Bridging academia and agribusiness

Kennett Square, a small borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is known as the "Mushroom Capital of the World" - a title it has earned due to its dominance in U.S. mushroom production. The region supplies nearly 60% of the nation's mushrooms annually, producing over 400 million pounds of mushrooms in 2023 alone. The borough's mushroom industry has flourished since the 19th century, making it a significant contributor to the local economy. With a reputation for variety, health benefits and low environmental impact, mushrooms have become a staple for consumers nationwide.

A 14-mile drive from Kennett Square, the University of Delaware has a robust academic focus on agriculture, business and supply chain management - fields that intersect with Kennett Square's thriving mushroom industry. The proximity between UD and Kennett Square made for an interesting backdrop for UD's fall 2024 W.L. Gore Lecture Series in Management Science, hosted by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. The series is sponsored by the Gore Family endowment. It brings leading experts in the application of management science, statistics and probability to share their insights.

Gore Lecture co-chairs and UD Lerner professors Darwin Davis and Caroline Swift invited Saurabh Bansal, a professor of supply chain management and faculty of operations research at Penn State's Smeal College of Business, to speak about his latest research, "Redesigning Harvesting Processes and Improving Working Conditions in Agribusiness." Bansal's research focused on improving harvesting processes and worker ergonomics in the mushroom industry by working with a mushroom farm in Kennett Square. It has positively impacted the local mushroom producer's and workers' production challenges.

"The agricultural industry has not been looked at in detail in the business school research," Bansal said. "Agriculture is a very human, intense activity. It is one of the largest employers of unskilled labor. When you think about the impact one could have on the livelihoods of unskilled laborers that delta is substantial. Even if you could say, 'I was able to increase our workers' earnings by $200 per month for a worker doing an unskilled job,' that change is big."

For UD students studying supply chain management, agriculture and business, Bansal's work offers a real-world example of how academic research can profoundly impact local economies and worker welfare.

"The topic provided fascinating insights into the complexities of agricultural operations - specifically in mushroom farming," said Ciara Dunleavy, a senior marketing and operations management dual major. "I was amazed by how much impact the role of mathematics and operations management has in the agriculture Industry."

During his lecture, Bansal emphasized the importance of understanding and quantifying trade-offs between improving working conditions for agricultural laborers and maintaining profitability for farm owners.

Bansal explained how business students can use data and analysis to influence real change.

"You don't need to be a math wizard to bring about positive change," he said. "With basic supply chain and management knowledge, you can solve complex problems and create solutions that benefit both the business and the people involved."