Agri-Food Resilience: Managing Supply Chain Risk

Agri-food resilience: from known risks to practical transformation

The agri-food sector is facing increasing pressure from climate change, commodity volatility and demographic transformation. During the Agri-Food Resilience event hosted by dss⁺ in Bologna, industry leaders discussed how organisations can strengthen operational resilience and implement sustainable risk management solutions across the supply chain.

Climate change and volatility are reshaping the sector

Extreme weather events, water scarcity and changing seasonal cycles are directly affecting agricultural productivity and product quality. At the same time, global commodity markets are becoming increasingly volatile due to geopolitical instability and resource pressures.

The discussion highlighted how these risks are no longer theoretical: they are already influencing investment decisions, operational strategies and supply chain continuity across the food industry.

The challenge of fragmented supply chains

The Italian agri-food sector is characterised by highly fragmented and family-run supply chains. While this structure represents a unique strength of the industry, it also creates challenges in terms of investment capacity, scalability and resilience. Global dependence on imported raw materials further increases exposure to external shocks, making collaboration across the value chain essential.

Technology is available — adoption is the real challenge

Advanced technologies such as AI-based forecasting systems, drones, precision agriculture and digital monitoring tools are already available to support more efficient and resilient production systems.

However, the event highlighted that technology alone is not enough. Widespread adoption requires effective communication, economic incentives and strong collaboration between agricultural and industrial stakeholders.

Cultural transformation as the enabling factor

A key theme emerging from the discussion was the importance of cultural transformation. Sustainable operational change cannot be imposed through top-down approaches alone.

Using the dss⁺ Bradley Curve™ framework, speakers explored how organisations can move from reactive approaches to more mature, interdependent cultures where people actively contribute to operational excellence, safety and sustainability outcomes.

The dss⁺ approach combines technical expertise with coaching, frontline engagement and behavioural change methodologies to support long-term transformation.

Model Farm Approach

The event also explored the "Model Farm" approach to regenerative agriculture, where pilot farms work alongside food companies to test and refine sustainable practices before scaling them across the wider supply chain.

This collaborative model helps ensure that transformation is practical, credible and adapted to operational realities.

Key takeaways

• Climate change and commodity volatility are increasing supply chain risks.
• Demographic change threatens production continuity and knowledge transfer.
• Collaboration across the value chain is essential to reduce instability.
• Technology adoption depends on people engagement and accessibility.
• Cultural transformation is the key enabler of resilient and sustainable change.