Special Topic Calls

There are currently no active calls for peer-reviewed papers. However, there is an ongoing open call for Value Chain Coordination Briefs. See below.

OPEN CALL for VCC Program, Policy, and Practice Briefs

JAFSCD’s Value Chain Coordination Editorial Circle (VCC EC) invites submissions to its ongoing series of Program, Policy, and Practice Briefs. This peer-reviewed series of 2-page briefs distills well-established policies, programs, and practices in local and regional food systems into concise, high-impact publications designed to inform and inspire practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and advocates working across the food system.

The VCC EC broadly defines value chain coordination as the development of networks, information channels, and partnerships that support thriving and sustainable regional food economies. Briefs in this series synthesize current best-known practices in VCC, with an emphasis on approaches that have demonstrated endurance over time or have been formally evaluated to demonstrate effectiveness.

The 600-word submissions should offer broadly applicable lessons and may address any dimension of value chain coordination work, including but not limited to:

  • Financing and economics: Funding models, cost structures, and economic analysis of coordination infrastructure and enterprise development
  • Evaluation and learning: Measuring economic and non-economic impacts; building an evidence base for funders and policymakers
  • Coordination and governance: Cooperative structures, legal forms, and decision-making models for collaborative food enterprises
  • Strategic and business planning: Enterprise development, succession planning, and organizational sustainability
  • Scaling strategies: Expanding market reach and coordination capacity without compromising values
  • Distribution and logistics: Transportation, warehousing, and supply chain infrastructure in regional food systems
  • Market matchmaking: Connecting producers and buyers across diverse market contexts and geographies
  • Branding, marketing, and quality control: Labeling, differentiation, quality assurance, and identity-based marketing for values-aligned products
  • Institutional procurement: Engaging anchor institutions as stable markets; contract design and procurement policy levers
  • Information technology: Digital tools, data infrastructure, and barriers to adoption for smaller enterprises
  • Trust and transparency: Relationship-building, information-sharing, and accountability practices that sustain coordination over time
  • Regulatory compliance: Navigating food safety, licensing, and legal requirements across the supply chain
  • Equitable market access: Barriers to participation for underserved and historically excluded producers and communities
  • Labor in the food supply chain: Workforce development, worker-centered enterprise models, and labor advocacy
  • Risk and resilience: Managing climate, market, and operational risk at the enterprise and system level
  • Policy and advocacy: Governance, political engagement, and policy design in support of values-based food systems

Briefs should be grounded in well-documented programs, policies, or practices, including post-mortem analyses of initiatives that were restructured or discontinued. Coauthors are encouraged to collaborate across practitioner, researcher, and policy roles.

Program, Policy and Practice briefs are peer-reviewed and follow a concise format (approximately 600-word narrative, plus references and resource links). See the JAFSCD brief guidelines for guidance.

VCC Briefs require presubmission evaluation and invitation. To submit a query form and share your draft, CLICK HERE. Associate Editor Anaya Hall will follow up with you within two weeks with a decision on whether you are invited to submit your brief for peer review.

More Information of the VCC EC

For more information about the VCC Editorial Circle or the VCC briefs series, contact the VCC associate editor, Dr. Anaya Hall.