Sofitel Plaza Hotel, Hanoi, VIETNAM

It is widely believed that the many small producers in the developing countries face enumerable problems in their efforts to transact with the global retail chains and food processors. Problems abound at every stage of the chain including production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, distribution and logistics and quality management. More recently, consumers, especially those in Europe and North America are becoming more concerned about the safety of the foods that they consume and the very manner in which this food has been produced. The growing demand for triple bottom line reporting now requires corporate enterprises to show responsibility for the shareholders, the environment and social equity.

However, in most developing countries concern for the environment and sustainable methods of production are often neglected because of farmers need to maximise income to meet household demands. Issues such as occupational health and safety, particularly towards the application of chemicals, potentially endanger not only the operator but also the environment. Various efforts to introduce quality management systems have often met resistance because farmers lack the knowledge and institutional support. Similarly, various efforts to empower farmers through the formation of agricultural cooperatives usually result in failure because of the inherent corruption and lack of sufficient and appropriate government support. At the micro-level, while many projects have attempted to improve the efficiency of the supply chain by an examination of the transactional costs involved, there is a growing recognition of the importance of interpersonal relationships and social capital.

As this symposium seeks to address the various means of improving the performance of supply chains in the transitional economies, we shall welcome papers that discuss any one or more than one of the following themes:

• Power/dependence

• Quality management systems

• Trust and social capital 

• Consumer sovereignty 

• Market information systems

• Supply chain management 

• Export market development

• Food integrity and food safety

• International competitive advantage

• Development policy

• Transport and logistics 

• Finance and infrastructure

• Packaging and branding

• Grower cooperatives and alliances

• Good agricultural practice

• Environmental stewardship

• Post-harvest systems

Full information at http://www.muresk.curtin.edu.au/conference/ishsvn/index.html [1]