Table 9.

Gaps and areas of future work.

Motivation	Gaps	Areas of Future Work
Autocratic and institutionalised practices defined from the top down may not fit the unique needs of AFNs and act as a barrier to stakeholders.	The extent to which the SCQM practices are relevant for AFNs and the extent to which they may support SCQM performance still need to be studied.	Research on the SCQM practices on real-life AFNs through case studies and empirical investigation.
	The antecedents and challenges of SCQM practices in AFNs have not yet been investigated, and it is unclear how these antecedents and challenges have been defined.	Studies involving experts and stakeholders in AFNs to develop an understanding of the factors that may contribute to practice performance.
The information requirements for transparency and traceability needs may differ per supply chain. These requirements vary compared to those in the supply chains of industrialised food systems.	Identifying and analysing the information requirements for AFNs supporting these consumer-driven supply chains has not yet been investigated.	A consumer-focused study using a survey approach to understand the information requirements SCQM and transparency in AFNs.
Quality control systems should not act as a barrier to the initiatives in AFNs but instead support them. Barriers could be strict standards that are unnecessary for the market, high costs of adoption and a complex process to become certified and receive market access [29]. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the benefits and challenges of alternative governance systems in AFNs, for example, the PGS.	The alignment of quality governance systems to support SCQM in AFNs is unclear. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the benefits and challenges of alternative governance systems in AFNs, for example, the PGS.	Studies on the overreaching concept of quality governance and how it can support the definition of quality standards, quality assurance of compliance with the quality conventions and industry standards, and continuous quality improvement.
Due to the scale of AFNs and the companies residing within them, the information technology to support them may differ.	Digital technology is promising for supporting the governance of SCQM practices in AFNs; however, the system requirements still need to be studied. In addition, identifying the potential technologies to support information, transparency, and traceability in AFNs can be beneficial and is currently limited in research.	Studies on blockchain-based supply chain quality management in AFNs, including pre-adoption, adoption, and post-adoption considerations.
Global supply chains have shown to have benefited from transparency-enabling technology, i.e. blockchain. Also, its application and challenges are well developed in the supply chains in global food systems, however less so for those in AFNs.	Using digital technology to support transparency and information sharing in the supply chains on AFNS may benefit the actors. Studies on information needs and digital tools to support the information needed in the supply chains of AFNs would be beneficial.	Studies on information needs, the supply chain of AFNs and the use of digital technologies to support transparency.