to the presence of different elements or actors in the system; while dynamic complexity can occur even in the simple systems due to the interactions between agents over time (Sterman, 2000). Van Mai (2010) believes that system thinking is a appropriate approach for analyzing complex systems and identifying leverage points for intervention because it can investigate the interrelationships among several subsystems. Therefore, in this study, it was used system thinking approach to investigate interrelationships among agents of chicken supply chain actors in Iran.In this study, the relationships between chain agents were extracted in the causal loop diagram and then, the system archetypes were identified. The causal loop diagram includes 6 reinforcing loops and 14 balancing loops. Identified archetypes also includes balancing process with delay, fixes that fail, shifting the burden and escalation. Fixes that fail and shifting the burden archetypes showed that the livestock input import policy has not been helpful to regulate the domestic market. It has only made the system accustomed to supply the needed livestock input through imports and abandoned basic solutions. In addition, the corn and soybean meal import policy has not been effective in decreasing corn price and soybean meal price, because of the lack of monitoring on imported corn and soybean meal distribution.

Annually, large quantities of agricultural products are wasted and a lot of damage is done to the country's financial and food resources. The most important causes of this waste are related to the various sectors of transportation, packaging, storage, processing and distribution of agricultural products. One significant tool to increase in supply chain productivity and reduce logistics costs of the agricultural sector is to establish agricultural logistics centers. The current study seeks to identify a suitable area for the construction of an agricultural logistics center in Isfahan province. In this regard, criteria affecting the selection of locations for logistics centers (compensatory and non-compensatory) were first identified and then the process of locating was implemented in two separate phases. In the first phase, in order to identify potential site options for a logistics center within the province, geographical boundaries associated with non-compensatory criteria were excluded from the study. In the second phase, according to the mathematical model presented, the cost of establishing a logistics center was calculated in possible sites in terms of compensatory criteria and then relevant geographic data layers were developed and, at the end, all data layers were integrated.

This paper, first, studies the experimental literature in the field of successful logistics centers across the world as to identify criteria affecting the location of agricultural logistics centers in terms of non-compensatory grammatical (geological and environmental factors) and compensatory (measurable factors with quantitative values) criteria. Next, the process of locating is implemented during two stage. In the first stage, in order to identify possible sites for Logistics Park within the province, geographic data layers associated with non-compensatory criteria are gathered and the respective boundaries are excluded from the study. Note that in order to unify mapping units being studied with respect to 1: 2500000 scale map of analytical maps used, the province is divided into 4510 separate blocks of 25 Km2. For the second stage, based on the general framework of logistics activities, the spatial analysis is carried out for load flows (the production and consumption profiles) of agronomic, horticultural and livestock. According to the location theories in minimizing costs, a mathematical model is developed to compute costs of agricultural logistics center establishment per each 1440 blocks located in potential sites in terms of compensatory criteria and then under the Arc GIS software environment, all data layers related to these criteria are developed and integrated. The best option is to install a block logistics center having the minimum cost. Due to the large volume of data gathered as well as the variety of analysis and calculation units (blocks of 25 Km2), the C++ programmer is used to perform algebraic and matrix calculations. (Road and rail) distances applied in the model for different origins and destinations are calculated and extracted as the distance of the network through the Arc GIS software. Raw data of road bill of lading blocks have been obtained from the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization of Isfahan for the period between 2013 and 2018 for the commodity groups including agronomic, horticultural and livestock

The most optimal (least expensive) area for the establishments of an agricultural logistics center is located in the west of the urban complex of Isfahan and between the counties of Tiran and Karvan, Najafabad and Lenjan. The proposed area acts as an intermediary between the production centers of agronomic, horticultural and livestock products in the west of the province and the urban complex of Isfahan as a major consumer of agronomic, horticultural and livestock products. Proximity to the west-north freeway makes it possible to send the province's surplus products to the northern and eastern provinces of the country.

The current study aims to provide a data mining approach to customer-oriented development of new products with a focus on one type of fertilizer. The problem considered in this study was due to the high volume and variety of customer demand on the one hand and the limitation of agricultural cooperatives in the variety of available fertilizers on the other hand. Accordingly, the data related to the real needs and priorities of customers in terms of fertilizer type, price, and purchase time were collected using survey tools firstly, and then analyzed based on the CRISP algorithm in data mining. In the first step of data analysis and in order to develop customer-oriented new products, the clustering method was used and thus the variety of fertilizers introduced by customers was reduced from 37 to 5; In a way, the features of the new products were very close to the needs of most customers. Then, using the decision tree method, the desired quality forecast was done for each new product in different time periods and based on, the supply and production pattern of products was provided according to the desire and demand of customers in each season. In general, and according to the results obtained, it can be said that the use of data mining can be useful in the development of new products in a customer-oriented way and this approach is able to respond to issues such as data diversity management as well as customer-centric supply chain management planning.

The supply chain of a product to a user is a temporal and spatial process. This chain has a local to global scope, in which water is consumed and eventually polluted. Water footprint is a multidimensional indicator. Water footprint describes the direct and indirect consumption of water by a consumer or a production process and describes contaminated water in the production chain. The complete assessment of water footprint is done in four stages: setting goals, calculation stage, water footprint sustainability assessment and codification of policy making rules. In the framework of "water footprint assessment", the comprehensive and final objectives of the study (creating awareness, improving consumption pattern, achieving sustainability or policy decisions) must be specified first. The spatial / temporal scale and studied (person, product, or geographic area) should also be specified. In the next step, the study approach (calculation of direct or indirect consumption, blue, green or gray footprint) is specified. This paper explains the basic principles of this framework and possibility of its implementation in Iran. Because without these structures in water footprint studies and virtual water calculations, the results obtained for policy decisions are not reliable. As a result, it will not be possible to accurately estimate the water footprint of an area in order to plan to reduce water consumption. Therefore, the need to be familiar with such a framework is important.

Due to diverse ecosystems in Iran, the country has been one of important centers of supplying herbal plants. Hence, the context of herbal plants can act as a valuable resource for increasing non-oil revenue. Current research has investigated how to design a herbal plant’s supply chain network in view points of business and customers. Therefore supply chain of herbal plants of India, Africa, United States, and Iran has been studied. Iran’s Foeniculum vulare Mill herbal plant has a remarkable share in trade market. Razan city in Hamadan province is one of the major planting centers of it. In this article, modeling of supply chain network considers 4 levels which are purchasing material, processing, distribution and customer. Modeling is done by bi- objective MILP to increase two objectives of profit and quality. Research method is quantitative. Outputs of network design are location of processing and distribution centers, also assignment of distribution centers to customers, determining delivering quantities and different transportion modes selection between all active nodes of a network in different levels of the supply chain. Main innovation of the research is application of quality featurs of herbal plants as quality degredation rate. Validation of the model is assessed by real data in the case study. Sensitivity analysis on the results shows that the modeling has the validity and reliability. Effective solutions of the model are shown in a Pareto boundery. The results in one selected point are described. Results of the research can be used for agricultural products with limited shelf life and constant degredation rate and also for herbal plants in priority in national document of herbal plants programming. In order to develope the research, uncertainty of supply and demand parameters can be considered, also multi products supply chain and network of exporting herbal plants can be considered in future studies.

One of the most important challenges facing the world is how to feed expected population by 2050. Despite trying to increase food production over the past half-century, food security has been a strategic issue and an important goal of agricultural policies in many countries by challenges including population grow, increasing demand, natural resources erosion, etc. One of the critical dimensions in achieving food security is expanding food supply chain. A food supply chain can be defined as a set of interdependent components include of input supply, production, storage, processing, marketing, distribution and consumption or as the activities from ‘farm to fork’. Bread supply chain in Iran, is one of the most important food supply chain because bread is considered as the most important food source and is staple food of choice, so it has a special place in household’s nutrition pattern that supply 46.2% and 59.3% of energy for urban and rural people. Also, wheat is the raw material of bread and one of the strategic and critical crops in Iran agriculture. More than 80% of wheat consumption in Iran is predominantly used for bread. Wheat is the staple food of the national diet of Iranian households, who draw, on average, 47% of their daily calorie from wheat products. Although the population of Iran is nearly 1% of world population, it consumes roughly 2.5% of wheat produced worldwide. But, wheat is exposed to different kinds of risks such as natural disasters, including environmental concerns and climate change, pests and diseases, market vacillations and government policy that affect bread supply chain performance. So, the objective of this study is to explore factors affecting wheat production risk in bread supply chain.

In this study regression analysis was used to determine the effects of variables on wheat production risk. The used data was time series for  wheat production, wheat guarantee price, harvested area, rainfall, temperature, wheat axial plan, seed consumption, wheat import and export variables during 1982-2014. In order to explore factors affecting wheat production risk, at first wheat production variance as the risk criterion was estimated by ARCH (2) Model. The used data in the study was time series and therefore applying Ordinary Least Squares method in estimating regression equation would lead to pseudo regression. Since based on Augmented Dicky-Fuller method, variables were combination of I (0) and I (1), therefore Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model has been used to determine short run and long run relationship.

Results revealed that wheat production risk was affected by population, wheat imports, rainfall, wheat guaranteed prices, harvested area and wheat axial plan variables which population, import, rainfall, harvested area had a positive effect and guaranteed price and wheat axle plan had a negative effect on wheat production risk. Therefore increasing population growth, import, rainfall and harvested area would lead to risk increase while increasing price and the implementation of wheat axis plan would reduce wheat production risk. So, increasing population and consumption, have also increased wheat import in recent years. While wheat import have reduced domestic production and farmers' incentives that would lead to increased wheat production risk. The tools used by governments for increasing domestic production against wheat import and increasing producer’s incentives are guaranteed price and wheat axial plan. Another effective cause of wheat production risk was climate changes and extreme weather events. Farmers’ economic profit was influenced severely and even determined by climate changes and weather events. Also, during this period, wheat harvested area had nearly doubled. This growing trend has also increased the risk of wheat production.

wheat is a strategic crops in Iran. So, it is necessary to reduce its production risk. Wheat production risk was reduced by applying weather-based crop insurance scheme, sustaining the guaranteed price of wheat, supporting plans such as wheat axial plan, improving policies such as wheat imports and optimizing harvested area.