Pretorius, Leon2025-02-112025-02-112025-052024*A2025http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100715Thesis (PhD (Project Management))--University of Pretoria, 2024.In today’s era of globalisation and environmental change, there is a growing focus on sustainability and risk management in agriculture, which forms the basis of the global food supply chain. With challenges such as population growth, resource limitations and climate change becoming more pronounced, ensuring the stability and sustainability of the agricultural supply chain has become critical. Throughout the production process, agricultural projects must address natural risks such as droughts, floods, pests, and diseases while also navigating market volatility, policy changes, and uncertainty in international trade. Research on sustainable supply chain risk management for agricultural projects is developing towards multi-dimensional, systematic, and practical applications, aiming to provide theoretical and practical support for the sustainable development of agricultural supply chains. Sustainable supply chain risk management is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to enhance the resilience of the supply chain and ensure its long-term stability and sustainable development through the integrated consideration of economic, environmental, and social factors. The primary focus of sustainable supply chain risk management is to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks in the supply chain while enhancing its transparency and flexibility to accommodate changes in market and environmental conditions. The agricultural supply chain faces many risks, including price volatility, supply uncertainty, quality and safety concerns, climate change impacts, and changes in policies and regulations. These risks threaten the stability of agricultural production and affect food security and the interests of consumers. As such, it is practically and strategically important to study sustainable supply chain risk management in agricultural projects. This study examines the current situation, risk factors, and network structure of sustainable supply chain risk management in agricultural projects. Using methods such as literature review, case analysis, and model construction, it explores how to enhance the sustainability of the agricultural supply chain through risk management and reduce the impact of risks on agricultural production and market supply. This thesis opens with an introduction that outlines the background, research problem, purpose, methodology, and structure of the study. Chapter 2 offers a thorough review of the theory and research related to project management in agricultural supply chains, with a specific focus on sustainable practices. It also highlights the importance of risk management in agricultural supply chain projects. Moreover, the chapter emphasizes the integration of operations management with project management to enhance the performance of agricultural supply chains. It reviews existing gaps in research and practice, identifying areas where further study is necessary to address the evolving challenges of sustainable agricultural supply chain management. The second chapter utilizes a literature method to understand the foundational research conducted by previous scholars. Chapter 3 examines the characteristics of agricultural products and their supply chains, analysing the factors that influence supply chain mode choices and discussing the various existing project modes. This chapter underscores the significance of project management in optimizing agricultural supply chains and proposes strategies for project optimization and development. Chapter 3 employs a comparative analysis method to examine and contrast five distinct agricultural product modes. Chapter 4 explores the role of project management in achieving sustainable supply chains. It discusses the concept of sustainability, the application of project management methodologies, and the principles underlying sustainable supply chains. Chapter 4 provides a qualitative analysis of the current status of sustainable supply chain projects. Chapter 5 analyses the risks associated with sustainable supply chain projects, including economic, environmental, and social risks. Chapter 5 employs qualitative analysis to examine the risks associated with sustainable supply chains. Chapter 6 discusses the characteristics and types of supply chain networks, emphasizing the importance of understanding the supply chain structure. Chapter 7 presents a design for a sustainable network architecture, detailing the construction of a supply chain network model and the principles of supply chain network planning. It introduces a mathematical model for sustainable supply chains and includes an illustrative case study. Chapter 7 utilizes model analysis, case analysis, and systems research method to design the sustainable network structure. Finally, Chapter 8 concludes the thesis by summarizing the key findings and contributions of the research. Sustainable supply chain risk management in agricultural projects is vital for ensuring food safety, promoting agricultural modernization, coping with environmental changes, and promoting sustainable socio-economic development. This study offers new theoretical insights and practical guidance in agricultural supply chain management, helping related enterprises and policymakers to better understand and address supply chain risks. It also promotes the development of a more sustainable and resilient agricultural supply chain. Additionally, this research establishes a foundation and provides inspiration for future studies in related fields. The thesis proposes a set of indicators for evaluating the sustainability of the agricultural supply chain, leading to the development of a systematic framework for assessing the sustainability of agricultural supply chains. These indicators encompass the environmental, economic, and social aspects of supply chains, providing new tools for researchers and practitioners to assess supply chain sustainability. In helping companies and policymakers better understand and improve their agricultural supply chains, the outlined indicators have practical applications in agriculture supply chain management. The model laid out in this study also assists academics to better describe and optimise agricultural supply chains by providing unique theoretical contributions to the field.en© 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.UCTDSustainable Development Goals (SDGs)Sustainable supply chainsAgricultural supply chainsRisk managementNetwork structure of agricultural projectsStructural modellingThesisu17404046Submitted disclaimer letter