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Promoting Sustainable Food Consumption: An Agent-Based Model About Outcomes of Small Shop Openings

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Abstract

A useful way of promoting sustainable food consumption is to consider the spread of food retail operations focused on food diversification, food specialization, and fresh and local products. These food shops are generally small, which is a great problem for survival against ruthless competition from supermarkets. Our research objective was to construct a simulation with an agent-based model, reproducing the local food consumption market and to investigate how a new, small food retailing shop interacts with this market. As a case study, the model simulates the opening of a small farmers’ market. The intent of the model is to reproduce the current status of consumption for food products within a certain territorial context and given time period, and to investigate how consumers’ behaviour changes with the opening of the new shop. As a result, we could predict changes in consumers’ habits, the economic positioning of new, small shops and its best location. This information is of considerable interest for farmers’ markets and also for policymakers.

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  • Roberto Calisti & Primo Proietti & Andrea Marchini, 2019. "Promoting Sustainable Food Consumption: An Agent-Based Model About Outcomes of Small Shop Openings," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 22(1), pages 1-2.
    • Handle: RePEc:jas:jasssj:2017-144-5
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    1. Carlo Genova & Veronica Allegretti, 2024. "Sustainable Food Consumption: Social Representations of Definitions, Drivers, and Obstacles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Marwen Elkamel & Luis Rabelo & Alfonso T. Sarmiento, 2023. "Agent-Based Simulation and Micro Supply Chain of the Food–Energy–Water Nexus for Collaborating Urban Farms and the Incorporation of a Community Microgrid Based on Renewable Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-26, March.
    3. Aleksandra Tošović-Stevanović & Vladimir Ristanović & Dragan Ćalović & Goran Lalić & Milena Žuža & Gorica Cvijanović, 2020. "Small Farm Business Analysis Using the AHP Model for Efficient Assessment of Distribution Channels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-15, December.

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