FORESIGHT STUDIES FOR THE STRATEGIC PLANNING OF AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTION CHAINS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE METHODS USED

Abstract

Background. The current challenges of agri-food chains make it necessary for them to be efficient not only from the standpoint of costs, but also to develop the capacity to adapt to the ever-changing environment and set up a long-term vision, i.e., the use of strategic foresight for the production chains planning. Objetive. The objectives of this systematic review were: 1) to compare the use of prospective methods in research’s carried out from 2010 to 2021 for agri-food production chains in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2) to discuss the main scope and achievements of recent studies and 3) analyze the areas of opportunity for the following investigations. Methodology. The study was carried out by the PRISMA statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic reviews and Meta-Analyzes), a systematic literature review was conducted in the global databases ScienceDirect, Elsevier, EBSCO, Springer, Wiley and academic Google using the following key terms: “foresight studies, methodologies, agri-food productive chain and strategic planning”. Implications. Given the complexity of the environment and the high level of competition in which agri-food production chains work, it is necessary to join a long-term vision, i.e. the use of strategic foresight for the production chains development. To make prospective studies, there are a variety of methods available that were analyzed and compared in this research. Conclusions. Despite the enormous contributions of prospective studies, in terms of publications, projects and research results of regional scope are basically published. The systematic analysis carried out indicates that the methodological bases of the recent investigations carried out are based on the French school of prospective and not on the foresight. There is still work to be done in the establishment of Observatories or scientific councils that can process and evaluate strategic studies on the future and also in matters of institutional development of prospective. It is therefore necessary to redouble efforts and continue to develop foresight studies for the priority production chains for the development of the Latin American and Caribbean region.