Combating of Associated Issues for Sustainable Agri-Food Sectors

Abstract

Because of growing populations, more people living in cities, and higher incomes, the demand for food has changed in both quantity and quality. This has sped up the growth of different agricultural production and distribution chains. The necessary transition processes in the agri-food sectors, however, can often take a very long time to complete and have negative social and environmental effects, which puts the traditional development paradigm into question. This study looked at the trends affecting food systems in addition to the viability of sustainable development in Indian agriculture. In order to identify and then prioritize the related issues facing the agri-food sectors, this study comprised a thorough examination of the literature. Experts were consulted to rank the identified issues according to their degree of impact on the system with the use of an integrated “Best-Worst-Method (BWM)” and “Step-Wise Assessment and Ratio-Analysis (SWARA)” approach. The associated major issues were ranked using the BWM method, which revealed that “Issues with the lack of innovative systems” rated at the first level and was followed by “Issues with stability and availability of food; Issues of climate change and natural disasters; Food-governance-related issues; and Issues of accessing and utilizing food”, accordingly. The results of this study will help in developing appropriate intervention techniques at various service levels and in formulating policies, in addition to taking competent governments into consideration.

1. Introduction

The intensification of expanding agricultural production has had a sizable impact on the agri-food sector. As far as agribusiness is concerned, it entails collective commercial operations, including the supply of agricultural inputs, the manufacture of agriproducts, and their transformation and delivery to end consumers. It has been a significant source of revenue and employment all over the world. Inadequate education, inadequate training, and ineffective technological development have all been caused by the confluence of a range of regional and worldwide reasons, in addition to progressive and unanticipated changes in the responsibilities and structures of the agri-food sectors [1]. Despite the fact that many developing countries have taken steps to embrace fiscal austerity policies and are also expanding antipoverty techniques for increasing economic growth through the availability of goods, this has resulted in the development of quasi-agriculture as a result of the participation of a significant number of small-scale farmers in such countries [2]. The agricultural industries in certain rural locations confront new difficulties in locating markets for the efficient sale of their goods. Around the world, there has been significant concern regarding these agricultural marketing difficulties [3].

The “Green Revolution”, which began in the 1960s and was particularly influential in Indian agriculture, is often credited with the country’s substantial advancements in domestic food production as well as other related fields. It changed India from a food-deficit country to an export-focused nation with a surplus of food. The nation is currently dealing with second-generation issues, particularly those relating to sustainability, nourishment, the adoption of advanced farming techniques, and, probably most significantly, the economic status of the population that depends on agriculture. Agriculture is dealing with brand-new, unheard-of difficulties and diverse agri-based issues. The government is continually working to find solutions to these issues, and the appropriate agencies are active in running the programs and regulations that are already in operation. However, it is acknowledged that food, agricultural, and farm policies need to be reoriented toward a more long-term perspective. India is renowned for the variety of farming techniques it employs. Finding appropriate measures for the future requires engaging different types of perspectives in the agri-food sectors. Additionally, in order for the agricultural community to get benefits from the global markets, the obstacles and possibilities presented by the global markets under the liberalized trade regime must be handled.

Both optimism and concern may be found in the trends and issues examined in this paper. There has been significant success in lowering poverty and hunger as well as enhancing nutrition and food security. Yet, increasing demands on environmental assets and climate change, which both undermine the sustainability of food systems generally, might put the nation’s food security at risk. If prevailing patterns continue, global constraints may very well be exceeded. This paper’s goal is to encourage the coordinated and practical measures needed to carry out these goals. Based on the report by the FAO [1], when agriculture’s contribution to overall output and employment decreases, different difficulties and issues arise in different locations at varying rates. Although technical advancements and investments in agriculture are increasing productivity, yield growth has stalled at unacceptably low rates. Reducing food waste and losses would minimize the need for production to increase, which consumes a sizeable amount of agriculture’s output. However, the deterioration of natural resources, the loss of biodiversity, and the spread of transboundary parasites and diseases in both animals and plants—some of which are developing antimicrobial resistance—delay the desired increase in productivity development.

These tendencies present a number of difficulties for agriculture and food. Agriculture and food production cannot be sustained by high-input, resource-intensive farming practices that have led to extensive deforestation, water shortages, soil degradation, and significant greenhouse gas emissions. Innovative solutions that boost production while safeguarding and enhancing the natural resource base are required. A transformational process for “holistic” strategies that also draw on indigenous and traditional knowledge is required, such as organic agriculture, re-vegetation, climate-smart agriculture, and crop management. Technology advancements would aid in addressing climate change and the increase in natural catastrophes, which touch all organisms as well as every element of human life, together with substantial reductions in economic growth and farming consumption of fossil fuels. For the prevention of rising transboundary concerns in agriculture and the food chain, such as diseases and pests, enhanced openness and cooperation are required. To meet present and future difficulties, food systems, including management, must be rethought. These must, however, be complemented by ethical investments that take into account the welfare of small farmers, the ecological costs of expanding food supply chains, and the effects on ecosystems. Farming practices need to be made more effective, diverse, and resilient in order to solve these issues. As all civilizations must fundamentally alter the way they create and consume goods, sustainable development is a worldwide issue and the collective duty of all nations. Moreover, on the pathway to sustainable development, all nations are dependent on one another. Achieving cogent, efficient national and global management with defined initiatives and a commitment to accomplishing them is one of the main issues. Yet, pervasive malnutrition and hunger are still major problems in many regions of the world. By 2030, and certainly not by 2050, hunger will not be completely eradicated at the prevailing development rate [1]. The elongation of food chains and modifications to eating habits have made the food sector even more intensive in terms of energy, resources, and emissions. These developments put the nation’s ability to satisfy its food demands at risk and jeopardize the viability of the food sector.

This provokes additional queries. Can agriculture supply the enormous demand for food while ensuring the sustainable use of the earth’s resources, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing the effects of climate change? Can the country ensure that everyone has access to enough food? Can rural economies and agricultural sectors be altered to offer more employment and income-generating possibilities? Can government policies support farming practices that eradicate micronutrient shortages, provide cheap food access for everyone, and address food overabundance? Can the enormous issue of food waste and food losses be solved? As a result, the intention of this paper is not to list all the issues that the Indian agri-food sectors must deal with but rather to foster better knowledge of the issues that agribusiness, rural development, and food systems face today and in the future. The assessment of the agri-food sectors’ issues that is addressed in this study sheds additional light on the issues involved as well as what can be done to make these sectors more sustainable.

Moreover, the agri-food sector has gradually changed and is undergoing abrupt changes on a global and national level. The whole agri-food production and logistics industries have recently undergone a significant change owing to technological advancements. Despite this, there are still a number of persistent sustainability issues that need to be resolved. To efficiently manage the agri-food markets, support the anticipated population expansion, and guarantee that everyone has access to sufficient, secure, and nutrient-dense food, it is thus imperative that we move toward sustainable food and agricultural systems [1], and this provides the motivation behind the present research, particularly taking into account the Indian agri-food sectors that lack adequate research and intervention strategies. This article discusses some of the contemporary sustainability issues and offers logical, doable, and applicable agri-food sector solutions. Identifying the issues affecting the agri-food sectors in the Indian context is the focus of this article in order to provide effective solutions that may be implemented at various levels of service delivery, policy development, and by competent authorities.

In light of the research requirements, the following research questions for this study were established:

• What persistent problems do the agri-food industries in India have?
• What kinds of combating measures should be prioritized in order to bring about and keep in place a more sustainable agricultural system?

It was the purpose of this work to answer the research questions that had been established, and the key objectives that represented the novelty of this work included the following: identification of the issues that are faced by the Indian agri-food sectors and the discovery of effective combating measures for each issue depending on how it will affect agriculture; ranking of the issues that were identified along with the corresponding measures based on their priority with the assistance of an integrated BWM and SWARA technique. The integrated BWM and SWARA methodology that is proposed in this method combines the strengths of both techniques and offers decision makers the benefit of overcoming the weaknesses of each method when employed individually through the utilization of the integrated technique.

The organization of the rest of this article is as follows: The relevant literature is provided in Section 2. Section 3 presents a comprehensive overview of the research technique that was used. Section 4 provides a summary of the results, followed by Section 5, which discusses the results and key findings of this research. At the end, the implications and concluding remarks are presented in Section 6.

2. Literature Review

Due to weaker organizations and worse facilities, the farming sub-sectors are known for having greater overhead costs and ubiquitous market inefficiencies [3]. Additionally, through partially implementing policy initiatives and re-emergences, the benefits of liberalization for the state advertising companies in agrarian segments of the market were dampened [4]. With agriculture extension, larger knowledge systems that incorporate both agricultural education and research are in operation. While the OECD nations refer to these as “Agricultural-Knowledge Systems”, the FAO and the World Bank refer to them as “Agricultural-Knowledge and Information-Systems for Rural-Development” [5]. According to Olesen and Bindi [6], the current yield gaps for the earlier “Soviet countries” in Europe are 4.5 times greater than the output-growth that would likely result from climate change by 2050. In order to pursue agribusiness strategies, agricultural organizations must adhere strictly to business principles and meet converging expectations for social engagement [7]. Dolan and Humphrey [8] investigated fresh foods exported from Africa and discovered that UK supermarkets had developed an influence over the fresh vegetable trade, playing a crucial role in determining production and processing patterns. According to Chen et al. [9], hypermarkets and supermarkets accounted for more than two-thirds of all retail businesses in “Western European and North American” nations. These outlets are also common in “South Asia and Latin America”. For the agri-food system, the retail revolution has offered both new possibilities and challenges. The “Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India” commissioned “ICRIER” to conduct a study on the effects of organized retailing on unorganized retail, farmers, and middlemen, and the results showed that both could coexist by establishing contemporary supply chains in organized retails that would increase productivity for both agriculture and industries [10]. In order to create and provide value to end users, a successful fresh food business must first understand the “consumer’s value” drivers for the target market. Suppliers who are knowledgeable about their products, including how consumers use them, and who are attentive to market needs can react more swiftly to changing consumer preferences and maintain their competitive edge [11]. Due to their inability to implement “technical breakthroughs”, the developing nation’s poorer farmers are likely to be excluded from trade since they have less access to knowledge and markets and fewer resources [12]. A thorough examination of the “trade-system and trade-environment” is necessary to comprehend the supply chain, exchange levels, and forces that have an influence on business operations. This can aid in identifying and defining the roles of potential members of the supply chain in an agro-based supply chain. In order to increase quality assurance and reduce expenses, supply chain actors must develop collaboration in the event of food safety issues. Leat and Reoldo-Giha [13] have recognized five elements that impact the supply chains’ connections in their research of the “malting barley to beer agri-food industry”. These factors include communication, goal compatibility, commercial advantages, contractual partnerships focused on ties to both individual and professional networks, greater trust levels, and readiness to resolve issues, respectively.

Food processing often requires a lot of labor and takes a long time; hence, the yields and returns on investment are lower. Therefore, recognizing these obstacles and helping to overcome them is crucial for future capacity growth, improvement in quality, and the creation of sustainable and profitable firms [14]. The extension service’s responsibilities include giving guidance, updating agricultural technology or practices, and applying practical research knowledge [15]. It is possible to track the spread of improved agricultural technology and management methods. The Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese, and even American civilizations all have a long history dating back thousands of years. Both the United Kingdom and Ireland are where extension service systems have their roots. During the years from 1845 to 1851, agricultural extension consultants assisted Irish potato farmers in diversifying into other food crops [16]. According to reports, the U.S. Extension covers six key areas in both rural and urban settings, including youth empowerment, agriculture and leadership development, development of resources, consumer and family sciences, and community and economic development [17]. Concern over the environmental and social viability of the food industry has grown [18]. If the current trends of population growth and consumption hold true, our world’s food production system may not be able to maintain patterns of resource-intensive consumption that are on the rise. By 2030, civilization will require the equivalent of approximately two Earths to feed itself [19]. The reformation and development of marketing infrastructures are both aided by agricultural marketing. Therefore, it becomes crucial to enhance all services to promote agricultural business connected to market system improvement, marketing infrastructure strengthening, investment needs, potential funding sources, marketing information system improvement using human resource developments, ICTs, and export-related endorsements [20]. Numerous empirical studies in “Africa, Asia, and Latin America” have demonstrated the importance of producer organizations in enabling smallholder farmers to access value markets that are higher [21,22,23]. Farmers’ adoption intensity for improved maize varieties in Tanzania was found to be impacted by their involvement in farmer groups [24]. A variety of cropping patterns, reduced tillage, and investments in soil and water conservation are all examples of sustainable agricultural techniques that have been suggested by studies [25]. Production, processing, marketing, and consumption are value-adding activities that are included in the conceptual framework of agricultural value chains. The phrases “supply chain and value chain”, according to the “Food and Agricultural Organization”, are sometimes used interchangeably [26]. The value chain, which includes “processing, packing, storing, transporting, and distributing”, can be a network or vertical connection between numerous separate corporate organizations. The agricultural value chains in South Asian nations are frequently broken, with missing connections between markets and farmers [27]. According to the World Bank [28], 75% of the poorest people live in rural regions and rely mostly on agriculture as a source of income. In South Asia, the percentage of people living in poverty is likewise larger and more persistent. Similar to how other sectors of the economy have grown, the significant expansion of agriculture may be a useful instrument for reducing poverty in rural regions. Shiferaw et al. [29] recommended democratic-based governance, continuity and helpful group composition, accountability, and competitiveness to improve the performance of agrarian manufacturers. According to Callon and Muniesa [30], markets can be seen as unified systems allowing a give-and-take philosophy that is limited not only to commodities and dissemination but also offers essential values. These values are shaped by societal norms, public legislation, private entities, and social customs [31]. Additionally, the agri-food markets are crucial in aggregating needs and supplies across the whole food system, from the input side to agriculture, collecting, processing, as well as packing, transportation, and ultimate consumers’ consumption of commercial food items [32]. As a result, it creates the potential for products to be consumed in the end [33], in addition to economic development initiatives. The agri-food markets have seen rapid worldwide development, with some meta-trends created by global forces having a significant impact on the agri-food sectors globally [34]. Currently, a number of stressors have been identified in the agri-food markets and systems [35], which deal critically with a number of sustainability issues, including changing climate, rising population, undernourishment and hunger, depletion of resources, degradation of ecosystems, and biodiversity. They are at the intersection of global social, environmental, and economic crises [35,36,37]. Various scholars have suggested that globalization benefits food security by lowering the risk of international supply disruptions [38], foodstuff inflation [39], and associated instability [40]. The previous decades have seen a significant transformation in the worldwide agro-based supply networks due to the adoption of food quality and safety standards [41].

The primary difficulty posed by supplying local, national, and worldwide markets is the agricultural value chains’ globalization. The majority of businesses were found to be unwilling to work with neighboring farmers as a result of ‘structural flaws’, such as lower dependability and a lack of high-quality produce, according to the “United Nations Conference on Trade and Development” [42]. Brazil processed 70% of its fruits as compared to China’s 23%, Indonesia’s 50%, and India’s 4% [43]. With an understanding of the challenges involved with such a firm, Sundar [44] investigated more than fifty prospects linked to agribusiness in India. With 75% to 80% of total marketing shares in developed markets compared to emerging nations, the digital market is the most established and significant platform for the progress of the global economy [45]. By 2050, when there will likely be 9.7 billion people on the planet, precision farming will likely be adopted as a result of digitalization, making it a primary demand for food production [46]. Currently, the four agricultural sectors of “web designing, marketing through social media, mobile applications, and digital marketing” are where the majority of internet technology is utilized [47]. The resources and environmental outcomes of these continuously expanding agro-based products have come under increased pressure from both corporations and governments. By adhering to strict food safety management rules, producers such as small-scale farmers may contribute to sustainable development through institutional efforts and active engagement in procurement channels [48]. According to Borsellino et al. [49], research should be expanded in order to advance fundamental knowledge and identify the potential for developing meaningful measures that might nudge the agro-based industries toward sustainability.

Food security’s four pillars comprise food availability, accessibility, consumption, and stability across time [50]. Fulfilling the increased demand for food caused by population expansion makes food security a challenge on a worldwide scale. There is a greater need to meet the constantly rising demands for quality foods and food security in order to maintain sustainability by reducing environmental consequences and enhancing societal potential [51]. In order to fulfill the growing needs of the global population, the United Nations “Food and Agriculture Organization” determined the provisional requirements for a sufficient and reasonable food supply through services for sustainable agriculture [1]. Despite the slower population growth rates globally, “South Asia and Africa” will still see considerable expansion in the years to come. This will increase competition for already scarce water and land commodities [52]. In addition, there will probably be more rivalry for resource-based inputs for energy and food production [53] and for governmental “bio-economy plans” [54]. But in addition to the strains on land-based resources, over 40% of the world’s rural populations are affected by water scarcity brought on by industrial, agricultural, and urban needs [55]. The tenets of intensifying sustainability are that the agricultural sectors’ production must be raised to keep up with demanding rates of growth [56]; and according to previous research, the productivity in 2050 must be about 50% higher than in the year 2012 [57]. An expanding food waste scenario, income inequalities, disparities in food distributions, and worsening climatic changes would all necessitate increased agricultural productivity [58]. Climate change not only makes it harder to make a living but also directly threatens food security by lowering work prospects, raising levels of poverty, and restricting access to societal benefits [59].

Moreover, the emergence and dissemination of the “pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19)”, which now has unbalanced a wider range of activities, has gravely affected the world’s financial systems. Due to social marginalization, rigorous travel regulations, and quarantine rules, many industrial sectors have seen major labor shortages as well as job losses. One of the sectors that was completely exposed was the agricultural and food industry. Offering practical solutions that can benefit both market expansion and customer happiness is urgently needed [60]. The agriculture industry is having a very difficult time meeting the rising demand for food due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Since the outbreak, factors such as consuming foods that are high in health and nutrition, reducing poverty, enhancing safety, and maintaining the environment have been crucial [46]. The constraints, including labor scarcity, access to customers, and preferential procurement of commodities, continued to be problems for the agri-food sectors from both supply and demand perspectives [61].

When considering any option, it is imperative that the procedure for making decisions be brought up at all times. Decision making is a complex cognitive process that involves the brain looking for a desirable conclusion while taking into consideration a number of different elements. This process may be logical or illogical, and on the other hand, it may make implicit or explicit presumptions that depend on a variety of factors, including cultural, biological, physiologic, and social impacts. A wide range of factors have an impact on these presumptions. All of these factors, as well as the amount of power involved and the level of risk, can influence the degree of difficulty of the decision-making process. Mathematical equations, a wide range of statistics, algebra, economic theories, and computational resources that automatically calculate and estimate the answers to decision-making questions can all be employed to address complex decision-making difficulties in the modern era. It is possible that multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), one of the most precise methods of making decisions, may be regarded as a revolution in this particular field. The MCDM approach could be used to help humans find solutions to everyday challenges. In contrast, the evaluation of criteria becomes an extremely important issue when a problem is based on a subject that is of greater significance, such as in the agri-food industry or other industries. In light of this, it is imperative that decisions be arrived at by adhering to sound organizational practices and doing comprehensive analyses of each of the relevant aspects using the tools and technologies that are available. Additionally, despite the fact that other MCDM methods have been developed, or the discovery of criteria estimates and picking in light of their tendencies, one of the most popular methods that utilize comparisons was already considered to be the BWM, with even fewer data requirements and more trustworthy comparability [62]. Rezaei et al. [63] found that the BWM is appropriate when there are fewer criteria to be taken into consideration and that it also generates more consistent findings with fewer pair-wise comparisons [64]. The SWARA technique, which is another way of doing MCDM and is capable of handling a range of criteria in any challenging situation, has also proven its unique application for a variety of decision-making procedures [65,66,67]. Additionally, various research has recommended combining MCDM methods to effectively manage more complex problems, such as SWARA and the “complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method” [66] and SWARA and “VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) analysis” [68]. However, there are not many studies that take complicated problems into account when integrating BWM and SWARA methods. Therefore, in this study, an effort was made to combine both the BWM and SWARA methods in order to rank the agri-food sectors’ associated issues.

3. Research Methodology

This research involved an exhaustive literature analysis, followed by interaction with agricultural, academic, and environmental specialists to identify and prioritize the underlying vulnerabilities in the agri-food sectors in India. The BWM technique was used to rank the associated major issues, and the SWARA method was used to rank the associated sub-issues in order to combat the major issues. When determining the final weight values of the associated sub-issues, the SWARA method took into account the associated major issue’s optimized weight values. This allowed for the difficulties and issues to be ranked according to the most effective way to prioritize them.

Table 1. Characteristics of expert participants.

Competence Area	Sexual Identity		Higher Education		Years of Experience on Average
	Male	Female	Master-Degree	Doctorate
Agricultural	13	7	2	18	Exceeding 23
Academic	7	3	1	9	Exceeding 25
Environmental	6	2	3	5	Exceeding 20

listed the 38 experts who took part in the study’s decision-making processes, along with details on their sexual identity, higher education, and years of experience on average.

3.1. The Associated Issues’ Identification for the Indian Agri-Food Sectors

According to the literature, FAO [1], and experts’ views, the possible and potential issues for the Indian agri-food sectors can be divided into five categories as depicted in

Table 2. The agri-food sectors’ associated issues (AIs).

Sl. No.	Major-Issues	Sub-Issues
1	Issues with stability and availability of food (AI1)	Threats to agri-food sectors, including those that are transboundary, should be avoided (AI1-1)
		By improving agricultural output sustainably, it will be possible to meet rising demand (AI1-2)
2	Issues with the lack of innovative systems (AI2)	Need for a transformational process toward “holistic” techniques that will increase production while protecting and enhancing the natural resource base (AI2-1)
		Technological advancements would assist to enhance every area of human-life as well as the entire ecosystems (AI2-2)
3	Food-governance-related issues (AI3)	Addressing the national and worldwide demands for functional and cohesive governance (AI3-1)
		Improving the effectiveness, resiliency, and inclusivity of the food systems (AI3-2)
4	Issues of climate change and natural disasters (AI4)	Climate changes and the rising threats of natural disasters must be addressed (AI4-1)
		Making sure that the natural resource base is sustainable (AI4-2)
5	Issues of accessing and utilizing food (AI5)	Eliminating malnutrition and other associated forms of hunger (AI5-1)
		Severe poverty must be eradicated, and inequality must be reduced (AI5-2)
		The development of resilience for the protracted crises, hostilities, and disasters (AI5-3)
		With the main causes of migration being addressed, earning prospects in rural regions will improve (AI5-4)

, with the corresponding sub-issues as combating measures, which included: (a) issues with stability and availability of food (AI₁); (b) issues with the lack of innovative systems (AI₂); (c) food-governance-related issues (AI₃); (d) issues of climate change and natural disasters (AI₄); and (e) issues of accessing and utilizing food (AI₅); respectively.

The two “sub-criteria or sub-issues” under the criteria AI₁ included “Threats to agri-food sectors, including those that are transboundary, should be avoided (AI_1-1); and By improving agricultural output sustainably, it will be possible to meet rising demand (AI_1-2)”. The two identified sub-criteria under the criteria of AI₂ included “Need for a transformational process toward “holistic” techniques that will increase production while protecting and enhancing the natural resource base (AI_2-1); and Technological advancements would assist to enhance every area of human-life as well as the entire ecosystem (AI_2-2)”. The two sub-criteria under AI₃ included “Addressing the national and worldwide demands for functional and cohesive governance (AI_3-1); and Improving the effectiveness, resiliency, and inclusivity of the food systems (AI_3-2)”. Further, the two sub-criteria that were identified under AI₄ included “Climate changes and the rising threats of natural disasters must be addressed (AI_4-1); and Making sure that the natural resource base is sustainable (AI_4-2)”. Correspondingly, the four sub-criteria under AI₅ included “Eliminating malnutrition and other associated forms of hunger (AI_5-1); Severe poverty must be eradicated, and inequality must be reduced (AI_5-2); The development of resilience for the protracted crises, hostilities, and disasters (AI_5-3); and With the main causes of migration being addressed, earning prospects in rural regions will improve (AI_5-4)”; respectively.

3.2. Developing Fuzzy Model

For a scientific tool such as the fuzzy inference system to perform “system-simulation”, a precise mathematical description is not necessary. Membership functions are used to transform the actual values into fuzzy form during the fuzzification stage. The rule bases contain a collection of “IF-THEN” language rules that describe the logical development of a system in accordance with the linguistic values of the main characters. When creating a rule-based fuzzy model that is built on the knowledge of experts, there are several stages involved. In general, a set of standards for “sustainable-management (S-M)” may be employed. These standards and indicators can be used as instruments to promote S-M as well as track its development and state [69]. Potential issues with the agri-food sectors were taken into account as inputs to the fuzzy model in this study, while sustainability of the agri-food sectors was the output [70].

3.3. The BWM’s Steps

The preceding steps were part of the BWM as defined by Rezaei [71]:

• Step 1: Based on a survey of the literature and the views of experts, a set of decision-criteria was developed, consisting of ‘n’ different criteria as: {C₁, C₂, … C_n}.
• Step 2: The choice of “best-criteria (BC)” and “worst-criteria (WC)” was made from the most-essential or most-enviable and least-essential or least-enviable criterion.
• Step 3: The decision was made to prioritize the BC over all other considerations using numbers between “1 and 9”. The “best-to-others (BTO)” vector that resulted was furnished by: ${\mathrm{A}}_{\mathrm{BC}}$ = $\left\{{\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BC}1},{ \mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BC}2},\dots \dots ,{ \mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCn}}\right\}$; where, ${\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCi}}$ = BC’s preference over j and ${\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCBC}}=1$.
• Step 4: The decision was made to prioritize all other criteria’s preferences over the considered WC using numbers between “1 and 9”. The “others-to-worst (OTW)” vector that resulted was furnished by: ${\mathrm{A}}_{\mathrm{w}}$ = ${\left\{{\mathrm{a}}_{1\mathrm{W}},{\mathrm{a}}_{2\mathrm{W}},\dots \dots ,{ \mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{nW}}\right\}}^{\mathrm{T}}$; where, ${\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{jWC}}$ = j’s preference over WC and ${\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{WCWC} }=1.$
• Step 5: Calculated “optimized-weights (AI_W)” were$:\left\{{\mathrm{WC}}_1^{*},{\mathrm{WC}}_2^{*},. \dots ..,{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{n}}^{*}\right\}.$

This step’s main objective was to calculate AI_w for minimizing the maximum absolute differences $\left\{\left|{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{BC}}-\left({\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCj}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}\right)\right|, \left|{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}-\left({\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{jWC}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{WC}}\right)\right|\right\}”$ for all j. The following “minimax-model” was then developed:

$$\mathrm{Minimax} \left\{\left|{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{BC}}-\left({\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCj}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}\right)\right|, \left|{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}-\left({\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{jWC}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{WC}}\right)\right|\right\}$$

Subjected to,

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{\mathrm{j}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}=1, \{{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}} \ge 0 \mathrm{for} \mathrm{all} \mathrm{j}\}$$

(1)

The subsequent linear model was then created from “Model-(i)”:

Minimax ${\mathsf{\xi }}^{*}$

Subjected to,

$$\left|{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{BC}}-\left[{\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCj}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}\right]\right|\le {\mathsf{\xi }}^{*}, \left|{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}-{\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{jWC}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{WC}}\right| \left\{\mathrm{for} \mathrm{all} \mathrm{j}\right\}$$

(2)

$${{\displaystyle \sum }}_{\mathrm{j}}{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}}=1, \{{\mathrm{WC}}_{\mathrm{j}} \ge 0 \mathrm{for} \mathrm{all} \mathrm{j}\}$$

AI_W, in addition to the “optimized-value (ξ^*)”, was derived by solving the aforementioned “Model-(ii)”. Additionally, it was important to evaluate the “consistency ($C_i^{*}$)” of comparisons, for which a value “closer to 0” was crucial [63]. However, using Equation (3) below, a “consistency-index” aids in establishing the $C_i^{*}$.

$$C_i^{*}=[{\mathsf{\xi }}^{*}/\mathrm{CI}]$$

(3)

The “consistency-index (Ci)” values utilized in BWM are shown in

Table 3. BWM’s C_I values.

${\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{BCWC}}$	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
${\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{I}} (\mathrm{Maximum} {\mathsf{\xi }}^{*}$)	5.23	4.47	3.73	3.00	2.30	1.63	1.00	0.44	0

.

3.4. The SWARA Method’s Steps

According to Stanujkic et al. [72], the following steps were used to rank much more and less important criteria (the issues associated with agri-food sectors) at upper and lower levels.

Step 1: Priority-based grouping of the criterion

In this step, experts ranked the criteria by looking at the relative weights given to each criterion. The initial placement of the more important criterion came first, and the inclusion of the less important criterion in the last position came after.

Step 2: Evaluating the relative relevance of average values (s_j)

The relative relevance of “average values (s_j)” was calculated starting with the criterion that was rated second, based on how important criterion (c_j) was compared to criterion (c_j+1).

Step 3: The coefficient’s (k_j) calculation as stated below:

$$k_j=\{\begin{array}{l}1,j=1\\ s_j+1,j>1\end{array}$$

(4)

Step 4: The recalculated weight’s (q_j) calculation as stated below:

$$q_j=\{\begin{array}{l}1,j=1\\ \frac{q_{j-1}}{k_j},j>1\end{array}$$

(5)

Step 5: The final weight’s (w_j) calculation of the evaluation criteria as stated below:

$$w_j=\frac{q_j}{{\displaystyle \sum _{k=1}^n{q}_k}}$$

(6)

where, n = number of criteria.

4. Results

Fuzzy logic was used in this study to produce a rule-based fuzzy model for the agri-food sector’s sustainability, as described in the following section.

4.1. Fuzzy Model for Sustainable Agri-Food Sectors

Figure 1 depicts a fuzzy Mamdani model with “multiple-inputs and -output (MIMO)”. By categorizing each input data point using linguistic factors, the raw data were fuzzified. The membership function range values were then assigned in accordance with issues associated with agri-food sectors by using three qualitative linguistic expressions (i.e., nil = 0, low = 1, and high = 2) for each of the five major issues as inputs. Similarly, two qualitative linguistic expressions, “No = 0” and “Yes = 1”, were used to represent the outcome variable in this study, which was the agri-food sectors’ sustainability. Where “No” denoted that the agri-food sectors are not sustainable and “Yes” denoted that the agri-food sectors are sustainable, provided that either all or any one of the inputs was “low or nil”, with none of the inputs being “high”. However, it was not sustainable for any one of the inputs to be “high”. A careful review of the literature and the advice of experts led to the decision to use triangular membership functions for the study’s five inputs as well as for the single output. Figure 2 provides a summary of the model’s governing rules, the implemented “fuzzy inference system” in accordance with those rules, and the model’s developed surface for the agri-food sectors’ sustainability.

Further, the ranking of the agri-food sectors’ associated issues is described in the following section.

4.2. Ranking of the Agri-Food Sectors’ Associated Issues

4.2.1. AIs Ranking by BWM

The BC and WC were selected using the collective judgment of industry professionals after taking into account the degree to which each of the five selected “criteria or the agri-food sectors’ associated issues (AIs)” was important. We sought the advice of industry professionals to ascertain, using a scale ranging from 1 to 9, which criteria should be considered more important than all others. By assigning the same rating values to all of the criteria, we were able to calculate the preferences of the other criteria in relation to the WC. The figures were determined by taking into consideration the average of the values provided by the experts. Additionally, the “BWM-Solver.xlsx” software was used to acquire the AI_w values for all the criteria in addition to the $C_i^{*}$, with the preference ratings for all five AIs being finalized employing Equation (2).

The criteria AI₂ was chosen as the BC and AI₅ as the WC.

Table 4. Comparisons of AI₂ to all AIs.

BTO	AI1	AI2	AI3	AI4	AI5
AI2	2	1	4	3	8

illustrates the comparisons of AI₂ to all AIs, while

Table 5. Comparisons of all AIs to AI₅.

OTW	AI5
AI1	4
AI2	8
AI3	2
AI4	3
AI5	1

illustrates the comparisons of all AIs to AI₅. The AI_w values for each criterion were as follows (

Table 6. AI_w of all AIs.

AIs	AIw	${\mathit{C}}_{\mathit{i}}^{*}$	Rank
AI1	0.229	0.011	2
AI2	0.448		1
AI3	0.114		4
AI4	0.153		3
AI5	0.054		5

): AI_w1 = 0.229, AI_w2 = 0.448, AI_w3 = 0.114, AI_w4 = 0.153, and AI_w5 = 0.054. Furthermore, as stated in Table 6, $C_i^{*}$ was determined to be 0.011. Then, using the X-axis for the criterion and the Y-axis for the AI_w values, the graph was constructed (Figure 3). It was observed from the AI_w estimations for different AIs that “Issues with the lack of innovative-systems (AI₂)” was rated in the first level and was followed by “Issues with stability and availability of food (AI₁); Issues of climate changes and natural disasters (AI₄); Food-governance related issues (AI₃); and Issues of accessing and utilizing food (AI₅)”; accordingly.

4.2.2. SWARA’s Ranking for All the Sub-Issues under AIs as Major-Issues

The AI_w values of different AIs obtained in BWM were further utilized in SWARA for the calculation of corresponding values of “final revised-weight (FRw_j)” for all the sub-issues under AIs as major issues, which were illustrated in

Table 7. FRw_j of all AI_1′s sub-criteria.

Sub-Criteria	Relative Relevance of sj	kj	qj	wj	# FRwj
AI1-1		1	1	0.539	0.123
AI1-2	0.17	1.17	0.854	0.460	0.105

^# FRw_j of, AI_1-1 = 0.539 × 0.229 = 0.123; AI_1-2 = 0.460 × 0.229 = 0.105.

,

Table 8. FRw_j of all AI_2′s sub-criteria.

Sub-Criteria	Relative Relevance of sj	kj	qj	wj	FRwj
AI2-1		1	1	0.535	0.239
AI2-2	0.15	1.15	0.869	0.465	0.208

,

Table 9. FRw_j of all AI_3′s sub-criteria.

Sub-Criteria	Relative Relevance of sj	kj	qj	wj	FRwj
AI3-2		1	1	0.543	0.062
AI3-1	0.19	1.19	0.840	0.456	0.052

,

Table 10. FRw_j of all AI_4′s sub-criteria.

Sub-Criteria	Relative Relevance of sj	kj	qj	wj	FRwj
AI4-1		1	1	0.535	0.081
AI4-2	0.15	1.15	0.869	0.465	0.071

and

Table 11. FRw_j of all AI_5′s sub-criteria.

Sub-Criteria	Relative Relevance of sj	kj	qj	wj	FRwj
AI5-3		1	1	0.306	0.016
AI5-4	0.15	1.15	0.869	0.265	0.014
AI5-1	0.17	1.17	0.743	0.227	0.012
AI5-2	0.13	1.13	0.657	0.201	0.010

, respectively. The AI_w values were used to determine the FRw_j of all the sub-issues [73]. It may be noted that the experts’ suggestions were taken for sorting the sub-issues under different AIs according to their relative relevance. For instance, in order to calculate the FRw_j of all AI_5′s sub-criteria, the sub-issues under AI₅ were sorted according to their relative relevance as follows: “AI_5-3 > AI_5-4 > AI_5-1 > AI_5-2” (shown in Table 11).

Following the above calculations,

Table 12. Final weight’s summary.

Criteria and Sub-Criteria	Final Weights	Criteria’s Ranking Based on AIw	Sub-Criteria’s Ranking Based on FRwj
AI1	0.229	2nd	-
AI1-1	0.123	-	3rd
AI1-2	0.105	-	4th
AI2	0.448	1st	-
AI2-1	0.239	-	1st
AI2-2	0.208	-	2nd
AI3	0.114	4th	-
AI3-1	0.052	-	8th
AI3-2	0.062	-	7th
AI4	0.153	3rd	-
AI4-1	0.081.	-	5th
AI4-2	0.071	-	6th
AI5	0.054	5th	-
AI5-1	0.012	-	11th
AI5-2	0.010	-	12th
AI5-3	0.016	-	9th
AI5-4	0.014	-	10th

provides a summary of the weights assigned to each relevant criterion and sub-criterion, together with their relative rankings in relation to the AI_w and FRw_j values.

5. Discussion

This study makes a contribution by integrating two methodologies that are based on MCDM techniques in order to weigh the criteria for the sustainable development of Indian agri-food sectors. Both BWM and SWARA are specific, cutting-edge approaches to the novel method of weighting criteria according to distinct ideologies. Since criteria weight has a substantial impact on the results of any MCDM approach, the only critical decision-making challenge is to analyze the weights of distinct material attributes. In addition, the rationale behind the weight estimation has an evident influence on the reliability of the computational conclusions as well as their level of precision. Therefore, in order to direct decision-makers in the process of calculating the weights of the criteria, there needs to be a clearly acknowledged process. This research aims to analyze and rate the problems that are associated with the agricultural and food production sectors in India by integrating two methodologies: BWM and SWARA.

The primary difficulties or associated major issues for the Indian agri-food sectors were prioritized, and it was revealed from the ranking that “Issues with the lack of innovative-systems” was rated in the first level and was followed by “Issues with stability and availability of food; Issues of climate changes and natural disasters; Food-governance related issues; and Issues of accessing and utilizing food”; accordingly. The equivalent ranking in descending order for all the relevant sub-issues as the mitigation measures under the major issues comprised: Need for a transformational process toward “holistic” techniques that will increase production while protecting and enhancing the natural resource base; Technological advancements would assist to enhance every area of human-life as well as the entire ecosystems; Threats to agri-food sectors, including those that are transboundary, should be avoided; By improving agricultural output sustainably, it will be possible to meet rising demand; Climate changes and the rising threats of natural disasters must be addressed; Making sure that the natural resource base is sustainable; Improving the effectiveness, resiliency, and inclusivity of the food systems; Addressing the national and worldwide demands for functional and cohesive governance; The development of resilience for the protracted crises, hostilities, and disasters; With the main causes of migration being addressed, earning prospects in rural regions will improve; Eliminating malnutrition and other associated forms of hunger; and Severe poverty must be eradicated, and inequality must be reduced; respectively. This study supports “FAO [55] and FAO [58]” reports, which emphasize the existence of greater relationships between climate changes and other progresses in the agri-food sectors, for example, the developmental necessities for functional as well as adaptive food systems (such as land degradation reductions, intensive crop growing, efficient water usages, and the like), and lowering disparities through integrated and coordinated management.

However, in certain rural locations, the agri-food sector faces additional difficulties in locating markets for the products’ profitable sales. These marketing challenges for agriculture have been major concerns all across the world. Additionally, in order for the agricultural community to benefit from the new global market, the obstacles and possibilities presented by the global market under the liberalized trade regime must be handled. To efficiently manage the worldwide agri-food sectors, support the anticipated population expansion, and guarantee that everyone has access to sufficient, secure, and nutrient-dense food, it is thus imperative that we move toward sustainable agri-food systems with more “innovative systems” for productivity enhancements while safeguarding the natural resources. A transformational process toward “holistic-strategies” that also draw on traditional and indigenous knowledge is required, such as conservation agriculture as well as climate-smart agriculture. Technological advancements would aid in addressing existing issues in agriculture, which touch all ecosystems with various elements of human life, and would result in substantial reductions in agriculture’s reliance on fossil fuels. For the prevention of rising transboundary hazards to agriculture and the food chain, greater international cooperation is required. Additionally, this requires resolving disparities in income levels, employment prospects, and asset ownership, both between and within nations. Growth initiatives would increase the income and investment prospects of poor farmers in rural regions and can help the most vulnerable people benefit from market integration and agricultural investment.

In order to alleviate hunger and address the triple burdens of malnutrition through healthier diets, social protection in conjunction with poor-farmers’ growth will be necessary. To end hunger and extreme poverty once and for all, it becomes necessary to develop resiliency to extended catastrophes, crises, and conflicts, which can be avoided by fostering equitable and inclusive sustainable growth. More streamlined, vertical integration of food systems may supply standardized foods to urban areas and offer formal job prospects. To address these concerns, food systems must be made more accessible, productive, and resilient. However, the rising flexibility of food systems will necessitate acceptable solutions beyond technological advancements, with a larger focus on boosting agricultural production as well as careful evaluation of the trade-offs with climatic factors [74]. Small-scale farming communities with less than two hectares of farmland, which produce 30–34% of the world’s food supply from a “gross agricultural area of 24%”, are responsible for the increased crop variety worldwide [75]. As a result, it is crucial to have systems, business plans, and regulations that support and incentivize small-scale farmers to connect to markets [76]. Additionally, a significant percentage of food produced worldwide is lost or discarded, which adds to the external cost and wasteful use of commodities [77]. Therefore, more effective food systems would be the key to solving such issues. Furthermore, irrigation was responsible for India’s early significant increases in agricultural production, and new access to fresh water for irrigation is a major concern in India. As a result, it is critical to encourage alternative means of retaining soil moisture as well as better use and management of irrigation water. To the extent that irrigation can be expanded, it can mitigate the detrimental consequences of excessive heat. Irrigation has resulted in the greatest improvements in yields in the states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. It is feasible that improved irrigation access, which has benefited states in the west and north-west in the past, will lift yields even higher in these regions. However, any expansion in irrigation access should be complemented by sustainability concerns to minimize groundwater depletion, which Haryana and Punjab are currently experiencing [78,79]. Many factors, including technical innovation, global markets, and government policy, will decide the future of Indian agricultural output. Although irrigation and weather are only two factors, they have both had a significant impact on yield trajectory during the last few decades [80].

Traditional knowledge is frequently used to improve food availability and reduce poverty in areas such as ecosystem and landscape management, water management, soil preservation, biological control of diseases and pests, environmentally friendly livestock practices, and animal and plant breeding. Agroecological farming is a foreign concept to those who regard agriculture and ecology as separate fields. It refers to farming for the purpose of producing foods, jobs, and financial incentives, as well as cultural, social, and environmental services and benefits. Agroecological practices are marketed as a more proactive strategy than conventional agriculture for achieving a global collective response to climate change and unpredictability while building strong and resilient agricultural systems to meet food demands and protect ecosystem health [81,82]. Furthermore, the agri-food sectors as a whole have bright prospects for the foreseeable future, but all of the main players, including the farming-community, labor-groups, “governmental-, non-governmental-, and environmental-organizations”, manufacturers and suppliers, technologists and scientists in the field of agri-food, policy-makers, risk managers, users, and the general public, must collaborate to make sure of prosperous and sustainable agri-food sectors [83].

6. Implications and Concluding Remarks

According to this study, achieving sustainable agriculture without government assistance appears to be a very difficult undertaking, especially in the Indian agri-food sector. Thus, in order to encourage sustainable agriculture in a booming nation such as India, the government must make substantial contributions to initiatives where farmers should receive specialized training and assistance to boost their motivation for adopting cutting-edge agricultural techniques. For each new sustainable agricultural activity in any new environment across other developing nations in the world, the issues in the agri-food sectors revealed in this research and their potential mitigation measures can serve as a checklist.

A wealth of agricultural knowledge may be found among farmers. They should be taught to understand that, in a situation of integrated farm management, it is feasible to make nature work for them. They must develop an awareness of the idea that a farm’s needs should be addressed from within that environment and develop their farming techniques in accordance. Additionally, this would lessen farmers’ reliance on schemes, regulations, and subsidies from the government. The availability of data for this study is limited since it only looked at five major agri-food sectors’ issues. The research aims to establish a foundation for further research and development of agri-food sectors in developing nations. Future studies should focus on comprehending the rationale underlying agri-food’s available innovative systems as well as the stability and availability of those agri-foods on a priority basis, followed by other criteria such as climate changes and natural disasters, available food-governance systems, and different complexities in accessing and utilizing food, respectively.

Moreover, achieving cogent as well as effective international and national governance with clear policy initiatives and a commitment to accomplishing them, is one of the main issues in the Indian agri-food sectors. Such a vision, which transcends the gap between “developed- and developing-nations”, is necessary for the sustainable development of these sectors. All nations must work together to address the global problem of sustainable development, which calls for fundamental shifts in how each society produces and consumes. However, a universally oriented aspect of development is essential for all to move toward novel developmental strategies that are more reasonable, inclusive, and sustainable, each within the bounds of its own resources and in line with the goals of the novel framework. Furthermore, a significant number of those in positions of authority continue to support agricultural practices and technical solutions that encourage brisk economic expansion at the expense of the environment. Hence, an emphasis needs to be placed on agroecology-based studies on the traditional knowledge and practices of agroecology as well as the significance of these practices in terms of how they respond to climate change. Limited academic research has been conducted on the social dynamics surrounding traditional agroecological knowledge and practices, the variables that influence the adaptation actions of smallholder farmers, and the opportunities that they present for achieving food security and adapting to climate change in various regions of India. In order to transition away from intensive input-based agriculture and solve pressing issues in the agri-food sector, there is widespread consensus that significant adjustments need to be made to the way food is produced and consumed. These changes need to be made in order to address important concerns. To solve these kinds of problems and make progress toward achieving the “Sustainable Development Goals” at the same time, it is essential to get involved in agroecology as a different route for the growth of the agriculture and food industries.