SHORT SUPPLY CHAIN: ANALYSIS OF THE COMPETITIVENESS OF ORGANIC HORTICULTURAL FARMERS AT ITALIAN REGIONAL LEVEL

The paper focuses on the competitiveness of organic horticultural farms implementing short food supply chain (SFSC), by analysing the organisational structures adopted by farmers and their economic performance. The collection of data based on face to face interviews with farmers and the review of the rural development plans of three central Italy regions. Results show that farms prefer a combination of organizational structures that involve both business to consumer and business to business strategies. A high number of farms realise direct selling to consumers implemented through in farm selling and market distribution channels. Nonetheless, farms performing the highest turnover take advantage from the support of informal or formal network of producers. At policy level intervention towards strengthening SFSC’s competitiveness is still lacking.