A2A Relations and Interactions in Agri-Food Supply Chains. A Viable Systems Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to propose a service perspective of relations and interactions in agri-food supply chains. The contribution moves from the concept of A2A relations developed in the service research framework (Gummesson, 2008; Vargo and Lusch, 2011), particularly valorizing network and systems theories. Recent service research (Service Science, Service-Dominant Logic, Many-to-Many) advancements highlighted the importance of value co-creation and integration processes. The paper aims to propose a reading of the research stream through the lenses of Viable Systems Approach (Golinelli, 2010; Barile, 2008), intended either as an observation and interpretation perspective for phenomena, or a path for governance and management of producers organizations in agri-food supply chains.