Level 7 · Part 3
Routes, timing and coordination
Agree times and places with buyers, and look for ways to combine and share journeys.
A delivery that arrives at the wrong time or place can be worse than no delivery. Clear agreements, good timing and some flexibility save more than faster vehicles.
- Agree with the buyer the time, place, quantity and quality, and who receives the product.
- Plan from the buyer backwards: when must it arrive, when must it leave, when must it be picked or packed?
- Pick products as close as possible to departure time, especially fresh ones.
- Look for the shortest reliable route, not only the shortest on the map. Roads, weather and market days affect travel time.
- Have a backup: another route, another vehicle, or another buyer if something goes wrong.
- Keep in touch with the driver and the buyer during the journey, and write down what happened.
Sharing and combining loads
A small producer often cannot fill a vehicle. Neighbours, a farmer group or a cooperative can share a trip, agree one collection point or alternate who brings the product. The cost per unit falls, but you need clear agreements on who pays, who is responsible and what happens if goods are damaged.
| Problem | A first response |
|---|---|
| Vehicle arrives late | Agree pick-up windows and a way to reach the driver |
| Product not ready when the vehicle comes | Plan harvest and packing from the pick-up time |
| Buyer not there to receive | Confirm the day before and agree who receives |
| Half-empty trips | Combine with others or plan a return load |
| Disputes about damage | Check on arrival and agree in advance who bears which loss |
Exercise 7.3 · Plan one delivery
- Choose one delivery you do or could do regularly.
- Write the agreement you would make with the buyer: time, place, quantity, quality, who receives.
- Write the timeline backwards from delivery to harvest or packing.
- Write one backup plan and one person you could share a trip with.
Background reading for this part:
- Developing Sustainable Food Value Chains: Guiding Principles — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2014
- Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops (4th edition) — L. Kitinoja and A. A. Kader, University of California, Davis (hosted by FAO)