Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Consciously Pursued Joint Action: Agricultural and Food Value Chains as Clubs
Get PDFCertain members of a population consciously and deliberately decide to take joint action to provide particular types of goods or services that are at least partly excludable and at least partly congestible because it is too costly to provide such goods individually. These goods are called club goods or collective goods. We first define some key concepts in club theory and public choice. This includes the prospects for determining the optimal level of membership of a club, how to determine the optimal level and range of provision of services by a club, and consideration of the dynamics of club membership. Then we examine the ways in which club theory can help provide an alternative approach to recognising and overcoming market failure in agricultural and food value chains. We note that useful insights can be gained by considering value chains as ‘latent clubs’. That is, they are systems that exist but which are either inactive or have not been fully developed, but which have the potential for improvement through collective action. If value chain members do exploit an opportunity to reap the rewards of collective action, then forming a club that comprises the whole chain or a subset of chain members offers an efficient organisation design to do so. We find that all of the calculus that has been identified for clubs can be applied to agricultural and food value chains. However, there are two particular issues that require further consideration. One is the nature of risk in agricultural value chains, and how it is related to member preferences, and the other is the form of collective action to be taken by agricultural value chains in the future
Consumer Interest, Attitude and Behavior toward a Sustainable Tomato
Get PDFThe steady increase in the consumption of fresh and processed tomatoes is threatening environmental sustainability, as water and fertilizers, two crucial production inputs, are becoming less accessible. To this purpose, the research project TomRes funded by the European Commission H2020 research and innovation programme, is currently undergoing to develop an environmentally sustainable fresh tomato. It is thus of paramount importance to understand if final consumers are willing to accept such a potential sustainable tomato and, may be more importantly, if consumers’ interests and positive attitude towards this product will lead to the decision to purchase.Hence, in this study, we exploit a sample of Italian consumers who responded to a web-survey to analyze the existence of the interest-attitude-behavior gap as well as its main determinants.Our results confirm the existence of this gap in line with other sustainable consumption products
Consumer cohorts and the demand for meat and dairy products
Get PDFOver their life course, people change their consumption habits when prices, income, tastes or nutritional needs change. The time period during which an individual grew up is often reflected in his or her consumption of different types of food. To investigate the possible links between demographic changes and food consumption, we constructed two-step censored demand systems for different groups of foods. We estimated the systems using Norwegian data for the 1986 – 2012 period. In the systems, age, period, cohort, other demographic and economic variables are included. The estimated systems are used to construct a long-run forecasting model for meat and dairy products. In this model, younger cohorts replace older cohorts with a different consumption pattern. The total purchases of beef, lamb, pork and fluid milk are predicted to decrease, while the total purchases of chicken, yoghurt and cheese are predicted to increase towards 2027
German Pig Farmers’ Attitudes Towards Farm Animal Welfare And Their Willingness To Participate In Animal Welfare Pro-grams: An Empirical Study
Get PDFMany consumers express strong demands for higher farm animal welfare standards – especially in conventional livestock husbandry systems. This applies primarily to products from pork production, as consumers have recognized a quality decrease in recent years. Although pig farmers are key stakeholders for the implementation of animal welfare programs (AWPs) there is little evidence of their attitudes towards farm animal welfare (FAW) and AWPs. Thus, the main objective of this investigation was to investigate pig farmers’ attitudes towards FAW and AWPs and to determine target groups for participation in AWPs. Therefore, an explorative factor analysis and a hierarchical cluster analysis were applied. Three farmer groups were identified which significantly differ regarding their attitudes towards FAW and their willingness to participate in AWPs. This paper represents a starting point for the design of tailor-made strategies to increase the market penetration of AWPs
Continuous Handling of Uncertainty in Food Chains: Using the House of Risk Model in Ecosystems
Get PDFThe house of risk model represents an approach to mitigate risk through systematically analysing data risk agents based on empirical findings through prioritizing them. Food production is associated with uncertainty both within the production system as well as in environment. Given the state of current technology, including its rapid development impacting on connectivity in supply chains, the house of risk model is considered through this conceptual study applying an ecosystems approach on how to mitigate risk in food chains in their many-faceted environmental setting. Ecosystems thinking is rooted in a normative quest to secure sustainability. It also is at the operations level a complex system. It is pointed out that an ecosystems approach encompasses mixed methods, including both deterministic and complex systems. The nature of this complementarity is discussed. The study provides a list of four issues regarding using the house of risk model within an ecosystem: (1) ethical, (2) development, (3) operations and (4) discourse
The Features and Categorization of Agribusiness Networks on the Example of the Polish Fruit and Vegetable Industry Enterprises
Get PDFThis paper contributes to the foregoing discussion on networks in agribusiness. It is grounded in business network approach. The aim of the paper is to recognise and evaluate distinguishing features of agribusiness networks. The eighteen Polish fruit and vegetable producers, processors and traders were investigated. Their network activities have been recognised as non-transactional exchange of knowledge and information, mutual adaptations, adjustments and standardizations. They are preceded by strong transactional relationships in the supply chain which are based on pricing conditions and terms of payments, cooperation as well as formal contracts. The network activities are reinforced by common aims, reciprocal trust and commitment, mutual benefits and stability. The main aim of networking is to increase profits and it is correlated with optimization of supplies and provisions, building of community and relationships and sustainable development. The study classifies five categories of agribusiness networks in the queried sample. They are: very strong operational, strong sustainable, moderate social, weak innovative and very weak shared resource. The paper concludes that the studied networks are characterized by strong actor and activity ties and weak resource bonds. Principally, non-appearance of shared resources may influence the weak innovative ability of networks in the fruit and vegetable industry
Citizens’ Perception of Different Aspects Regarding German Livestock Production
Get PDFThis paper presents the actual perception of German citizens regarding the importance of different husbandry aspects. In 2017, an online survey with 2.400 respondents, based on a qualitative pilot study with focus groups, was conducted. Participants discussed about their perception of actual animal husbandry with respect to the design of stables and animal‐related aspects. Using two different ranking procedures, main points of criticism as well as sideshows could be identified for fattening pigs, dairy cattle production and laying hens. The results will contribute to establishing livestock production systems in consensus with citizens’ preferences
Pricing Perishables with Uncertain Demand, Substitutes, and Consumer Heterogeneity
Get PDFWithin the marketing window for perishables such as food products, demand uncertainty is complicated by price sensitivity and propensity to postpone purchase that is heterogeneous across consumers. These features pose substantial challenges to retailers when pricing multiple products over time and across consumer segments. Getting the dynamic profile of prices right has implications for performance of vertical food chains ranging from revenues to food waste. This paper proposes an approach to dynamic pricing that is demonstrated to improve performance within this setting
Global Value Chains and Middlemen. A Comparative Case-Study of Norwegian Agricultural Export
Get PDFInternational trade in agriculture open markets abroad for producers and suppliers. However, the capacity to serve these markets are not evenly distributed. For many exporters it is a challenge to access foreign markets and connect to global value chains (GVC). Agricultural markets are often characterised by asset specificity and oligopsonic market structures. These are features that tend to imply hierarchic governance structures and asymmetric dependencies. Thus, for the exporters, how to engage with partners in order to access foreign markets becomes critical. In this paper we explore how three export initiatives from Norwegian agriculture coordinate and connect to global value chains. We discuss the mode of governance, as well as the role of middlemen. We further discuss the characteristics of the coordination and the strategic implications for the exporting partners. The three cases are export of Whey protein concentrate (WPC 80) from Tine SA, export of the genetic material (The breed Norwegian Red) from Geno SA, and cured meat of lamb legs (fenalår) from the company Fenalår from Norway SA.
The Use of Iodized Salt in Processed Foods: Empirical Evidence and the Role of Regulation
Get PDFSalt policy is an important element of European nutrition policy. Whereas the per-capita intake of salt in the population is viewed as being too high for health reasons, the intake of iodized salt helps to counteract iodine deficiency. Given this tradeoff, the principle “If salt, then iodized salt!” is formulated in German health and nutrition policy. We address the question whether food processors follow this rule and why this is so. A market study for German grocery retailing and 30,345 processed foods in the food groups bread, meat and milk reveals that the share of products with iodized salt is low and much below the use of iodized salt in private houzseholds. Expert interviews and online surveys of food processors suggest at least three reasons for this evidence: (i) There is incomplete information among food processors with regard to the health benefits of iodized salt. (ii) A minority of salt consumers is actively opposing the iodization of salt. (iii) The reduced use of iodized salt due to (i) and (ii) is not compensated by governmental regulation and an active information and support policy for salt fortification