Accelerating Internet adoption in the fresh produce supply chain: a VEGNET approach

The rapid growth and new development of internet technologies have provided many significant opportunities for cost reduction and service improvement for the supply chain. However, the adoption of the internet technologies in agribusiness supply chains (SC), especially the fresh produce supply chain, is still slow and far behind other sectors. This paper is about the EU funded project VEGNET (Enhancing Vegetable Supply Chain Management with Internet Technologies) which aims to accelerate the speed of internet adoption among fresh produce supply chains involving small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The paper first introduces the project's objectives and approaches. It then presents some key findings from a survey conducted with United Kingdom SMEs in fresh produce supply chains. These findings provide actual insights into the current internet and software usage of the United Kingdom SMEs and help to reveal gaps between Europe and China. Findings and implications from the project's other activities, such as case studies and surveys in China are also discussed.