Hannah Ritsch

Research Article Critique

My Abstract

This study was conducted to determine if localization of food supply chains results in positive

impacts on the environment and economy. This study was necessary since localization policies

are becoming more and more popular and there is not much science that looks at if localization

actually impacts the environment and economy. To conduct this study researchers looked at data

on the imports and exports of dairy in the northeastern United States. Researchers then created

scenarios using different localization techniques and created a mathematical formula. This

formula was used to calculate the results localization would have on the environment and the

economy. It was found that localization did indeed have a positive impact on the environment

and the economy. However, the impact was relatively small. The researchers determined that a

strict definition of localization needed to be made, determining whether or not localization was

based on distance or state boundaries, in order for policies to be effective. Researchers concluded

that the results of localization were small because the localization of one product often resulted

in a tradeoff that increased the distance of another product. It was concluded that more research

needs to be done in different areas of the United States and on different products supply chains

to determine the true effect of localization policies in the United States.

Evaluate the title

This research article has a clear and welcoming title but the title does lack some important parts.

The title of this research article is Environmental and Economic Impacts of Localizing Food

Systems: The Case of Dairy Supply Chains in the Northeastern United States. This title clearly

states to the reader that this research focuses on environmental and economic impacts of daily
supply chains. This is accurate to the content of the article since the article does focus on impacts

of dairy supply chains in the northeast United States. The results are not reflected in the title, the

title gives no indication on the type or severity of environmental or economic impacts. Not

mentioning the results of the research is a flaw in this title. A strength of this title is that it does

not promise anything to the reader, and it doesnt suggest that this research applies to all sectors,

instead it clearly states that this was research conducted only about dairy supply chains in the

northeastern United States. This title does give the reader a general indication of who and what

will be talked about in the research article, but again it does not give the reader an indication

towards results of the research.

Abstract

The abstract from this article is well written and provides a clear overview of the research. The

abstract in this research article did a good job of intriguing the reader. It triggers the readers

attention by stating that the research was conducted using a new empirical model. It also

discussed the several variables that were taken into account for this study, such as, distance

traveled, supply chain costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. This abstract gives a very accurate

summary of the research. It states how the data was analyzed, by using an empirical model. What

the researched assessed, food milks, supply chain costs, greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant

emissions, economic activity, and employment (Nicholson, He, Gmez, Gao, & Hill, 2015,

p.12005). This article does a good job of describing what variables were studied, but does not

state why these variables were chosen. It also does a good job of summarizing the different

scenarios used and the data found, localization scenarios increased total distance fluid milk

traveled by 7-15%, overall supply chain costs by 1-2%, and emissions of greenhouse gases

criteria pollutants,, smaller than 2.5um (Nicholson et al., 2015, p. 12005). This article states
that to get results an empirical model was used, but does not give this model in the abstract. The

empirical model used should be defined in the abstract in order for the reader to identify this

research as valid. The sample of the northeast dairy supply chains was identified, but the number

of dairy supply chains, and exactly which states were involved is not mentioned in this abstract.

Another downfall of this otherwise well written abstract is that the purpose or reason for

conducting this research is not clearly stated. The reader can assume that localization is being

looked at to determine how the environmental impact of a supply chain can be reduced, but this

is not clearly stated in a concise sentence. Besides having the few downfalls mentioned above,

the abstract does do a good job of summarizing the research. The abstract states in the last two

sentences that there were positive environmental and economic changes with localization of the

dairy supply chain. This abstract also did a good job of addressing the strength of the research,

stating that the changes were positive but relatively small, also stating that the definition of

localization has an impact on outcomes. Overall this is a well written abstract that gives the

reader a clear overview of the research and encourages the reader to delve into the research

article.

Introduction

The introduction is a strong point of this research article. It is well written in language that is

clear and not nuanced. The authors started the introduction by stating that there has recently been

a push to localize food systems, but research is limited on if localizing food systems truly helps

the environment and economic climate. The authors pointed out that in order for social programs

that support localization of food systems to have legitimacy, there needs to be evidence that they

indeed accomplish what they are supposed to. The introduction makes it clear to the reader that

the purpose of this research is to identify if there is legitimacy to the positive claims made about
localization of food systems. The author gave a good review of why this study is significant by

explaining that it is one of the only mathematical research studies done about localization of

supply chains. Another positive of this introduction is that the researchers clearly state why they

chose dairy supply chains in the northeast. They explained that these states were systematically

chosen because of their use of fluid milk and the size of the state. The relatively small state size

of northeastern states allows the researchers to compare localization within state boarder and

localization between many states within a certain distance. This introduction is exceptionally

clear and does a good job of introducing the reader to the study in more detail than the abstract

and title did.

The literature Review

The literature review provides relevant references for this research but is not clearly stated as a

separate section of this research article. Sources are identified through use of superscripts and

then references at the end of this research article. These references are used to point out the

increasing trend of localization and give sample definitions of localization. These references help

support the research paper, in saying that there is not much evidence about localization effects,

and instead past research has focused on only specific products, not a whole supply chain. The

review is easy to read as a part of the introduction but it does lack clarification that the author of

this research paper is doing a literature review. By looking at the reference list at the end of the

research paper and identifying which citations belong to the literature review it is clear that these

sources are credible. There are very few .com websites listed, most references come from

credible published journals. Most of the references, with exception of very few, are current to

within five years of when the research article was published, and all of the references are current
to within ten years. The use of the references in the literature review help point out that there

needs to be research done to quantify the effects of localization.

Research Question/Hypothesis/Objective

The research question and hypothesis are a weak point in this research paper. There is not a

clearly defined research question. The research question is assumed to be what is the effect of

localization on the environment and economic climate, but this is not clearly stated anywhere in

the research article. The article did do a good job of explaining the different variables that were

looked at but never identified what the researchers thought the outcome would be and how the

researchers thought these variables would change during the course of research. The assumed

research question and hypothesis is that localization affects the environment and economy

positively. This is an ethical research question. This research study looked at data about current

systems and used a new model to identify environmental and economic impacts. It did not have a

direct effect on human or environmental health and therefore put no one in danger during the

course of this study. If this research article were to be revised it should include a clearly stated

research question and hypothesis.

Methodology

This research is different than a typical research article where the participants are individuals.

This research instead uses states as the participants and uses data about diary imports and exports

in each state to conduct research using different formulas to create scenarios that demonstrate the

impacts of localization. The formulas were made using a GAMS and CPLEX algorithm. A brief

overview of the parts of each formula are described in this section and the research article

provides resources that describe more about the making of each formula. This research is most

representative of a program evaluation, it takes raw data from each state and synthesizes it
through formulas to discover impacts of the program. In this case the program is localization of

dairy supply chains. The variables are properly identified, this section gives a detailed

description of each scenario that was analyzed. They identified the distance traveled, emissions,

and supply chain cost as variables in each scenario. The states were chosen because of their

region and production of diary. They were not randomly selected which could have some impact

on the study, but it was necessary for this study to have all states in one region be analyzed. It

was stated that exactly 231 milk supply regions, 319 fluid plant locations, and 424 major demand

systems were used in this study. This add validity that exact points were identified for the study.

Because this study did not involve the use of individuals or specific companies there is no direct

consent mentioned or obtained and there were no subjects that left the study. The article

mentioned the reliability of the models and indicates that more than one model was used and

compared to ensure that the models and findings were accurate. The last two paragraphs of the

methods section in this research article discuss how the data obtained from the models was

analyzed. These discussions at the end of the study stating that impacts were analyzed using the

Regional Input Output Modeling System II provides validity that data was properly analyzed and

that conclusions from the study are valid. Overall the methodology of this study is very sound

and is well explained in the research article.

Results

The results section of this research article includes paragraph discussions and tables/figures. The

results are discussed in sections for clarity. They are presented without any interpretation, there is

simply percentages and values found. The results are directly tied to the research question and

focus on the variables that were identified in the beginning of the research article. The tables and

figures are clearly described and present the same data that is discussed in the results section.
The downfall of the tables is the data is presented as one big table for each variable instead of

breaking the tables down by variables and scenarios. Each table is clearly labled and has a title

and description that accurately describes what is summarized in the table or figure. The

researchers do a good job of taking the numbers and percentages given in tables and figures and

explaining them to readers. They interpret the data correctly to show positive affects in

localization of dairy supply chain in terms of environment and the economy.

Assess one of the tables or figures from the paper.

This article has many well-designed figures and tables, figure one is a good example. Figure one

contains two separate parts, a and b. Part a is an example of a simplified supply chain using

shapes and text boxes to show how dairy moves from supply location to demand locations. This

is useful information, it helps the reader visualize the process that is discussed throughout the

research article. This figure does not duplicate information, it simply expands on the dairy

supply chain that is talked about throughout the research article. This figure helps give

background information to the reader about the steps dairy takes to demand locations. This

information does stand alone, the title description of the figure provides enough information for

the reader to understand the figure. Though the figure is fairly clear it could be better presented

without the use of shapes and simply by using arrows and text boxes. The shapes seem arbitrary

since there are textboxes in place to describe the shapes. Part b of figure one is a dairy product

flow chart. This chart again is useful to the reader since it expands on the tradeoffs that are

mentioned in the paper. This figure makes use of words and arrows to show the different

products that come from the dairy supply chain and the tradeoffs that are made when more of a

certain product is made. This flow chart makes use of color distinction between arrows to

represent different things. This figure is easily understood by simply following the arrows and
the small title description. This figure gives helpful examples for different tradeoffs in the dairy

supply chain. Both parts of figure one are accurately represented in figure form and if they were

in paragraph form it would be harder for the reader to follow each product through the supply

chain.

Discussion

The discussion section of this research article is well written, it mentions what other relatable

studies found and expands on the information based on the research found in this article.

Similar to the findings about localization of fluid milk from Nicholson, Gomez, and Goa, total

transportation costs in the Northeast increase 1 and 2 %... (Nicholson, 2015, p. 12010). This is a

good example of how the discussion section of this research paper adds to the global discussion

on food localization by comparing this studys findings to other findings. This discussion section

is not clearly separated from the results so some clarity is lacking, but after a thorough reading of

the section the discussion of the data is clearly present. The article explains the implications of

the findings and leads the reader to the conclusion that localization of dairy supply chains has a

positive impact on the environment and the economy. Though the hypothesis was not clearly

stated in the beginning the assumed hypothesis and the results and discussion match. Even

though a main discussion section is not clearly labeled there is a clear section for discussion and

policy implications. This area discusses the main practical implications of the study. It discusses

that impacts of localization are small and that the definition of localization is important during

policy making since it can be defined in terms of miles and in terms of state boundaries. This

studies strengths were not discussed in a separate section of this paper. There is, however, a clear

section to discuss the studys limitation. This section adds credibility to the paper because it

acknowledges that this research does not extend to all supply chains in all regions since the
sample focused only on dairy supply chains in one region. It also provides ways to make this

study better, stating that using an agent based approach would provide more insight into the

effects of the localization of food systems. The researchers did a good job connecting their data

and results to practical implications of food supply localization.

Conclusion

This research article lacks a proper conclusion. This is a major downfall for this research paper.

The procedures and findings are not summarized in a simple paragraph at the end of this study.

Summarizing the findings at the end of this study should be included because it helps to reader

remember how the research was conducted and what the implications are. The last section of the

discussion section does discuss policy implications and summarize what these findings mean, but

it does not summarize exactly what was discovered during the course of the study. It can be

assumed that the end discussion is meant to be inferred as the conclusion since it discusses to

logical implications, for example it states that policy makers should develop a definition for

localization based on mileage before implementing policies. It can be assumed that these

conclusions are based on sufficient evidence since the results are discussed directly before the

discussion that serves as the conclusion. However, for the sake of readability and clarity all of

these points should be summarized in a proper conclusion.

References

This research article makes good use of outside references. There are 31 total references listed at

the end of this research report. These cited resources are primarily within the past 5 to 7 years.

There are a few that are current to the past 10 years from when the research article was published

and there is only two that date back to further than 10 years ago. A majority of the cited

references are from published journals, meaning they are reliable sources. There are very few
websites cited, and the websites that are listed are .gov websites with only two sources coming

from .com websites. The majority of these references are from incredibly trustworthy sources,

this means that the researchers involved in this project did adequate background research for

their study.

Your Conclusion

After reading this research paper in its entirety it is clear that localization, though it may seem

like it would have major impacts on the environment and local economy, actually has very small

positive impact due to the effects that localization of one product has on different products. This

paper makes the point that the recent trend of localization is not supported by much science. It

points out that one of the major issues with localization policies is that policy makers fail to

define localization in a way that is beneficial for the environment and economy. This paper

recommends setting a definition of localization and conducting more studies in different areas to

further reveal the implication of localization. This most important thing this research paper

taught the reader was that though localizing foods may seem like it would have a huge impact on

the environment and local economy the effects are minimal since localizing one product usually

means taking another product farther from a processing plant or demand center. After conducting

this research article critique it was learned that in order for research to be published it needs to be

very thorough in terms of methods and results. Even though research is published it doesnt

mean it is flawless, this study for example lacked a proper conclusion, it is surprising that this

study was published without a proper conclusion being included. Often the biggest benefit of

new research is connecting it to other research that was done previously. By not letting

information stand alone, but rather incorporating it into a larger conversation about the topic it

makes it more valuable to the reader. It is clear that by just skimming a research article it is
impossible to identify if it is valid research. A reader needs to delve into the paper and search for

answers to questions in each section to make sure that the research article includes all that is

necessary to get proper data and findings. Overall this was a very worthwhile experience, finding

good research is a very intensive process that requires critical thinking on the readers part.

Apply the Research to You

This research applies to me because I consider myself very environmentally conscious and

support many efforts to try and reduce carbon footprints. I also believe that communities thrive

when money is kept in local business. However, after reading this article I learned that it is not

always better to localize because it doesnt have as big of an effect on the environment and

economy since localizing one product results in larger travel for another product. If someone

would have asked me if I thought localizing food supply chains was a good policy to put into

place I would have said yes. This article showed me that there are tradeoffs made in the supply

chain when something is changed. Because this article changed my mind it proved to me that I

need to have all the facts before I get on board with a policy. I will continue to support local

businesses, I still believe that spending money in local businesses helps keep money in the

community. However, I will not push to have large corporation localize their products, I now

recognize that the impacts of these efforts would be minimal. After learning that effects of

localization are minimal on the environment and economy, I will continue to search for other was

to make the food supply chain more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This search will

involve reading more research and articles and putting what I learn into practice. In general

America and its citizens need to take more pride in our environment and start taking better care

of it, for this reason I think food supply chain sustainability should be an issue every American

looks into and supports.

 References and Research Article

Nicholson, C., He, X., Gmez, M., Gao, H., & Hill, E. (2015). Environmental and economic

impacts of localizing food systems: The case of dairy supply chains in the northeastern

united states. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(20), 12005-14.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b02892