Understanding the complexity of the Indonesian fresh mango industry in delivering quality to markets: A systems thinking approach

[Display omitted] •The Indonesian mango industry, a newly transformed complex agriculture system, has challenges in delivering quality.•Uncovering the underlying issues that may hinder the production of high-quality mangoes is important.•Participatory group model building was conducted to identify problems and formulate dynamic hypotheses through CLD.•Lack of contractual arrangements is one of the causes of conventional agricultural management practices widely adopted.•Policy recommendations were formulated through the understanding of system archetypes. In response to anticipated export demand growth and the expansion of the modern domestic market, the Indonesian mango industry faces both opportunities and challenges in elevating the production of high-quality mangoes. This industry’s complexity, characterised by various actors with wide-ranging interests, poses a key challenge. We implemented a systems thinking approach in this study to comprehend this complex Indonesian mango value chain and identify deep-rooted issues that could obstruct high-quality mango production. Our research employed participatory group model building with primary actors and stakeholders, which disclosed that conventional agricultural management practices, inadequate postharvest handling, and a lack of coordinated quality standards are key drivers of low-quality mango production. By utilising system archetypes—interpretive tools capturing complex food system behaviour—we demonstrate that adopting clear market orientation through mutual contractual arrangements and fostering collaboration among key actors can significantly influence high-quality mango production. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the underlying factors affecting system behaviour over time, a component often overlooked in traditional value chain analysis. As a result, policy formulation can better address the root causes of Indonesia’s low production of high-quality mangoes.