Short Food Chains and Sustainability: A Review of the Environmental, Social and Economic Impacts

In the last few years interest in short food supply chains has been steadily increasing, finding ever more room in both institutional and scientific debate. This paper aims at identifying the implications of short food chains for environmental, social and economic issues, as they emerge from the scientific, institutional and gray literature regarding various different fields. The evidence on the impact of short food supply chains on these three dimensions of sustainability points to the expediency of promoting those local markets that reveal significant advantages in one or more aspects related to local development and community well-being in rural areas.