Sustainable Development Practices for SDGs: A Systematic Review of Food Supply Chains in Developing Economies

The implementation and scope of sustainable supply chain operations vary globally, and, in developing economies, structural inefficiencies can significantly impact the sustainability orientation of Food Supply Chains (FSCs). The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it examines the current scientific knowledge on the impact on sustainable development practices in FSCs in achieving United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Secondly, it will identify the theoretical understanding of waste within FSCs and finally, provide recommendations for achieving SDGs. By focusing on two SDGs, this systematic review of 171 peer-reviewed articles addressing SDGs further analyzed and synthesized 40 academic studies that focused only on developing economies. The study identifies and describes sustainability-centric FSC practices which are trifurcated based on their economic, environmental, and social underpinnings as explicated in current FSC literature on developing economies. Further, using inhibitors and enablers to SDGs, the study developed a novel conceptual framework that identifies successful sustainable development practices that enable achievement of SDG 2 and SDG 12; thereby directing managerial interventions. Additionally, the enablers and impediments within FSCs in developing countries are further explicated which can enable future researchers to empirically evaluate the effect of these enablers and impediments.