Food Distribution Systems (FDS) are a group of human and, increasingly, autonomous robotic activities that link those who produce the food in the first instance and those who eat and drink it.

FDS need to be designed with the purpose of being able to feed the entire population safely, nutritiously, and sustainably, resilient to all the challenges that FDS are facing like climate change, population changes, volatility in production, new technologies, market dynamics, and consumption.

This course will help you understand the design and complexity of food distribution systems. The critical role played by various actors in the value chain in distributing the food to different consumer segments effectively. The role of value chain design in incentive allocation for actors involved in food distribution.

At the end of this course and assessment, you would be able to answer/discuss the below questions with a lot more clarity and confidence.

-->Who are the critical players in food and agribusiness value chains and how are they structured?
-->What are the dynamics of food & agribusiness value chains in emerging markets?
-->What are the dynamics of food & agribusiness value chains in western markets?
-->What is the role of food distribution systems in agrifood value chain?
-->What are the similarities and differences between food distribution systems in emerging & established country value chains?
-->What are the challenges in food distribution within the context of emerging markets?
-->How should producers approach their distribution/sales to strengthen their business model?
-->How can farmer cooperatives add value and strengthen their business model?
-->How can wholesalers add value and strengthen their business models?
-->How should processors approach their distribution/sales to strengthen their business model?
-->What would be the most effective distribution/sales models for HoReCa?
-->How is the role of consumers changing within the context of food distribution systems?
-->How can retailers increase their value add and strengthen their business model?
-->How is retail in emerging markets different from established markets?
-->How can service providers contribute to building competitive & robust value chains and food distribution systems?
-->What policy-level interventions can support building competitive & robust value chains and food distribution systems?


The completion of learning and assessment can take anywhere between 3-5 hours of time investment.

Hope you will enjoy the learning experience from this course