# Benefit Optimization of Short Food Supply Chains for Organic Products: A Simulation-Based Approach
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Literature Review  
We began by defining both local supply chains and markets, moving on to the SFSC concept and strategy. The vast majority of agricultural products are available worldwide through complex and often highly industrialized supply networks. These mostly include conventional products. Organic production represents a negligible percentage of the world's agricultural production. Recent reports on organic production [15] show that 69.8 million ha in 2017 were under organic agricultural management worldwide, representing 1.4% of the world's farmland. The highest organic shares of the total agricultural land are found in Oceania (8.5%), Europe (2.9%), and Latin America (1.1%). In the European Union (EU), the organic share of the total agricultural land is 7.2%. Organic production resources have been implemented in 181 countries. The market value of this type of product is estimated to be 92 billion Euros, indicating that consumer demand is growing. When analyzing the supply and demand sides in relation to the sale of organic products, many barriers and drivers contribute to the change in demand [16]. The production and trade of such products must reflect many requirements, both for the production and labelling of packaging [17]. Alternative forms of food supply, including local food markets, are typical for small farmers, heterogeneous products, and short supply chains in which farmers also perform marketing functions, including storage, packaging, transportation, distribution, and advertising [18]. Organic food can be produced using different systems and supply chain strategies. Alternative methods of delivering food are becoming increasingly popular [19; 20]. The food supply system is transforming [21] by combining production and consumption within a short geographical distance [22]; organic farming is increasingly supported by the community, including direct farm sales. The most frequent and easiest method to market such products is through local food systems and short food supply chains. In the literature, a local food system is defined as a system in which food is produced, processed, and sold in a defined and close geographical area [23]. These solutions are also referred to as alternative food chains [24], as opposed to conventional solutions characterized by the mass production of food. Their structure is based on various criteria, including the number of intermediaries, geographical distance, organizational structure, and social relationships [25]. These are essentially shortened relationships between producers, sellers, and consumers [24]. The shortening of a supply chain plays a significant role in creating a new chain structure. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [26] stated that, traditionally, the average morsel of food travels 2092 km from the time it leaves the field (or pasture) and arrives on the table. When analyzing SFSC-related issues, many areas have already been explored, especially those related to the social and economic relationships of entities in the implementation of the SFSC principles [27; 28]. Local food systems cover a short geographical distance from producers to consumers, usually containing little or no processed food, and the whole food chain of origin can be accurately and quickly identified. Today's food systems are extremely complex and it is therefore difficult to practically determine a local system or supply chain, especially for processed products consisting of multiple products or requiring the production of inputs from remote locations. The intermediate stages (e.g., packaging or processing) may occur in places far from production sites, but returning to a place close to production and selling there may also indicate a local food system. A characteristic of SFSCs is that they allow the consumer to assess the value of the food used within the framework of their own knowledge and experience. This food is identified by the local community or even associated with a specific local farm.