Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Estimation of the Economic Losses of the Waste from the Most Important Vegetable and Fruit Crops in Egypt
Get PDFIncreasing the waste of agricultural crops in general and vegetable and fruit crops specially, consider one of the main problems which cause economic losses for Egyptian economy. The main objective of the research is estimating of the economic losses for the waste from the most important vegetable and fruit crops in Egypt. The research depends on two kinds of data, time serious data which collected from different sources local and foreign, and cross section data represent during using a random sample collected from AL- Behaira governorate.The problem of waste considers one of the most important problems that face the agricultural crops, which hinder the performance of the agricultural sector, and the crops of vegetables and fruits of the most important agricultural crops are damaged due to their physical nature and impact of natural factors compared to other crops, causing significant losses of agricultural production and Egyptian food security. The agricultural production waste causing significant losses in national agricultural income and agricultural exports. The losses also cause waste in agricultural resources, specially land, irrigation water and capital and its limited resources in Egyptian agriculture. The results showed that the average annual quantity of Egyptian potatoand orange wastes represented about 135.8% and about 55% of the average quantities of potato exported during the study period, which confirms the importance and necessity of reducing the quantity of waste in the important export potato crop, because if the conservation of this quantity of losses and re-evaluation at the prices of Egyptian exports of the potato and orange exported, the average value of this wastes are about 118.75 million, respectively. The study showed that the economic losses represents a loss in the actual cultivated area of potato and orange crops a losses in potato and orange exports, a losses in farmers income, andlosses in irrigation water.In light of the results obtained from the research, it recommends the following: To reduce the production waste in potato and orange crops, attention should be paid to good pruning, pest control and fertilization. Exclude the damaged fruits when sorting so as not to damage others. Use of transport vehicles equipped to maintain goods.The speed of sorting goods by traders as soon as they reach the retail market.To improve the quality of the containers used and to be strong plastic for transporting and displaying the goods
Responsible Innovation in Layer Poultry Farming: Are Organic Consumers Sufficiently Informed about the Current Situation of Killing Day-old Male Chicks to Contribute to the Innovation Process?
Get PDFCurrently, there is no societal consensus on the handling of male chicks in layer poultry farming. When searching for responsible innovation in the face of ethical concerns due to the killing of these day-old male chicks, consumers as main stakeholders should be involved in the innovation process. However, participation in the innovation process requires sufficient knowledge of the current situation and its alternatives, since only this knowledge allows informed judgments. In order to gain insights into consumers’ knowledge and attitudes regarding the alternatives of rearing the male chicks, we conducted 146 tablet-aided standardised personal interviews with customers of a German organic butcher’s shop, as consumers of organic food may be a target group for cockerel products. The results reveal the respondents’ profound disapproval about the current situation of killing day-old male chicks, but also show a considerable lack of knowledge. We conclude that comprehensive educational work is necessary to enable consumers to form a sound opinion and to participate in the innovation process
Land Rights Protection in the Pulp and Paper Production System
Get PDFThis article explores how the quality of institutions influences the strategic choice of agents in the pulp and paper production system based on the forest plantation sector. In order to proceed with the study, we employ the Economic Analysis of Property Rights (Barzel, 1982, 1989, 2002) as foundation, and test the proposition: in federative states where the institutional environment is fragile and therefore the State has a high cost to enforce property rights, private mechanisms stand out in the protection of propertyrights. According to Dixit (2009, p. 8), “if the government does not pro tect property rights, at least not as well as owners require, many private arrangements arise to satisfy the owners' needs”. The analysis of three business cases of companies with plantations in more than one federative unit revealed the broad range of private mechanisms in place to cope with insecure land rights. In addition to countrywide strategies, in the federative units where government fails to be a good property rights steward, we found geographically specific initiatives being used. Another finding was the identification of variables that are able to evaluate the quality of institutions and employed in the companies´ decision-making process for the selection of land rights protection strategies. Findings altogether are empirical evidence of how the quality of institutions influences the strategic choice of land rights protection in the forest plantationsector in Brazil
Modelling White Shrimp (Nematopalaemon hastatus) Value Chain Using Combined SWOT and AHP
Get PDFThe objective of this study is to model white shrimp (Nematopalaemon hastatus) value chains in the Coastal areas ofOndo State, Nigeria using a strength, weakness, opportunities and threat (SWOT) analysis in combination with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Nineteen (19) participants in the value chain comprised of shrimpers, processors, marketers, consumers, fishery managers, and resource economists identified and prioritized the SWOT factors at each stage of the N. hastatus value chain including shrimping (fishery), processing, marketing, and the consumption level. The results provide the base for recommendations for policy and research in Nigeria and other developing nations aimed at ensuring sustainable shrimping, efficient processing and marketing as well as improvements in consumers’ awareness and satisfaction through the development of standards and sustainable operation procedures for fishery, the development of cheaper and safer processing technology, the modernization of markets, and thedevelopment of value‐added shrimp products
How Different Consumer Groups with Distinct Basic Human Values Gather, Seek and Process Information on Meat Topics: The Case of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
Get PDFIn January 2015, German retail and industry jointly started a sector-wide initiative (“Initiative Tierwohl” - ITW) to improve animal welfare standards. The principle of the ITW is communicated mostly via the websites of ITW and its participating companies. However, uncertainty remained whether or not these websites provide the necessary information consumers need on the ITW products. Based on Schwartz's basic human values, different types of consumers were identified by a cluster analysis (ward-method, k-means). The results showed that depending on expressed meta‐values (Self-Transcendence/Openness to Change Self-Enhancement or Conservation), respondents had different specific information sources and needs. Online sources were rarely mentioned, the majority of consumers referred to brochures, flyers and interpersonal contacts
Social Media Analytics in Food Innovation and Production: a Review
Get PDFUntil recently social media and social media analytics (SMA) were basically used only for communication and marketing purposes. However, thanks to advances in digital technologies and big data analytics, potential applications of SMA extend now to production processes and overall business management. As a result, SMA has become an important tool for gaining and sustaining competitive advantage across various sectors, industries and end-markets. Yet, the food industry still lags behind when it comes to the use of digital technologies and advanced data analytics. A part of the explanation lies in the limited knowledge of potential applications of SMA in food innovation and production. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of literature on possible uses of SMA in the food industry sector and to discuss both the benefits, risks, and limitations of SMA in food innovation and production. Based on the literature review, it is concluded that mining social media data for insights can create significant business value for the food industry enterprises and food service sector organizations. On the other hand, many proposals for using SMA in the food domain still await direct experimental tests. More research and insights concerning risks and limitations of SMA in the food sector would be also needed. The issue of responsible data analytics as part of Corporate Digital Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility of enterprises using social media data for food innovation and production also requires a greater attention
An Approximation to Agribusiness Development in the Value Chain of the Bivalve Mollusk "Anadara Tuberculosa (Sowerby, 1833) (Arcidae)"
Get PDFThe mollusk "Anadara tuberculosa (Sowerby, 1833) (Arcidae)", known in Ecuador with the common name of "Concha Prieta", in Mexico as the clam "Pata de Mula", in France with the name "Arche Noire" and in England as "Blood Cockle", is a mangrove bivalve exploited all along the Pacific coast. It is a species with great possibilities for fishing development. In its adult phase, it lives only in mangrove swamps, always associated with the red mangrove "Rhizophora mangle" in the intertidal zone, where it grows almost completely buried in the mud. In Colombia, where it is called "Piangua", it is one of the most exploited bivalve species on the Pacific coast. The artisanal activity which benefits the communities is usually performed by families that collect these mollusks for food or to commercialize them in the local market. Currently, the resource, besides being used for consumption and local commerce, is being exported from Colombia to Ecuador. In Ecuador, a constant extraction has been maintained during the period 2004-2008, with an estimated total landing of 55.3 million shells among all receiving ports. In the Province of El Oro, the extraction and commercialization of Anadara tuberculosa is an economic activity with low performance and absence of added value in the production chain. The objective of this research is to explore the problem of agribusiness in the value chain of the bivalve mollusk Anadara tuberculosa. Specifically, to establish its possible causes and consequences, as part of a broader research oriented towards the development of an agribusiness management model that promotes its sustainable exploitation and entry into international markets, in particular the European market, in which consumers of Latin American origin, represent a segment that could be interested in its intake, complying with the added value standards and quality required
Tools and techniques supporting innovation in the agri-food sector
Get PDFThe goal of the paper was to focus on the agri-food sector from a perspective of innovation. In the article, the current situation related to innovative tools and techniques identified in the agri-food sector was presented. The attention was focused on the benefits resulting in the application of innovative solutions in three areas: food safety, mechatronics, and packaging design. Empirical part of the paper includes description and summarizing of case studies on innovations implementations conducted within the framework of Interreg I-CON project. In recent years, digitalization has made its way to all industries. Technological enablers like broadband, mobile internet, big data and cloud computing have made it possible to provide new offerings (value propositions) to customers via novel business models. Meanwhile, wearables, smart devices and the Internet of Things influence the daily activity of billions of consumers. None of these innovations would be possible without successful execution of new product development. Over the last two decades, the agri-food sector, which is one of the most critical areas of the European economy, has undergone significant changes. Companies face the necessity of constant adaptation to the changing conditions of functioning on the market, which result to a large extent from changes in customer preferences and requirements. For the agri-food industry, it is not only the current state that is important but also the vision of development and prognosis for the future. In order to stay on the market, enterprises from the food sector have to constantly develop and look for new solutions, which can be implemented both thanks to constant investments and introduction of new technologies and thanks to support from other entities
The FoodAuthent Cloud: An Approach Towards A Comprehen-sive Authentication In Food Supply Chains Using Fingerprinting
Get PDFThe research project FoodAuthent aims at establishing framework conditions and incentives to use fingerprinting procedures routinely for food authenticity purposes. In particular, the FoodAuthent system intends to enable the collection, analysis and utilization of chemical "fingerprints" of food products to provide evidence of the authen-ticity of food. For this purpose, cooperatively usable cloud-based food fingerprinting repositories together with standardised data analysis methods are set up as open-source and linked to a discovery service and batch-specific product information