Logistics and Supply Chains in Agriculture and Food

During the recent two decades, goods flow has been tremendously increased, even though the amount of goods remains at the steady state. Increased variety of goods, the just-in-time delivery system, low load rate, specialization and centralization of production systems, globalization of marketing and seasonal variations are among the main challenges of logistics system which may lead to the necessity of developing effective logistics in the sector. Effective logistics and technologies are a critical success factors for both manufacturers and retailers (Brimer, 1995; Tarantilis et al., 2004). Effective logistics requires delivering the right product, in the right quantity, in the right condition, to the right place, at the right time, for the right cost (Aghazadeh, 2004) and it has a positive impact on the success of the partners in the supply chain (Brimer, 1995).