From field to fork, three case studies to understand the globe artichoke supply chain

The globe artichoke is grown in the world on about 125,000 ha and it is widespread above all in the Mediterranean countries, contributing significantly to some regional agro-food economy. Italy is the leading producer, followed in Europe by Spain and France. Globe artichoke is also widely cultivated in South America, especially Peru, Argentina and Chile. The most important use of globe artichoke, but not the only one, is for human food as fresh vegetable or processed product; both represent a source of antioxidant and health promoting substances. In the last years, many innovations have been introduced throughout all artichoke supply chain and have concerned the production (plants multiplication methods, introduction of new genotypes, irrigation systems, fertilisation, use of agrochemicals to control weeds, pest and disease, mechanisation, change in harvest seasons), the postharvest technologies and the packaging solutions, the introduction of new process/products (special foods, pharmaceutical products, animal feed). The models of association between producers and processors, the role of external service providers, the products commercialisation and their distribution are also strongly affected by the introduction of new technologies that are deeply modifying the organizational trade models. In this paper will be presented three case studies, Italy, Brittany and Chile with the aim to better understand the impact of the innovative agronomic techniques, the postharvest technologies suitable for extending shelf life and improving the product quality, the introduction of new fresh/processed products onto the market and the new trade models on the artichoke supply chain.