Table 8.

Fit-for-purpose SCQM practices in AFNs.

Description	Fit for Purpose Description
Objective of practices	Practices that support AFNs to meet objectives (i.e. market performance, sales), as opposed to those that may impose barriers, i.e. labelling.
Practices design	Practices should be built in a democratic, open, and customisable way to meet the needs of AFNs while also considering the legal and market requirements in which they operate.
Traceability and transparency	Upstream practices should focus on the geographical origin of production and provenance. Traceability is critical, providing information on the supplier's quality on the production quality of inputs and final goods, production quality, process quality, local supply, supplier knowledge, and reputation management.
Governance and quality control	The governance of quality practices in AFNs is needed to provide assurances over aspects such as the geographical indication of origin. Structural assurances may be used (ISO, BRC. IFS), but are often difficult to obtain for SMEs, and therefore the use of more flexible and participatory governance systems may be beneficial.
Consumer Driven	AFNs are consumer-driven. Consumers demand high levels of food quality and safety related to a product, which should be evident to the consumer. Thus, communicating with the customers over upstream practices is critical. Supply-driven practices that large and industrialised players mainly define may be helpful through transferable learnings; however, they can also oppose the quality conventions of AFNs.
Information flow and digital technologies	Adopting digital technologies is helpful in AFNs, and technologies that support information flow and sharing are suggested, enabling transparency and traceability needs.
Trust and supply chain relationships	Trust and supply chain relationships between stakeholders are of high importance. Direct relationships, higher levels of cooperation/collaboration, transparency, and supply chain integration often support this. Arm's length and contrasting relationships within AFNs are undesirable. The SCQM practices in AFNs should focus on developing trust and relationships across the supply chain, thus moving towards more direct channels. Where face-to-face channels are not possible, enabling technologies can be beneficial.