Integrating Value Creation and Core Technology Infrastructure into Cybernetic Governance in Short Food Supply Chains: The Case of Queso Tenate in Mexico

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have gained attention as mechanisms for strengthening local food systems and enhancing producer value. However, many SFSCs involving traditional artisan dairy products struggle to remain viable in competitive markets characterised by industrial production and weak market positioning. This study examines the viability of the SFSC for queso tenate, a traditional artisan cheese from central Mexico, through a cybernetic perspective using the Viable System Model (VSM) and the Viplan method. Accordingly, an integrative framework is proposed that combines cybernetic organisational design with a value chain perspective and a core infrastructure of food technology practices. The SFSC is analysed through the focal enterprise as the primary coordination and integration point for production, coordination, control, intelligence, and governance functions. The analysis incorporates technical and managerial activities, including food technology practices, production operations, and market-related processes. Using the Viplan method, the study represents systemic functions within the SFSC. The results identify structural weaknesses affecting viability, including fragmented coordination, limited technological validation, and insufficient market differentiation. The findings suggest that the configuration of systemic functions, as defined by the VSM, may be associated with organisational conditions shaping system functioning in traditional artisan food systems. The proposed framework provides a structured basis for diagnosing areas where viability may be strengthened. Limitations are acknowledged regarding the conceptual approach, the single-case study design, and the generalisability of the results. Future research may extend this work by examining diverse traditional cheese supply chains, exploring viability across multiple recursion levels, strengthening core infrastructure and market development activities, and incorporating stakeholders’ perspectives within SFSCs.