Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Is Geographical Indication Acting on Rice Export Price?
Get PDFRepresenting 30% of food intake of 60% of planet’s inhabitants, rice is a staple food all over the world. According to FAO, worldwide rice production is about 504 million tons (milled basis) in 2017, while international rice trade is 45 million tons. With almost 9% exported, rice is not the top trade food commodity. 43% of wine worldwide produced is exported, 23% of wheat, 11% of maize and 7% of meat.The rice market is mainly composed of coarse rice all over the world. It also includes 18% of aromatic rice, coming from a limited number of countries where the pedoclimatic conditions and human know-how make a specific terroir. Aromatic rice is often protected by a Geographical Indication (GI). This is the case of Basmati, from India and Pakistan, using a collective trade mark since 2008 in Pakistan, and Jasmine from Thailand, bearing a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) as Khao Hom Mali, since 2013
Solidarity: a Key Element in Alternative Food Networks
Get PDFAlternative food networks (AFN) are self-organized groups of individuals and businesses that form new economic relationships intended to mitigate perceived problems in conventional food systems. These relationships are based on a set of principles and activities that contribute to a feeling of solidarity among participants. A grounded theory approach is used to examine the importance of solidarity in the operations of four AFN projects in the former East Germany. Data collection methods include document analysis and participant observation. Data were analyzed using the qualitative data analysis package Atlas-ti, and include photographs, printed materials, and field notes. Projects investigated include two community supported agriculture projects, one cooperative grocery, and one urban agriculture project. Results show that, although solidarity is explicitly mentioned by actors and official documents from each initiative, the concept is conceived of and implemented differently. Interactions between characteristics of the individuals who create and live out the rules that govern these new relationships, local social, environmental and economic history and current conditions and outside institutions result in complex, evolving socio-ecological systems that ripple out to related sets of actors.
Structures and Actors of the Organic Vegetable Value Chain for School Catering: a Case Study of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region
Get PDFWith the European Union’s move towards “green public procurement”, there is an opportunity to bring more local organic produce into school catering. The present study investigates the value chain supplying school catering with organic produce, using the organic vegetable industry in the Berlin-Brandenburg region as an example. It employs a qualitative case study approach to explore industry actors’ perspectives and their activities within the value chain. Data is collected by conducting ten in-depth interviews with actors on different supply chain levels (production, wholesale, and school catering) and is analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that, while organic food is generally important in school catering in Berlin, locally produced organic vegetables play only a minor role. Inter-organizational coordination of value-added activities could help to further utilize the potential for local organic vegetable production and enable joint investments into lacking infrastructure such as pre-processing facilities
The Fresh Index: A Real-Time Shelf Life Indicator
Get PDFThe Fresh Index acts as a new shelf life indicator for food instead of or in addition to the static best-before date. It is based on the manufacturers’ hygiene data and the existing storage conditions and is implemented in a cloud application. By this, the Fresh Index helps to reduce food waste in food supply chains
Measuring GHG Emissions Across the Agri‐Food Sector Value Chain: The Development of a Bioeconomy Input‐Output Model
Get PDFIncreasing food production to meet rising global demand while minimising negative environmental impacts such as agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the greatest challenges facing the agri‐food sector. Sustainable food production relates not only to primary production, but also has wider value chain implications. Aninput‐output (IO) model is a modelling framework which contains information on the flow of goods and services across a value chain at a regional or national economy level. This paper provides a detailed description of the development of a Bioeconomy IO (BIO) model which is disaggregated across the subs‐sectors of the agri‐food valuechain and environmentally extended (EE) to examine environmental outputs, including GHG emissions, We focus on Ireland, where emissions from agriculture comprise 33% of national GHG emissions and where there has been a major expansion and transformation in agriculture supported by national and EU policy. In a substantial Annex to this paper, we describe the modelling assumptions made in developing the BIO model. Breaking up the value chain into components, we find that most value is generated at the processing stage of the value chain, with greaterprocessing value in more sophisticated value chains such as dairy processing. On the other hand, emissions are in general highest in primary production, albeit emissions from purchased animal feed are higher for poultry than for other value chains, given the lower animal based emissions from poultry than from cows or sheep. The level ofdisaggregation also shows that the sub‐sectors are themselves discrete value chains. The analysis highlights that emissions per unit of output are much higher for beef and sheep meat value chains than for pig and poultry. The analysis facilitated by the BIO model also allows for the mapping of emissions along the agri‐food value chain using the adapted IO EE approach. Such analysis is valuable in identifying emissions ‘hot‐spots’ along the value chains and analysing potential avenues for emission efficiencies
A Conceptual Framework for Essential Oils Marketing: A Systems Approach
Get PDFEssential oils have a high economic value because of their utilities as perfumes, food flavors, and medicinal raw materials. Indonesia is one of the countries producing and exporting essential oils in the world, although the development of Indonesian essential oils industry has not been able to meet global demand. The main problem of Indonesian essential oils marketing is the fluctuating in price. Some research conducted only focus on certain factors that influence the dynamics of Indonesian essential oils prices, but no researches have integrated factors that influence the dynamics. An integrated model, in which all variables that influence the dynamics of Indonesian essential oils prices are illustrated in a relationship between variables, will help policy makers to understand thesystem better. This research uses a systems dynamic approach, a conceptual framework that has been developed to show various factors that have an impact on fluctuating prices of Indonesian essential oils. A causal loop diagram is developed based on literature review and statistical analysis, while regression analysis is used to validate the framework. The Causal loop diagram illustrates the reciprocal relationship between several variables that affect the dynamics of fluctuating prices of essential oils. This framework can be used as a basis for further research related to the development of the essential oils agro‐industry
Internationalization Strategies in the German Dairy Industry and their Influence on the Economic Performance of Firms
Get PDFGrowing milk production, stagnating domestic consumption and ongoing liberalization of the worldwide milk market have led to increasing exports of milk and milk products out of Germany. This situation heightens competition amongst German dairies for market share on foreign markets. The German dairy industry, which comprises of some international corporations and many medium sized companies, including both cooperatives and privately owned companies, therefore has to find strategies with which to compete successfully on international markets. This study analyzes the German dairy industry comparing different internationalization strategies and their influence on the firms’ economic success. 18 German dairy companies have been analyzed. We identified different internationalization strategies with reference to Perlmutter’s EPRG model. To measure economic success, we analyzed annual reports from the dairy companies observed over the years 2010 to 2017 and so calculated different key figures. The influence of different internationalization strategies on economic success is analyzed by a Hausman Taylor estimation where the EBIT‐margin is the dependent variable in our model, representing economic success. We found that German dairy industry companies do pursue different internationalisation strategies and that these have different influences on the companies’ economic success
Procurement Price Change Outcomes for Producer & Processor along Supply Chain
Get PDFThe article focuses on the issue of changes in prices received and paid to an agricultural producer and agri-food processor as a source of changes in the profitability of production. The same purchase price for the first is the price received, for the second price paid. The same movement of the price, i.e. its decrease or increase, is also a source of changes in the profitability of production for both entities. However, its mechanism is different. The description of this mechanism for the agricultural producer and food processor is the subject of the remark in this article. Profitability is, as it is known, the basis of the objective function of both entities. Their own analytical reasoning which captures the essence of this mechanism has been derived. Production profitability ratios for both entities are the basis of the approach. These profitability ratios are determined by the production efficiency indexes and the relations of price received and paid. Understanding of the concept is helpful for explaining the sources of price risk for an agricultural producer and agri-food processor.In addition to derivation of analytical formulas describing the mechanism of changes in profitability, which is the main goal adopted in the article, this was subjected to initial empirical illustration, to confirm the correctness of reasoning, in particular to confirm the relationship between indicators adopted in the paper. An empirical analysis of price risk was not the goal
Individuals' Personality and Consumption of Local Food Specialties
Get PDFIn studies of consumption of local food specialties individuals' personality are rarely included. In this article we want to expand and give nuances to the understanding of what characterizes these consumers and ask: Are there any common personality traits, or personal characteristics of these consumers?We make use of the Big Five personality model to unpack the relation between individual's personality and choices of local food specialties. This model consists of the following five personal traits: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience. These personality traits are hidden but through questions regarding behavior the traits may be retrieved. In order to construct latent variables to represent measures of these traits, we apply Item Response Theory (IRT). Socioeconomic variables are combined with personality traits in logistic regression models to find the connection between personality and choice of Norwegian local food specialties.The results show that in all models the latent variable Openness to Experience is a significant predictor for choice of local food specialties. This personality trait was one of the most important predictors in all the choices made by the individuals. Openness to Experience is characterized by fantasy, aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety, and intellectual curiosity
The Impact of Producers’ Cognitive Styles on their Purchasing Behavior
Get PDFThis paper inquires on the impact of cognitive styles over the decision-making process producers perform while making input and capital equipment purchases. We will question if Argentine farmers with diverse cognitive styles have different purchasing behaviors when buying the inputs they use in their farming operations. Cognitive styles express differences in the way decision-makers process information and organize knowledge.Results show that different segments of producers have distinctive purchasing behaviors. Specifically, analytic-oriented producers tend to focus more on product performance and less on the relationship with suppliers when buying their inputs. They also tend to be loyal to input brands, they rely less on dealers/retailers and salespeople, and they are willing to change suppliers more often than other producers. Intuitive-oriented producers value more the relationship with the supplier and are interested in contacting the salesperson if they need a product. While balanced-oriented producers declare to be less loyal to brands but are more stable in terms of not changing input suppliers frequently.This characterization of producers has important business implications, since identifying and segmenting the different types of producers with different cognitive styles and distinctive buying profiles is a key aspect of the strategic marketing plan of any company in the input markets. To our knowledge, this is the first paper on the topic of cognitive styles of Argentine producers and their impact on their purchasing behaviors