Logistics distribution management in the agricultural commodity supply chain in the Indonesian and global contexts: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Global developments in food logistics and distribution systems encourage the transformation of agricultural supply chain management toward a more digital, adaptive, and sustainable system. The distribution of agricultural commodities in Indonesia, as an archipelagic nation, faces particularly complex challenges due to limited infrastructure, high logistics costs, long distribution chains, the perishability of agricultural products, and low levels of technological and market information integration. These conditions lead to distribution inefficiencies, food price instability, and low competitiveness of the national agribusiness sector within the global supply chain. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method based on a qualitative literature review approach combined with bibliometric analysis of scientific publications from 2021 to 2025 obtained from Google Scholar, Scopus, and Crossref. The analysis was conducted using the Publish or Perish and VOSviewer applications to map research trends, thematic clusters, and inter-conceptual relationships within agricultural logistics distribution. Research findings indicate that global trends in agricultural supply chain management (SCM) have shifted from conventional efficiency-focused approaches toward systems based on digitalization, supply chain resilience, green logistics, and food sustainability. Technologies such as IoT, blockchain, Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and big data have proven to enhance transparency, traceability, distribution efficiency, and real-time decision-making. The main challenges in the Indonesian context include inter-island distribution, low digital literacy among smallholder farmers, limited cold chain infrastructure, and weak integration of national logistics data. Theoretically, this study contributes to the development of SCM theory by integrating perspectives on supply chain resilience, digital agriculture, and the sustainability transition. Practically, the research findings provide recommendations for the development of smart logistics, the strengthening of food distribution infrastructure, the integration of logistics information systems, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to support a more efficient and sustainable national food security system.