https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/14753995/homepage/call_for_special_issue_papers.htm
Agriculture holds an important position in emerging economies, continuously driving changes across various sectors and markets. Despite its significance, many developing economies, such as China and India, face significant challenges in enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural operations. The pursuit of efficient and sustainable agricultural practices has been a focal topic of discussion.
The rapid growth of e-commerce has played a key role in the development of the agricultural economy. It has significantly streamlined the connection between farmers and consumers, thereby expanding the consumer bases for various types of agricultural products and fostering a more diverse and personalized market landscape. Furthermore, the continuous efforts of e-commerce platforms, fueled by cutting-edge digital intelligence technologies, has significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of agriculture supply chains. In China alone, agricultural products worth approximately ¥587 billion were sold through e-commerce platforms in 2023. Nevertheless, the development of agricultural e-commerce has also exposed many problems and challenges, including quality, logistics, and distribution. For example, consumer concerns about the quality and safety of agricultural products have intensified due to issues like counterfeiting. The deterioration of agricultural products in the long-distance transportation is also a big concern. According to statistics, the loss rate of fresh agricultural products in China is 20–30%, with an annual loss of about 80 million tons.
Fortunately, the era of digital intelligence brings technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data (BD), the Internet of Things (IoT), radio frequency identification (RFID), and blockchain technology (BCT), which are gradually being applied to offer solutions to these challenges. On the one hand, technologies such as AI and IoT help farmers to achieve precision farming. On the other hand, for the distribution and inventory management of agricultural products, smart sensors are designed and used to monitor the state of fruits from farms to store shelves. These information devices provide real-time data to help relevant firms to improve their efficiency in logistics. Furthermore, blockchain technology helps track agricultural products from farms to marketplaces and offers consumers a complete overview of the production and distribution processes. Related studies also show that the adoption of the above technologies help increase farmers’ incomes, offer fresher agricultural products to consumers, and reduce or eliminate resource waste and environmental pollution. Governmental regulations and incentives further enhance the efficiency of agricultural e-commerce and logistics operations through these technologies.
The arising digital intelligent technologies present new and abundant opportunities for operations research (OR) and operations management (OM) scholars to explore the strategic and operational issues emerging from agricultural e-commerce and logistics operations. This special issue aims to explore how e-commerce platforms and efficient logistics operations driven by emerging digital technologies create business value for farmers, consumers, entrepreneurs, government, and society as a whole.
The primary goal of this special issue is to create a forum to address the theme “Agricultural E-commerce and Logistics Operations in the Era of Digital Economy.” It welcomes research articles that can provide valuable insights into the evolving agricultural e-commerce and logistics operations, using digital intelligence technologies to address contemporary challenges and opportunities. We encourage submissions that adopt multi-methodological approaches from individual, organizational, or societal perspectives, including analytical, empirical, simulation, and behavioral approaches. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
*Innovations in agricultural e-commerce business models with the introduction of emerging digital technologies
• Innovations in logistics and distribution models for agricultural products driven by digital technologies
• Quality and brand management for agricultural products in the era of digital intelligence
• Operation and service strategies for agricultural products in platform-based supply chains
• Inventory management and control strategies for agricultural e-commerce platforms driven by emerging technologies
• Forecasting demand, customizing services, and logistics for agricultural products with new technologies • Optimizing distribution and logistics systems for agricultural products in the era of digital intelligence
• Information disclosure and acquisition for platform-based agricultural supply chains using emerging information techniques
• Contract farming operations management and channel designs in the context of digital technologies
• Government policies and operations management on agricultural e-commerce and logistics
The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2025.
Each submission will be peer-reviewed according to the editorial policy of ITOR, published by the International Federation of Operational Research Societies. Manuscripts should be original, unpublished, and not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. They should be prepared according to the instructions to authors that can be found at the journal homepage https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/14753995/homepage/forauthors.html.
Authors should upload their contributions using the submission site at https://mc. manuscriptcenral.com/itor, indicating in their cover letter that the paper is intended for this special issue. They should also select the appropriate special issue title in the drop-down menu in the submission system. Once accepted, manuscripts will go into production and will be first published online, and later pulled into the Special Issue. Other inquiries should be sent directly to the Managing Editor of this special issue: Yiwen Bian ([email protected]), or to any of the other Guest Editors in charge of this issue: Jing (Jenny) Chen ([email protected]), Xu Guan ([email protected]), or Xiaohua Han ([email protected]), or Héctor Cancela ([email protected]).