Multi-Criteria Analysis of Supply Chain Management of Agro-Products in Rural Communities

This paper presents a thorough technical evaluation of the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in the sustainable supply chain management (SCM) of agro-products in rural communities. To rank and assess important technical factors, a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making framework that combined fuzzy entropy and VIKOR, CRITIC techniques were used. The most important factors for efficient SCM among the nine criteria evaluated were technological harmonisation (weight = 0.136), technology readiness (0.125), data integration (0.117), and traceability systems (0.113). In Ogun State, Nigeria, data from three rural areas – Mowe–Ibafo (Case 1), Arigbajo–Ifo (Case 2), and Agbara–Lusada (Case 3) were used for empirical analysis. The sustainability performance of five agricultural items was assessed: vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and poultry. Fish was found to be the most sustainable product in all three examples using the VIKOR technique; Q-values of 0.000 (examples 2 and 3) and 0.937 (Case 1) demonstrated a good agreement with the most important technical criteria. The WASPAS technique, on the other hand, yielded inconsistent scores, underscoring its reduced dependability in rural SCM environments and susceptibility to criteria weighting. The review of each case showed that Agbara–Lusada (Case 3) was less prepared than Mowe–Ibafo (Case 1). According to these results, inclusive policy measures, improved rural infrastructure, and context-specific digital tactics are all necessary. The study provides useful information to agribusiness players, development organisations, and legislators who want to improve rural agro-supply chains in line with sustainable development goals and the circular economy.