Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2021
Get PDFProceedings of the 15th International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks, February 22-26, 2021 organized as a virtual conferenc
Method for identification of the opportunities for improving the competitiveness of Short Food Supply Chains through the application of innovative solutions
Get PDFThere are several problems, daily pitfalls, challenges, that the different types of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) face regularly. A method was developed to help to elaborate strategies to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs. After the analysis of the single SFSC businesses, the value propositions providing for the consumers and/or the short-chain as a whole, screening the needs of the consumers, through the application of innovations, the value propositions can be upgraded. With the appropriate innovations, the image, products/services of the organizations can be more appealing and preferable. The work was carried out within the SMARTCHAIN H2020 project
Spirituality in Agri-food sector: a complementary vision of slow food principles
Get PDFThe goal of this paper is to develop a better understanding on the potential to recognise a fourth principle encompassed by the slow food movement – agri-food philosophy – supported in three factors: spirituality, socialization, and knowledge. Twenty-four national experts from business, administration and academic backgrounds have contributed their thoughts over three rounds: the first round was to auto-evaluate the degree of knowledge and the contributions of each expert, improving the design of the final questionnaire, which was answered in two successive rounds in a set of 105 statements. Statistical measures (arithmetic mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation) were used. The results allowed to predict that until 2027 for the new principle purposed – Philosophical Dimension, the value of food will involve, the "training of taste" and the "wise gourmand" of food traditions and artisans. This scenario can occur in (89.4%) as a Socialization factor.On the other hand, based on the spirituality factor, the experts panel states that food associated with physical exercise and meditation will be, in 2027, the most important axes for achieving harmony of being. It will be a trend with the possibility of occurring around 82.8%.In contrast, one of the trends pointed out by the expert panel is that the food purchase decision will be based on individual beliefs. This trend has an 80.4% probability of occurring.Additionally, in 2027, the several forms of human sensations (e.g., smell, taste, vision) will influenced the perception of food consumption. This trend has an 76.5% probability of occurring.As a result of the knowledge factor, it was concluded that a standard of conduct assumed by all stakeholders will be possible based on full transparency (from raw materials to consumption) and access to true information. This trend can occur in 88.9%
MCDM approach for planning a sustainable livestock enterprise
Get PDFBeside the livestock activity provides excellent nutritional ingredients for the human diet, growing conflict among stakeholders are caused by the sharing of the property rights about the environment. Traditionally livestock management was focused on profit maximization related to scale economies, however an increasing number of stakeholders are concerned about the negative side effect of environmental externalities and solicit to adopt sustainable technologies to curb the natural resource depletion, soil and water pollution, gaseous emissions and others. Purpose of this paper is to introduce a revisited multi-criteria decision making approach based on solid theoretical fundaments to produce sustainable solutions to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives
Communication Strategies in Agricultural Cooperatives - Theoretical Approach
Get PDFCommunication is an important element in the governance of organizations. In most research on the development andmaintenance of successful cooperatives, effective communication with and between members is an ongoing issue. Incooperatives, or more specifically in agricultural cooperatives, subject of this study, inadequate communication strategiesmay be one of the reasons for organization failure. When inconsistent and ineffective, it offers a gap for disconnectionbetween members and the organization. Some authors also argue that communication is an important mechanism able onimproving the members' commitment to the cooperative. Despite this, agricultural cooperatives are somewhat slow toincorporate more diverse and effective communication strategies to reach their varied audience. The aim of this research isto explore the forms and communication strategies existing in agricultural cooperatives and the theoretical approachesused to analyze communication in these companies. It therefore consists of a theoretical study carried out through asystematic review of the literature. Thereby, it is intended to answer the following research questions: whichcommunication strategies are adopted by agricultural cooperatives and which theoretical background gives raise toanalyses regarding communication issues in these organizations
Personality traits of German livestock farmers: Are there differences according to the production system?
Get PDFDecisions made by farmers can have large influences beyond the farm boundary because farmers are the firstlink in the food supply chain. For this reason, understanding their decision-making behaviour may be of interestto all stakeholders of food systems. Since there is considerable evidence that personality traits may affectdecision-making behaviour, this paper investigates personality traits according to the HEXACO model ofpersonality in a sample of 244 German livestock farmers. Our results indicate that livestock farmers differ intheir personality from the general population, with farmers scoring higher on honesty-humility,conscientiousness and being more emotionally stable. Comparisons within the farmer sample show thatorganic livestock farmers score higher on Openness than conventional farmers. However, the results of aconfirmatory factor analysis suggest that the German version of the short item scale used to measure thepersonality traits of the sample should be partially modified. Even though our results should therefore beunderstood rather as first indications and a basis for further research, they could help to better align supportstrategies, e.g. for more animal-friendly production, with the personality traits of farmers
Agri-Food Value Chain Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study of Chu-mango Business Linkages in Dong Thap, Vietnam
Get PDFThis study aims to identify important factors that directly influence value chain performance (quality, responsiveness, flexibility and efficiency), which are explained by value chain integration (collaboration, commitment, coordination and joint decision-making) in the case of unexpected risk (the COVID-19 pandemic). This study contributes to maintaining the business linkage model among farmers – cooperatives – enterprises in the caseof the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for data analysis following an iterative process based on theoretical and empirical analyses toobtain a structural model fit and test the research hypothesis. The findings indicate that the VCI positively influenced the VCP of Chu-mango business linkages at the 1% significance level through coordination (Beta = 0.345;construct reliability (CR) = 3.272), collaboration (Beta = 0.289; CR = 3.128), and joint decision-making (Beta = 0.324; CR = 3.245). This study provides empirical data on the relationship between VCI and VCP through the Chu -mango value chain in Dong Thap Province during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise awareness from stakeholders and encourage value chain thinking to improve performance. This result may pave the way for relevant policymakers to look for policies and strategies for better inclusiveness of stakeholders to show the importance of the VCI in improving the performance. Moreover, the study is an empirical case contributing to the agribusiness value chain in a developing country; it applies the agribusiness value chain of the tropical fruit domain and can be used for otheragricultural products in other cases of unexpected risks
An Experimental Factor Analysis Study Using SAW and TOPSIS to Select and Rank Organic Agriculture Cities in Turkey
Get PDFThe agriculture sector supports Turkey’s GDP portfolio economically and helps establish a sustainable labor force. Turkey has certain competitive advantages in terms of the organic production of agricultural goods like figs and hazelnuts. We conduct a factor analysis using Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) andTechnique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods combined with a 3-level set (export volume, export value, and adequacy rate) to rank 32 candidate cities of Turkey where organic agriculture activities should be given more emphasis to support overall production and export rates. 18 different sets of importance values were used for this purpose and their combinatorial effects on candidate cities were analyzed. The factor analysis results show that the cities Izmir, Aydin, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Agri, Mus, and Van have the highest potentials among all Turkish cities in bothmethods, while Sanliurfa also shows high potential for organic agriculture in the TOPSIS method
EIT Food - EU PRO4BAKE project: Improve artigianal bakeries performances considering both demand forecast and process optimisation: the EIT FOOD Pro4Bake approach
Get PDFThe bakery products subsector has the largest number of companies, value added, employees and numberof companies in Europe (Food and Drinks, 2011). Over-consumption of energy in bakeries due to inefficientscheduling and production planning together with high shares of unsold bread waste (5-10% in Europe) is abig issue. Not only avoidable CO2 emissions affecting climate change and society, but also excessive costsfor SME bakeries are severe consequences. Recently, the EU has identified the bakery sector as one of thetarget sectors to apply best environmental practices. The aim of the envisaged project is in line with thegoals of the EU (Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009, 2017/1508 of 28 August 2017 EU): minimising food wasteand reducing energy consumption.The Pro4Bake project aims to provide tools that could improve the bakery situation. A prospectiveproduction-planning tool for bakeries is being developed in this trans- and interdisciplinary project. Presentmachinery in bakeries is used to optimise the production process. The reduction of make span and idle timeof machines, but also combinations thereof will lead to a higher economic and ecologic efficiency, thus,lower production costs for bakeries and lower climate change impact for society. The tool is developedusing a flow-shop model, optimised by evolutionary algorithms, digital twins and artificial intelligenceprocedures. Adaptation to consumers’ preferences will minimise food waste; hence, ecological footprint inbakeries, and lead to further optimisation of the baking process, product range and amount. Consumers’demands and expectations related to e.g. weather or holidays, and their acceptance of changes in productavailability will play a significant role in the analysis. In the end, a computational application will help SMEbakeries as users to adapt their production planning and processes to best practice. Subsequently, itspotential in practical application will be examined and its impact broadened to the rest of Europe andbeyond. Dissemination through technology transfer to users by involving professionals, students andlearning videos will be performed. The product will be commercialised in the end to make it possible forbakeries to adapt to the truly needed amount and product range with optimised baking schedules toreduce energy consumption. The multidisciplinary approach, combining research optimisation methods anddemand forecast approach used could be easily transferred to other agri-food sectors
Changing Paradigms of Indian Foodtech Landscape - Impact of Online Food Delivery Aggregators
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to depict the perception of consumers on the discount factor, future of food tech applications, tampering of family values, dine-out culture, technological anxiety and their impact on satisfaction behaviour. Millennials are the precedence audience for the online food aggregators. Generation X is different from other generations in perceiving discount factors. Future of food applications rely on the Discounts. Restaurant operators can focus on giving their customers an increased level of convenience and more discounts since these tend to be the reason for them to choose ordering food online. Optimisation is vital as increase in Technological anxiety increases the perceived future of food application and decreases the satisfaction behaviour