ECO-DISTRIBUTION CENTRES FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE FUNCTION OF CONSUMER POTENTIAL OF URBAN CENTRES

Spatial expansion and increasing population of cities is turning them into neuralgic points of the food supply chain. Due to its structure and the speed of life processes, food is delivered to urban centres through conventional supply chains, and therefore, today we are faced with an extremely dependent consumer (due to the lack of food self-supply). For this reason, the strategic development of cities requires sustainable thinking and reasoning when it comes to food supply. A simple possible solution for the continuous and sustainable supply for the urban population is the development of ecodistribution centres for agri-food products. With the implementation of this model, numerous effects can be achieved; developing the rural environment of cities reduces the pressure of population inflows; ensuring the supply of fresh, high-quality food in sufficient amounts for the whole population, sustainable management of the waste generated in the process of food distribution and use. The short agri-food chain management, i.e. its production and consumption capacities, considerably reduces dependence on conventional chains. At the same time, prerequisites are created for controlling the production and disposal of waste within agri-food supply chains. Therefore, in this paper, we analyse the consumer potential of urban centres as the fundamental determinant for designing and implementing eco-distribution centres for agricultural products. Empirical research on consumer potential in urban centres was conducted with the help of two utility companies in the city of Split, in 20 residential buildings, and 148 tenants participated in the study.