Mendes, Cecilia Mi ie I uki; Dema e Filho, Luiz Ca los; Gamei o, Augus o Haube
A icle
Inco po a ing sus ainabili y in he ood supply chain: The
de elopmen o a p i a e s anda d o Na u e Fa ming
poul y p oduc ion in B azil
Resea ch in Globaliza ion
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Else ie
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Mendes, Cecilia Mi ie I uki; Dema e Filho, Luiz Ca los; Gamei o, Augus o
Haube (2024) : Inco po a ing sus ainabili y in he ood supply chain: The de elopmen o a p i a e
s anda d o Na u e Fa ming poul y p oduc ion in B azil, Resea ch in Globaliza ion, ISSN 2590-051X,
Else ie , Ams e dam, Vol. 8, pp. 1-13,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. esglo.2023.100185
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Inco po a ing sus ainabili y in he ood supply chain: The de elopmen o a
p i a e s anda d o Na u e Fa ming poul y p oduc ion in B azil
Cecilia Mi ie I uki Mendes
a
,
*
, Luiz Ca los Dema ˆ
e Filho
b
, Augus o Haube Gamei o
c
a
Managemen and Inno a ion in Animal Indus y, School o Animal Science & Food Enginee ing, Uni e si y o S˜
ao Paulo, Rua Duque de Caxias, 225 - Campus Fe nando
Cos a, CEP 13635-900 Pi assununga, SP, B azil
b
Mokichi Okada Resea ch Cen e , Ko in G oup, PO Box 33, CEP 13539-899 Ipeúna, SP, B azil
c
Depa men o Animal Science, School o Ve e ina y Medicine and Animal Science, Uni e si y o S˜
ao Paulo, Rua Duque de Caxias, 225 - Campus Fe nando Cos a, CEP
13635-900 Pi assununga, SP, B azil
ARTICLE INFO
Keywo ds:
Ag i- ood chain
Al e na i e chicken
Food s anda d
Go e nance
ABSTRACT
This a icle aims o communica e sus ainabili y dimensions and a ibu es o poul y p oduc ion h oughou a
supply chain by de eloping a Na u e Fa ming (NF) sys em s anda d. Poul y p oduc ion is ele an o ood
secu i y and job c ea ion, an impo an economic ac i i y and a signi ican expo i em in B azil. The NF poul y
p oduc ion sys em was implemen ed in he 90s as a pionee ing ini ia i e, opening space o di e en ia ed
p oduc s. Howe e , ce i ica ion o NF poul y p oduc s has ye o be es ablished and implemen ed o each
consume s. The NF p oduc s a e iden i ied as o ganic on labels, which does no dis inguish he me hod’s sus-
ainabili y, and communica ion o speci ici ies needs o be mo e e icien . We s udied he p ocess o es ablishing
a p i a e ood s anda d wi h a sus ainable app oach, conside ing pe cep ions o he supply chain’s agen s. The
me hod was a case s udy o a poul y company ha applies NF sys em. The quali a i e esea ch in ol ed in-
e iews wi h 27 company manage s, 23 poul y p oduce s, se en a m assis ance echnicians, 11 audi o s, and
12 comme cial manage s. The esul s showed inno a ion by in oducing a Na u e Fa ming poul y s anda d
comp ising p oduc a ibu es and sus ainabili y c i e ia in he dimensions: en i onmen al, economic, and social
in conjunc ion wi h wo signi ican dimensions, which a e e hical and heal h. Ou indings indica ed ha Na u e
Fa ming is a speci ic s yle o ag icul u e ha is di e se om o he cu en s o al e na i e ag icul u e. We p o-
posed exp essions and claims abou he sys em’s quali y a ibu es, aiming a he cla i y o communica ion wi h
consume s. We concluded ha he de eloped s anda d migh be he basis o ce i ica ion o p oduc s. This wo k
con ibu es o imp o ing ood supply chain managemen wi h di e en ia ed and sus ainable p ocesses.
1. In oduc ion
Unde s anding he wo ld’s sus ainabili y challenges and ans-
o ming ag icul u e p ac ices is essen ial o consume s and p oduce s.
In his con ex , p i a e go e nance h ough olun a y s anda ds and
ce i ica ions is a aluable ool (Henson & Humph ey, 2010). Volun a y
sus ainabili y s anda ds, such as Rain o es Alliance, Fo es S ewa dship
Council, and GlobalGAP, manage global supply chains’ social and
en i onmen al impac s by accele a ing sus ainabili y-d i en public
policies (Lambin & Tho lakson, 2018; Rain o es Alliance, 2020).
The ac i i y o poul y p oduc ion is ele an o ood secu i y and
job c ea ion. Howe e , i should add ess se e al challenges o achie e
sus ainabili y goals, such as en i onmen al impac s and clima e c isis,
e icien use o na u e’s esou ces, human and animal heal h and well-
being, and social inequali ies (Mo e & Tempio, 2017). Rega ding an-
imal p oduc ion, heal h issues such as an imic obial esis ance and
oodbo ne diseases a e wo ldwide conce ns (Allcock e al., 2017; G a-
ham e al., 2009; P ice e al., 2005). The poul y indus y may expand on
sus ainabili y by ealizing which a ibu es consume s alue and
adop ing signaling, especially ega ding c edence a ibu es, which a e
no objec i ely measu ed a pu chasing (Pon e & Gibbon, 2005). Claims
like “no use o gene ically modi ied g ains in die s”, “ aised wi hou
an ibio ics”, and “ aised wi h animal wel a e” appea on labels in he
Uni ed S a es (Bowman e al., 2016; Cen ne , 2016), Aus alia (Pa ke
e al., 2017; Pa ke e al., 2018) and B azil (Dema ˆ
e Filho e al., 2023)
o ins ance. P i a e companies ocus on p oduc and se ice a ibu es
* Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed] (C.M.I. Mendes), [email p o ec ed] (L.C. Dema ˆ
e Filho), [email p o ec ed] (A.H. Gamei o).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
Resea ch in Globaliza ion
jou nal homepage: www.sciencedi ec .com/jou nal/ esea ch-in-globaliza ion
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. esglo.2023.100185
Recei ed 16 Ap il 2023; Recei ed in e ised o m 7 Decembe 2023; Accep ed 9 Decembe 2023
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
2
o communica e hese p ope ies and le els o consume s. Howe e ,
he e is di icul y in communica ing di e en ia ed a ibu es, which a e
no always known o eliable. In o ma ional asymme y occu s when
he e is a lack o eliable e i ica ions and ce i ica ions, exposing a
ma ke ailu e (Ake lo , 1970; Caswell & Mojduszka, 1996) because
p oduce s know mo e abou poul y a ming han consume s.
This a icle aims o communica e sus ainable dimensions and a i-
bu es o poul y p oduc ion h oughou a supply chain by de eloping a
Na u e Fa ming (NF) sys em s anda d. NF p inciples, p econized by he
Japanese hinke Mokichi Okada (1882–1955), applied o poul y p o-
duc ion, consis o an o iginal app oach o sus ainable ag icul u e. Using
he case s udy me hod, we examined a poul y p oduc ion chain in
B azil o i s pionee ole due o he p ac ice o NF poul y p oduc ion
wi hou an ibio ics, which s a ed in he ea ly 90s
1
. We ocused on he
p ocess o w i ing an NF p i a e s anda d, which is inno a i e, gi en he
sea ch o sus ainabili y a ibu es o his supply chain. We s udied he
sys em’s speci ic c i e ia and quali y a ibu es o p oduc s in cu en
p ac ices.
The lack o echnical s anda ds and ce i ica ion o poul y p oduc s
aised in he NF sys em was a p oblem, and due o his gap, a me s ha e
used o ganic ag icul u e s anda ds as a e e ence e en hough hey a e
NF p ac i ione s. Thei p oduc s a e iden i ied as o ganic in he ma ke ,
bu his ac does no dis inguish he NF me hod. Communica ing
speci ici ies o consume s needs o be mo e e icien (Dema ˆ
e Filho,
2014). Acco ding o B azilian law, he o ganic sys em o ag icul u al and
indus ial p oduc ion co e s he s yles: ecological, biodynamic, na u al,
egene a i e, biological, ag oecological, and pe macul u e (B asil,
2003). Possibly, gi en ha “o ganic sys em” is an umb ella e m, i is
di icul o some consume s o dis inguish NF. In e ms o scien i ic
li e a u e, ecen pape s abou NF a e sca ce. This wo k add esses hese
gaps, and he au ho s expec i o p omo e he g ow h o he NF sys em
and o he sus ainable ag icul u al p oduc ions.
Also, as a as ou knowledge, ew pape s ha e epo ed on w i ing a
p i a e s anda d by collec ing he opinions o supply chain agen s. We
aimed o analyze he p ocess o de eloping a s anda d.
This a icle is o ganized as ollows: Sec ion 2 e iews he NF p in-
ciples, dimensions, and a ibu es o sus ainable supply chains as he
li e a u e ha subs an ia es his s udy; Sec ion 3 desc ibes he esea ch
me hodology; Sec ion 4 discusses he esul s and de elopmen o he NF
poul y s anda d, and Sec ion 5 e lec s building ema ks and sugges-
ions. The esea ch ques ions we add essed and discussed in Sec ion 4
we e: 1) how can a p i a e poul y s anda d based on NF p inciples be
adequa ely de eloped? 2) wha would be i s accep ance by he supply
chain’s ac o s? 3) wha equi emen s and p ocedu es should i include?
2. Re iew on he Na u e Fa ming sys em, dimensions, and
a ibu es o sus ainable supply chains
Ini ially, we epo he his o y o cu en s o ag icul u e ha eme ged
om he 1920s onwa ds, opposing chemical e iliza ion and ocusing
on biological p ocesses, such as o ganic ag icul u e, biodynamic ag i-
cul u e, and pe macul u e. Al e na i e ag icul u e consolida ed om
he 1970s onwa ds, conce ned abou en i onmen al impac s and
chemical esidues in ood opposing he so-called con en ional o “clas-
sical” ag icul u e. Na u e Fa ming is one o he cu en s ha make up
al e na i e ag icul u e (Ehle s, 1994).
Si Albe Howa d is conside ed he ounde o o ganic a ming,
based on his esea ch in India o o e 25 yea s, whe e he de eloped he
Indo e compos ing p ocess (Howa d, 1943). In 1924, he Aus ian
philosophe and educa o Rudol S eine ga e a se ies o lec u es ha
laid he ounda ions o biodynamic ag icul u e, exposing a new
scien i ic and spi i ual pe spec i e ha an h oposophical a me s
expanded. The me hod explains ha plan s and animals a e subjec o
cosmic in luences, concei es o he a m as a li ing o ganism, is con-
ce ned wi h e iliza ion, and ecommends biodynamic p epa a ions o
eac i a e he i al o ces o na u e, among o he concep s (Ehle s, 1994;
Ponzio; Ganga ha an, & Ne i, 2013). Na u alis Bill Mollison and
designe Da id Holmg en c ea ed Pe macul u e in Aus alia in he mid-
1970s as an in eg a ed sys em combining animal species and pe ennial
plan s ha we e help ul o humans. I became an in e na ional mo e-
men and an ecological design sys em (Fe guson & Lo ell, 2014). In he
1970s, he e m ag oecology came in o use, al hough i s p ac ice ela es
o he o igins o ag icul u e. Ag oecology inco po a es an en i onmen-
ally and socially sensi i e app oach o ag icul u e, which aims no only
a p oduc ion bu also a he ecological sus ainabili y o he p oduc ion
sys em (Hech , 2018).
P i a e o ganiza ions buil ma ke egula ion a he beginning o he
al e na i e ag icul u e mo emen . Since 1928, manuals o biodynamic
a ming we e adop ed in Ge many; Deme e was one o he i s o ganic
s anda ds. Many con empo a y o ganic s anda ds ea u e con o mi y
assessmen by an independen ce i ying body, which is, in u n,
acc edi ed by an ex e nal au ho i y (Fouilleux & Locon o, 2017; Squa-
i o e al., 2020). In he 1970s, he nega i e impac s o he G een
Re olu ion became mo e isible, and he o ganic mo emen gained
engagemen om consume s in No h Ame ica, Eu ope, and Japan. Wi h
dis ance om he o igin and highe p ices o p oduc s, he demand o
s anda ds g ew o p e en aud (Schwindenhamme , 2017), and he
es ablishmen o na ional legisla ion inc eased he in e na ional ade o
o ganic p oduc s (Locke e z, 2007).
In Japan, Mokichi Okada (1882–1955) ad oca ed a me hod o
ag icul u e in 1935 when he augh abou ounda ions o a aining
heal h. Okada p oduced ex ensi e wo k abou cul u e, a s, eligion, and
heal h. In 1950, he me hod’s name was de ined as “Na u e Fa ming”,
and i was in oduced in B azil by Japanese adep s. To his day, e-
sea che s and p oduce s conduc ac i i ies o expand he NF p ac ice
wo ldwide (Xu, 2001, 2006). The cha ac e is ics o NF a e he eco e y
o soil quali y, sound ood p oduc ion, and imp o emen o human
heal h. I is essen ial o eco e he “ ue na u e” o he “na u al s a e” o
he soil; na u al compos s a e used, and plowing is done minimally so as
no o ha m he o ganisms ha inhabi i (Fundaç˜
ao Moki i Okada,
1984).
Okada emphasized in Na u e Fa ming: an ag icul u al sys em ha
aims o cons uc a heal hy, peace ul, and p ospe ous socie y; i should
con o m o he laws o Na u e; he ole o a li ing soil; he spi i uali y
ha exis s in all beings; and he undamen al mission o a me s o
p oduce heal hy ood, among o he concep s. Wha dis inguishes he
p oposals o Na u e Fa ming om hose o o ganic and o he al e na i e
ag icul u e cu en s a e i s speci ic aspec s (his o ical, geog aphical,
e hical, cul u al), philosophical concep s, and objec i es. We p opose a
concep ual map o he NF sys em, in e ela ing he main concep s in a
sus ainable app oach (Fig. 1). I summa izes some dis inc i e and e hical
cha ac e is ics o he sys em.
Dimensions and a ibu es o sus ainable supply chains
Acco ding o Ki wan e al. (2017a, 2017b), e hics is a key d i e o
change in ood chain pe o mance. The e lexi e go e nance in which
mul iple s akeholde s pa icipa e and sha e legi ima e pe spec i es can
po en ially change he pe o mance in he ansi ion o sus ainabili y
wi hin he ood supply chains. They analyzed co po a e sus ainabili y
discou ses in 12 coun ies and iden i ied common a ibu es ha po ay
cha ac e is ics o pe o mance a anged in a mul i-c i e ia ma ix. They
ound i e dimensions o co po a e sus ainabili y ac oss ou sphe es o
ac ion (public, scien i ic, ma ke , and poli ical), emphasizing he e hics
ha d i e esponsi eness o socie al needs and conce ns. Ins ead o
including indica o s in he e alua ion model, hey a i ed a 24 common
a ibu es ha e lec pe o mance in dimensions: economic:
1
Yea s la e , some big playe s in B azilian ag ibusiness ha e also launched
hei o ganic o an ibio ic- ee chicken mea and egg b ands, cu en ly cons i-
u ing a dynamic segmen in ood s o es.
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
3
accessibili y, c ea ion and dis ibu ion o added alue, con ibu ion o
economic de elopmen , echnological inno a ion, go e nance, e i-
ciency, p o i /compe i i eness, connec ion, esilience, ood was e; so-
cial: in o ma ion and communica ion, ood sa e y, consume beha io ,
e i o iali y, connec ion, labo ela ions; en i onmen al: esou ce use,
pollu ion, biodi e si y, e iciency, echnological inno a ion, ood was e;
heal h: nu i ion, ood sa e y, aceabili y; e hical: animal wel a e, e-
sponsibili y, labo ela ions, ai ade, e i o iali y, ood secu i y,
go e nance. Those indings enable mo e de ailed planning o
ope a ions.
Supply chain managemen (SCM) is he managemen o he in e -
connec ion o ela ed o ganiza ions h ough ups eam and downs eam
linkages be ween he p ocesses ha p oduce alue o he ul ima e
consume o p oduc s and se ices (Slack e al., 2007). Ahi and Sea cy
(2013) de ine a sus ainable supply chain as “ he c ea ion o coo dina ed
supply chains h ough he olun a y in eg a ion o economic, en i on-
men al, and social conside a ions wi h key in e -o ganiza ional business
sys ems”. These manage he ma e ial, in o ma ion, and capi al lows
ela ed o he p ocu emen , p oduc ion, and dis ibu ion o p oduc s o
se ices o mee s akeholde equi emen s, and imp o e he o ganiza-
ion’s p o i abili y, compe i i eness, and esilience.
The concep o “sus ainable de elopmen ” apidly p opaga ed since
he la e 80s (Diazabakana e al., 2014). The B und land epo in o-
duced he concep as he “de elopmen ha mee s he needs o he
p esen wi hou comp omising he abili y o u u e gene a ions o mee
hei own needs” (Uni ed Na ions, 1987). The pionee ing “Ou Common
Fu u e” epo wa ned abou wo key concep s embedded in his de i-
ni ion: he needs, especially he essen ial ones o he poo popula ion,
and he limi a ions o he en i onmen ’s abili y o mee p esen and
u u e needs imposed by echnology and social o ganiza ion. Elking on
2
(1997 apud Geissdoe e e al., 2017) expanded he ield o sus ainabili y
in 1994 by in oducing he e m “ iple bo om line”, known as he h ee
pilla s o sus ainabili y, comp ising people, p o i , and en i onmen .
The ole o businesses in d i ing a ansi ion o sus ainable capi alism
became clea . Co po a e Social Responsibili y has expanded, and
cu en ly, he ini ia i es a e epo ed by companies based on in e na-
ional s anda ds such as he Global Repo ing Ini ia i e (GRI), demon-
s a ing esponsibili y and anspa ency (Camille i, 2015).
Diazabakana e al. (2014) e iewed sus ainabili y indica o s o
ag icul u e, ocusing mainly on he a m le el because, a his scale,
managemen decisions can be di ec ly implemen ed o a ec a m
sus ainabili y. Fa ms con ibu e o sus ainable ag icul u e in economic,
ecological, and social unc ions and may ecei e paymen o ex e nal-
i ies. Indica o s a e usually selec ed acco ding o he sus ainabili y pil-
la s, and assessmen deals wi h hese dimensions di ided in o objec i es,
a ibu es, o hemes. En i onmen al indica o s a e explo ed (e.g.,
g eenhouse gas emissions, biodi e si y, wa e quali y, esou ce e i-
ciency, and soil conse a ion), while economic indica o s usually e e
o a ew hemes such as p o i abili y, p oduc i i y, au onomy, and
esilience. Social indica o s ela e o he a m communi y (well-being
and heal h) o he socie y (quali y o li e in u al a eas). Recen li e a u e
on sus ainabili y assessmen o poul y p oduc ion sugges ed ools using
heo ies o Li e Cycle Assessmen (Rocchi e al., 2019) and Eme gy
syn hesis (Nacimen o e al., 2022).
The Sus ainabili y Assessmen o Food and Ag icul u e Sys ems
(SAFA) is a sys em o indica o s de eloped by FAO. SAFA comp ehends a
holis ic global amewo k o assessing ood and ag icul u e alue
chains, se ing as a e e ence o small-scale p oduce s o companies
in ol ed in p oducing, p ocessing, dis ibu ing, and ma ke ing goods. I
un olds ou dimensions o sus ainabili y (good go e nance, en i on-
men al in eg i y, economic esilience, and social well-being) in hemes,
sub- hemes, and measu able indica o s (FAO, 2014).
NGOs, go e nmen s, and companies ha e de eloped s anda ds o
animal wel a e (Humane Fa m Animal Ca e, 2022; RSPCA Assu ed,
2022; Souza and Molen o, 2015) and ai ade (Fai ade In e na ional,
2019). P i a e s anda ds, ce i ica ion, and acc edi a ion schemes we e
es ablished by en i ies such as he Sus ainable Fo es y Council (SFC),
Ma ine S ewa dship Council, F iend o he Sea, and F iend o he Ea h,
which comp ise sus ainable a ming, ex ac i e o aquacul u e sys ems,
illing a ange o ce i ica ions wi h a ibu es o socio-en i onmen al
esponsibili y, e hics, and animal wel a e, inc easingly alued by con-
sume s (F iend O The Sea, 2016; Van Loo e al., 2014).
3. Me hodology
3.1. Scope and egion o s udy
F om a global pe spec i e, buye s and consume s ha e been con-
ce ned abou he impac s o ood p oduc ion. Se e al s udies explo ed
animal p oduc ion chains and consume a i udes ela ed o poul y
p oduc s, conside ing e hics (including heal h and wel a e), ep oduc-
ion echniques, and loss o biodi e si y (Sch¨
a e , 2019); sus ainabili y
(Van Loo e al., 2014) and animal wel a e (Bessei, 2018; Cla k e al.,
2016; Spain e al., 2018). The “sus ainable li ing” s yle d aws consume
a en ion o e hics, mo al alues, en i onmen al and social issues, and a
desi e o posi i ely impac communi ies and people (Sossidou, Dal
Fig. 1. Concep ual map p oposed o Na u e Fa ming. Sou ce: Own au ho .
2
ELKINGTON, J. Cannibals wi h Fo ks: The T iple Bo om Line o 21
s
Cen-
u y. Caps one, Ox o d, 1997.
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
4
Bosco, Elson, & Fon es, 2011; Yunes, Von Keyse lingk, & H¨
o zel, 2017;
Eu omoni o , 2021).
In B azil, poul y p oduc ion is a highly dynamic socio-economic
segmen . The coun y is he second-la ges p oduce and he leading
expo e o poul y mea , wi h e enues o US$ 9.762 billion in 2022
(B azilian Associa ion o Animal P o ein – ABPA, 2023). B azilian p o-
duce s ha e sea ched o sus ainable p ac ices and poul y wel a e im-
p o emen s o ul ill cus ome expec a ions.
This esea ch s udied he case o he Ko in G oup, which leads sus-
ainable ood p oduc ion chains based on Na u e Fa ming in he B a-
zilian ma ke o chicken and eggs p oduced wi hou an ibio ics, g ow h
p omo e s, coccidios a s, and o he chemical he apies. Ko in is a ocal
company o 47 b oile and egg a me s in an in eg a ion sys em a ound
Ipeúna, in S˜
ao Paulo S a e (Fig. 2). The agen s include ag icul u al inpu
supplie s, smallholde a me s, p ocessing indus ies, and ma ke e s
in e connec ed in a supply ne wo k (Fig. 3). The p ocesses o nu i ion,
b oile ea ing, and comme cial egg p oduc ion begin wi h planning and
con inue wi h he pu chasing o chicks, p e-lay hens, g ains, and eed
addi i es. Those a e ollowed by quali y con ol o ing edien s, eed
manu ac u ing, b oile and laye ea ing, poul y slaugh e , and egg
p ocessing. Suppo ing p ocesses such as esea ch and de elopmen ,
echnical assis ance, quali y managemen , egula o y a ai s, and ce i-
ica ions complemen he co e ope a ions. A P ojec Managemen O ice
in eg a es p oduc po olio managemen , making i possible o inco -
po a e sus ainable equi emen s du ing new p oduc de elopmen
(Paula Pinhei o e al., 2018). The Mokichi Okada Resea ch Cen e
(CPMO) in Ipeúna holds labo a o ies, expe imen al ields, and echnical
s a o esea ch on sus ainable ag icul u e, animal husband y, and
en i onmen esponding o a me and indus y needs.
This s udy ex ends o he s conduc ed abou he same case o NF
poul y p oduc ion, which in es iga ed i s complexi y by explo ing he
dimensions o mul i unc ionali y o ag icul u e in he e i o y (Dema ˆ
e
Filho, 2014), he capaci y o alue c ea ion and app op ia ion by
smallholde a me s (Dema ˆ
e Filho e al., 2023) and he assessmen o
he sus ainabili y o he o ganic b oile p oduc ion sys em unde he
Eme gy analysis pe spec i e (Nacimen o e al., 2022). These p e ious
esea ch wo ks also jus i y he choice o case.
3.2. Concep ual amewo k
The s udy adop ed a quali a i e esea ch echnique (C eswell, 2014).
The me hod used was he case s udy, applied as a desc ip ion o he
o ganiza ional si ua ion o a poul y supply chain, which inco po a ed a
p ac ical p oblem o de eloping a s anda d wi h he collabo a ion o
di e en ac o s in he p oduc ion chain. The da a collec ion echnique
used semi-s uc u ed in e iews and documen analysis, such as p o-
duc ion p ocess lows, adminis a i e epo s, newspape and magazine
a icles, and publica ions on he In e ne .
The case s udy me hod is sui able o desc ibing he si ua ion o he
con ex in which esea ch was conduc ed and is made obus gi en he
ichness o he phenomenon and ex en o he con ex , which makes i
essen ial o use mul iple sou ces o e idence wi h he da a con e ging in
iangula ion. Fi e componen s a e essen ial in he design: ques ions,
p oposi ions (i any), uni (s) o analysis, he link be ween da a and
p oposi ions, and c i e ia o in e p e ing he indings (Yin, 2009;
C eswell, 2014).
Fo he esea ch planning, we used a me hodological associa ion
ma ix based on Mazzon (2018) o check whe he he a icula ions we e
well-es ablished, linking p oblem and objec i es; heo e ical suppo o
p oposi ions; ope a ionaliza ion o ques ions; and analysis echniques.
The esea ch concep ual amewo k (Fig. 4) p oposes a basic model,
whe e he cons uc “Na u e Fa ming and al e na i e poul y p oduc-
ion” e ised in li e a u e, is associa ed wi h he cons uc s “Go e nance
o he poul y chain” and “P i a e and public s anda ds” o p oceed o
he consequen cons uc “P i a e s anda d”. Some po en ial da a
sou ces a e company manage s, in eg a ed poul y p oduce s, a m
Fig. 2. Loca ion o he s udy a ea in he egion o Ipeúna, S˜
ao Paulo S a e, B azil. Sou ce: INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTAT´
ISTICA, 2022. h
ps://www.ibge.go .b /geociencias/o ganizacao-do- e i o io/malhas- e i o iais/15774-malhas.h ml.
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
5
assis an echnicians, anchise and supe ma ke manage s, and con-
sume s. The elemen s o his analysis we e b ough oge he based on
he heo e ical e e ences o ensu e ha he objec i es we e achie ed
and ha he p ojec could answe he esea ch ques ion (Table 1). The
ma ix o mula ed se en p oposi ions (P1 o P7) o es . I con ains a
summa y o me hods, echniques o analysis, and c i e ia o alida ing
he expec ed esul s. In his ega d, we used s a egies (C eswell, 2014)
wi h adap a ions: iangula ion o da a wi h collec ion om mul iple
sou ces such as in e iews, obse a ions, and documen s; and con i -
ma ion o esul s wi h pa icipan s h ough mee ings wi h specialis s.
3.3. Semi-s uc u ed in e iews and analysis o con en
A p e- es o ques ionnai es was applied o 30 pa icipan s o adjus
and cla i y ques ions. F om No embe 2020 o Ma ch 2021, we in e -
iewed 80 pa icipan s o he supply chain led by Ko in, dis ibu ed in o
i e g oups: 27 company manage s om esea ch and de elopmen ,
business adminis a ion, and sales (34%); 23 in eg a ed poul y p o-
duce s o chickens and eggs (29%), 12 comme cial manage s o
anchises, ood s o es, and supe ma ke s (15%); 11 manage s/audi o s
o con o mi y assessmen bodies (14%), and se en a m assis ance
echnicians (8%). They answe ed speci ic semi-s uc u ed ques ion-
nai es p oposed o each g oup (Appendix p esen s one ype o ques-
ionnai e). Ques ions abou p oduc a ibu es and ele an
equi emen s we e o mula ed based on he dimensions o sus ainabili y
(Ki wan e al., 2017a, 2017b). Du ing he ield esea ch, he company
had 38 b oile and nine egg supplie s in he Ipeúna egion o he S a e o
S˜
ao Paulo, B azil (Fig. 2). We in e iewed 23 poul y a me s in he
municipali ies o Ipeúna, Rio Cla o, S˜
ao Ped o, Co umba aí, Descal ado,
Limei a, Pi acicaba, Pi assununga, Cha queada, A a as, and Des-
cal ado; he majo i y (21 p oduce s) aised b oile s and wo supplied
eggs. All he in e iewees we e expe ienced; he p o essionals had wo
o mo e yea s o wo k, and he sales manage s had p e ious con ac wi h
he s udied p oduc s.
In e iew da a we e analyzed using he con en analysis me hod
(Ba din, 1977). Quali a i e analysis in ol es educing da a by coding
uni s o ex , and subsequen ly ca ego izing hem by hema ic c i e ia
(Seka an & Bougie, 2016). This me hod allows inding a pa e n in he
da a as a beginning o de eloping concep s, hemes, and e en an
o iginal heo y (Salda˜
na, 2009). Da a we e p ocessed wi h he suppo o
he NVi o so wa e (QSR In e na ional, 2021), which, among o he
ea u es, allows impo ing da a in ex , images, and sounds; manage-
men o he sou ces o in o ma ion; and code, inding ca ego ies and
a ibu es, and hus classi y hemes au oma ically. The p og am asso-
cia es he codes wi h he ex agmen s in he epo ed hemes, educing
he ime spen g ouping esponses. Gene ally, he p ocess is comple e
when he esea che unde s ands ha he e is no mo e o code in he
da a sou ces. NVi o is an example o compu e -assis ed quali a i e da a
analysis so wa e (CAQDAS), used o code a la ge olume o na a i es.
Howe e , Yin (2009) emphasizes ha i is up o he esea che s o
analyze he esul s and ind meaning ul pa e ns since he analy ical
s a egy is hei s and no he ool’s.
We used NVi o’s unc ionali ies in da a p epa a ion, coding and
analyzing ques ionnai e esponses, and p epa ing he esul s epo . In
he p e-analysis, he ma e ial collec ed was o ganized in compu e
sp eadshee s. In explo ing and ea ing he da a, he NVi o p og am
o ganized he quali a i e analysis. The in e iew answe s we e impo ed
and au oma ically coded by c ea ing ca ego ies and subca ego ies.
Subsequen ly, he codes we e e o mula ed acco ding o he ques ions
Fig. 3. Ope a ions and supply ne wo k o Ko in’s egg p ocessing plan . Sou ce: Own au ho based on Slack e al. (2007).
Fig. 4. Resea ch concep ual amewo k. Legend: Ellipses ep esen cons uc s,
and ec angles con ain p ima y da a sou ces. Sou ce: Own au ho .
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
6
Table 1
Me hodological associa ion ma ix o esea ch on he de elopmen o a p i a e poul y s anda d based on Na u e Fa ming p inciples.
(con inued on nex page)
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
7
and p oposi ions. Repo s wi h wo d equency analysis and a p ojec
map wi h ca ego ies and subca ego ies eco ded he esea ch.
A d a s anda d was w i en and discussed wi h specialis s such as
he company’s p oduc ion and quali y manage s. Also, one in eg a ed
poul y p oduce and one quali ied audi o alida ed he ex in dis-
cussion mee ings. These expe s sugges ed making he ex clea ,
objec i e, and audi able. We analyzed hei commen s and w o e he
inal e sion.
4. Resul s and discussion
We de eloped an NF poul y p oduc ion s anda d conside ing he
agen s’ pe spec i es in he supply chain. In e iew da a we e codi ied
and sys ema ized in o hemes in o de o app oach he esea ch ques-
ions: “de elopmen o he s anda d”, “accep ance o he s anda d”, and
“quali y a ibu es and claims conside ed impo an ” dis ibu ed in 12
ca ego ies and 36 subca ego ies desc ibed in Tables 2–4.
Table 1 (con inued)
Legend: NF - Na u e Fa ming; P - p oposi ion; g oups o in e iewees: CM - company manage s, COM - comme cial manage s, CAB - con o mi y assessmen body
manage s, FAT - a m assis ance echnicians, IPP - in eg a ed poul y p oduce s.
Sou ce: Own au ho based on Mazzon (2018).
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
Resea ch in Globaliza ion 8 (2024) 100185
8
4.1. De elopmen o a Na u e Fa ming poul y s anda d
The esul s o he quali a i e analysis a e in Table 2. The column
“Ca ego ies” p esen s he in e iewees’ main conce ns abou he s an-
da d o be de eloped. “Subca ego ies” b ings a close look, and
“Meaning” expands each opic as p emises o de elop he s anda d.
Discussing p oduce s’ commi men , hey we e con iden in hei
capaci y o mee he equi emen s, and wi h aining, hei skills and
sa is ac ion would inc ease. Some a i med ha hey had al eady p ac-
iced NF, lea ned in aining sessions led by Ko in, and he company’s
echnicians e ec i ely ansmi ed knowledge. Some epo ed imp o ed
quali y o li e; he emune a ion was a posi i e di e en ial compa ed o
o he in eg a o s. Some a me s used pes icides on pas u e o c ops and
unde s ood he need o a sus ainable ansi ion; hey sugges ed
in ol ing neighbo s who used he bicides on suga cane. Acco ding o
in e iewees, a ansi ion pe iod mus be es ablished o ensu e he
success ul implemen a ion o he s anda d.
The in e iewees conside ed he o ma ion o an NF g ain supply
chain undamen al and complex, in ol ing p ocesses such as 1) supply
o inpu s (seeds, machine y, implemen s, o ganic compos s, bio-
e ilize s); 2) dis ibu ion o inpu s o p ope ies; 3) o ganiza ion o he
p oduc ion, s o age, and anspo a ion o NF g ains (soy, co n, so -
ghum, and whea ); and 4) p ocessing o poul y eed. The lead company
should ensu e echnical and economic incen i es o a me s. Resea ch
and echnical assis ance should each a me s o soil li e conse a ion,
plan managemen , compos ing echniques, and biological inpu s as
al e na i es o ag ochemicals. I was unde s ood ha Ko in should pay
he cos s o audi s and ce i ica ion. These indings ag ee wi h he wo k
o Sch¨
a e (2019). Managing p ocesses and agen s is he unc ion o a
sus ainable SCM, which can ace challenges in implemen ing ecological
and e hical p oduc ion and main aining he necessa y coope a ion along
he alue chain o he consume (Ahi and Sea cy, 2013).
In his alue chain, o ms o hie a chical go e nance we e iden i ied
since i is an in eg a ion in poul y b eeding, in addi ion o ela ional
go e nance, wi h a high capaci y o supplie s, ained and ce i ied in
animal wel a e and an ibio ic- ee sys ems. This chain is cha ac e ized
by high in o ma ional and ansac ional complexi y. Howe e , he e is
he abili y o codi y in o ma ion/ ansac ions, and, in his pa icula , he
o ganic and wel a e s anda ds adop ed by he leading company ul ill
his ole (Ge e i e al., 2005; Pon e & Gibbon, 2005). Howe e , a new
Table 2
Theme “De elopmen o he NF Poul y S anda d”, ca ego ies and subca ego ies
ob ained om in e iews wi h ac o s in he supply chain.
Ca ego ies Subca ego ies Meaning
1. Ensu ing compliance
wi h he s anda d
1.1. Role o he
ce i ie
1.2. Ce i ica ion o
supplie s
1.3. Na u e Fa ming
seal is di e en om
o ganic
The ce i ie is impo an o
compliance wi h he s anda d
Ce i ica ion o supplie s is
essen ial o ensu e compliance
As he e a e di e ences
be ween hese lines o
ag icul u e, a ce i ied NF seal
should be di e en ia ed
2. De ined p ocesses 2.1. His o y o s udies
2.2. Legisla ion and
s anda ds
2.3. Objec i e and
b oad de ini ion
Repo ed exis ence o s udies
o suppo a new s anda d
B azilian laws and s anda ds
se e as a e e ence o he new
s anda d
The s anda d will make i
possible o b oaden NF o
di e se audiences
3. Compliance wi h he
equi emen s o he
s anda d by p oduce s
3.1. Fa me s’
commi men o
Na u e Fa ming
p inciples
3.2. Fa me s’ aining
and ansi ion pe iods
3.3. Wo king oge he
wi h neighbo ing
a ms
P oduce s al eady know abou
al e na i e poul y p oduc ion
and wan o unde s and he
new s anda d well
The need o cons an aining
and an adap a ion pe iod
should be conside ed in he
implemen a ion
The e a e in e ac ions wi h he
neighbo s’ en i onmen o
discuss
4. In eg a ed supply
chain
4.1. Rela ions wi h
he in eg a o
company
A good ela ionship wi h he
company is a posi i e aspec o
he implemen a ion o he
s anda d
4.2. P ese a ion o
he en i onmen
En i onmen al p ese a ion
equi emen s mus be
add essed h oughou he
p oduc ion chain, om he
p oduc ion o inpu s o he
dis ibu ion
4.3. Valo iza ion o
he p oduce s
The main poin is o gua an ee
he alo iza ion o he
p oduce s bu wi h he
challenge o no making he
p oduc s oo expensi e
Table 3
Theme “Accep ance o he NF Poul y S anda d”, ca ego ies and subca ego ies
ob ained om in e iews wi h ac o s in he supply chain.
Ca ego ies Subca ego ies/Quo e Meaning
5. Bene i s o he
ag ibusiness chain
5.1. Bene i s o s anda ds
o ac o s in he
p oduc ion chain“a
s anda d based on NF could
guide he p inciples ha
di e om o ganic and
o he al e na i e s anda ds.
I hink i would also help
in e nalize he NF
p inciples, bo h in
p oduce s and consume s”
(Manage o con o mi y
assessmen body).
In e iewees’ pe cep ions
as o he exis ence o
ad an ages wi h he
implemen a ion o he
s anda d
5.2. Bene i s o
ce i ica ions
Ce i ica ions ha e caused
posi i e impac s on poul y
p oduce s
5.3. Imp o emen s in he
capaci y building o
p oduce s
P oduce s pe cei ed
hemsel es as mo e
quali ied by knowing
al e na i e poul y
p oduc ion s anda ds
6. Impo ance o he
al e na i e poul y
s anda d and
ce i ica ion o
consume s
6.1. Seal knowledge by
consume s
A s anda d and
ce i ica ion would
in luence consume s’
unde s anding o how
poul y is p oduced
6.2. In ol emen o ac o s
in he chain
S akeholde s’ in ol emen
would be signi ican o he
implemen a ion o he
s anda d
6.3. Pe cep ion o he
b and by consume s
Consume s would p obably
ha e a good accep ance o
he b and due o he
s anda d
7. Coo dina ion and
e iciency o he
chain
7.1. Based on Na u e
Fa ming“[a s anda d is
de eloped o ha e]
associa ion o he sys em
wi h he company’s
mission, ision, and alues.
Tha is no ound in he
gene al p o ocols. The
p i a e s anda d gi es
iden i y o he p oduc ion
sys em” (Manage o
con o mi y assessmen
body).
The en i e chain mus
comply wi h Na u e
Fa ming, om g ain supply
o p oduc p ocessing
7.2. Logis ical complexi y
o he chain
The complexi y o he g ain
supply chain is a challenge
o o e come
7.3. Value gene a ion The e is a pe cep ion ha
alue will be gene a ed
h ough he supply chain
un il consump ion
C.M.I. Mendes e al.
