Abstract for: Exploring the Effects of Infrastructure Policies on Availability and Accessibility of Fresh Food in Brazilian Favelas

Fresh food is associated with well-being as an important source of vital nutrients. Limited access to fresh food in urban areas is a problem that supply chain management can tackle as it deals with the flow of goods, services, and information across value chains. Low-income urban areas, such as slums (“favelas”), suffer even more to access fresh food as they are heterogeneous spaces characterized by chaotic occupation, which lacks adequate infrastructure and has very limited access to goods and services. Against this background, we couple a transformative supply chain approach with a System Dynamics modelling and simulation that aims at (a) characterizing the food environment favelas in terms of causal relationships and (b) determining which factors influence the access to fresh food establishments in favelas over time. We expect to develop the System Dynamics model further, aimed at coupling the data we’ve collected and expanding our understanding based on literature and expert knowledge. Further developments involve quantification of the model and the development of scenarios to be tested by policymakers and managers operating in the fresh food space. We aim at developing and validating the model with key stakeholders who are well positioned at the crossroads of food policy.