Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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The Pet Food Industry: An Innovative Distribution Channel for Animal Welfare Meat?
Get PDFThis paper investigates the notion of launching an innovative pet food segment labelled “made from animal welfare meat” to achieve an added value for by-products that accrue in the production of animal welfare meat. Since the pet food market is characterized by a large premium segment and pet owners are generally believed to be interested in the welfare of animals, the idea seems promising at first sight, but there is a lack of reliable evidence. Therefore, the main objective of this investigation was to determine, based on existing data from previous studies, the particular interest of pet owners in the welfare of farm animals before further cost-intensive studies are developed and conducted. The results of a comparison of pet owners’ and non–pet own-ers’ attitudes to the issue of animal welfare in livestock farming revealed highly significant differences. Pet owners not only have a more critical attitude towards intensive livestock farming but are also very interested in animal welfare meat and show a significantly higher willingness-to-pay for animal-friendly meat products. On the basis of these findings, specific studies analysing the market potential and the feasibility of pet food made of animal welfare meat are highly recommended
Optimal Design of Agricultural Sustainability Standards: Insights from a Delphi Study in Germany
Get PDFAlthough there is persistent public attention on sustainability and there are growing markets for sustainable food, broad distribution of agricultural sustainability standards in Germany is missing. There are first sector specific studies regarding the motivation to use this management innovation. Specific research on benefits for farmers and on organizational issues concerning standard design is scarce. The Delphi method was used to identify the major reasons for standard adoption or rejection and to get insights to potential standard users’ perception of sustainability. In the second Delphi round with 16 participants the importance and optimal configuration of 13 standard design elements, such as compliance assessment, technical support, used data basis for sustainability assessment or consulting intensity, was analysed. Linking the gained insights to Rogers’ Model of Five Stages in the Innovation-Decision Process (Rogers, 2003) missing demonstration of the relative advantage, major deficiencies in standards’ compatibility, together with high complexity as well as lacking trialability and observability are identified as main factors impeding further dissemination of sustainability standards as an innovation in farm management
Succession in Horticultural Family Businesses: Determining Factors
Get PDFSuccession is a pervasive topic in recent family business research and receives attention from a wide range of research directions. Strategic and principal-agent approaches discuss the subject from an organizational point of view; gender research takes a sociological viewpoint. The study assesses the perspectives of those involved in the succession process through a qualitative research approach. Based on in-depth interviews, a comparative analysis leads to the development of a substantial grounded theory of succession in horticultural family businesses. Results show a range of determining factors, including socialization of the potential successor, affecting the generation spanning succession process
Food Losses in Supply Chains for Fruits, Vegetables and Potatoes between Field and Retail Shelf in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Get PDFFood losses occur for many reasons at all stages of supply chains for fruits, vegetables and potatoes. They cause immense economic, environmental and social costs – not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. According to the European Commission, about 90 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in Europe alone. However, particularly for the early stages of supply chains for fruits, vegetables and potatoes there is still a lack of reliable data. Thus, one objective of this study is to contribute to the quantification of food losses between field and retail, where the main focus is set on potatoes, apples, carrots, strawberries and asparagus. Furthermore, neither reasons why products are removed from the supply chains nor their alternative uses are fully examined yet. This is why, the study takes a look on those issues, too. Results are based on data from an online survey among producers of fruits, vegetables and potatoes in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany and on interviews with producers and other supply chain experts. Findings suggest that the products’ size and form, their storage capabilities and food safety issues have big impacts on food losses. Despite a small sample size, these findings are in line with recent studies
The Pet Food Industry: An innovative Distribution Channel for Marketing Feed Products from Welfare Friendly Production to Consumers?
Get PDFThis paper represents the starting point of the notion of launching an innovative pet food segment labelled “made from welfare friendly production (WFP)” to achieve an added value for slaughter by-products that accrue in the production of animal welfare meat and to allocate the additional costs of higher animal welfare standards to a broader range of products. Since the pet food market is characterized by a large premium segment and pet owners are generally believed to be interested in the welfare of animals, the idea seems promising at first sight, but there is a lack of reliable evidence. Thus, the main objective of this investigation was to determine the particular interest of pet owners in the welfare of farm animals. It aims to provide decision support whether further cost-intensive economic analyses on the size and the potential of the market for pet food made from WFP should be developed and conducted. Therefore, a comparison of pet owners’ and non–pet owners’ attitudes to the issue of animal welfare in livestock farming was conducted and revealed highly significant differences. Pet owners not only have a more critical attitude towards intensive livestock farming but are also very interested in animal welfare meat and show a significantly higher willingness-to-pay for welfare friendly meat products. On the basis of these findings, specific analyses of the market potential and the feasibility of pet food made from WFP meat are highly recommended
Norberg, Johan (2016). Progress. Ten reasons to look forward to the future
Get PDFBook review of Norberg, Johan (2016). Progress. Ten reasons to look forward to the future. London: Oneworld Publications. Hardcove
The Cashew Value Chain in Mozambique: Analysis of Performance and Suggestions for Improvement
Get PDFThe purpose of this paper is to explore opportunities to improve cashew value chain performance in Mozambique in ways that create income for smallholders and small and large scale processors. Considering the importance of the cashew industry for the national economy and for poverty reduction, the suggested improvements can be used by policy makers, investors, and donors to re-examine policy strategies, resource reallocation and the development of infrastructure. It may also trigger the interest of the private sector to develop new marketing strategies. The paper commences by giving the background to the cashew industry and its impact on rural development, followed by policy interventions and major activities. Then, a SWOT analysis, value chain mapping, strategic fit and drivers of profit are outlined. The Sunshine Nut company is presented as an example of an innovative business model in the cashew Industry. It is concluded that investment in market research, domestic value adding and balancing customer requirements may potentially enhance competitiveness and efficiency in the cashew value chain in Mozambique
How German Online Retailers Price Foods: An Empirical Analysis for Chocolate Products
Get PDFDespite the increasing importance of online grocery retailing, little is known about price dispersion across online providers, the relation between online and offline prices as well as the frequency of price adjustments. We employ means of descriptive and inductive statistics as well as panel econometrics to address these issues for German online food retailers. Daily online prices for twelve chocolate products charged by eight pure online and multichannel retailers and collected over three months are investigated. Information economics suggests that a maturing online market will call forth more price homogeneity online due to lower search costs by consumers as well as more flexible prices due to lower costs of price adjustments by retailers. Our results suggest, however, that neither homogenous prices nor frequent price adjustments do occur on the German online chocolate market
Ten Years later: A Comparison of Results of Simulation Scenarios under a Systems Dynamic Approach and the Actual Economic Performance of Small-Scale Agro-industries Supported by Brazilian Agro-industrial Development Programs
Get PDFAgro-industrialization promotion is a policy option to aggregate value to a primary product and increase revenues for small farmers. However, experience has shown the vulnerability of small-scale agro-industries (SSAI) when facing a competitive environment under the constraints of several technological, institutional and managerial bottlenecks. A system dynamics model was built to simulate the financial performance of agrifood processing enterprises promoted by Brazilian SSAI development programs after the mid 1990s. Under different optimistic, conservative and pessimistic hypotheses related to SSAI operations and their business environment, model simulations allowed the identification of conditions for long-term financial sustainability. Ten years after the modeling exercise, the results of this analysis could be confirmed through a comparative assessment of the financial performance of selected enterprises supported by two of the promotion programs. The results of the original SD model could be mostly corroborated by the comparison between simulations and the observed enterprise performance. The relatively high SSAI survival rate over the ten-year period analyzed suggests the strong potential of these programs for agribusiness development promotion
Organisational Challenges of Moroccan Dairy Cooperatives and the Institutional Environment
Get PDFMarketing cooperatives in developing and transition countries face challenges when they aim to strengthen their competitiveness. One of these challenges relates to improving the quality of the products delivered by their members. Another challenge relates to the financial sustainability of the cooperative, as cooperatives have to choose between paying out a surplus to members and retaining it in the organisation. As these problems are not specific to one organisation, and public policies often affect the scope for individual cooperatives, we explore how the institutional environment helps in reducing those challenges. We present a case study of the Moroccan dairy industry, exploring how the institutional environment has affected the development and performance of dairy cooperatives. The methods used were in-depth semi-structured interviews within six dairy cooperatives. Findings point to the weak coordination between the main value chain actors. We also found a lack of financial instruments to facilitate investments in adequate quality assurance equipment and capacity development programs. Finally, we found a perceived lack of support from state policies vis-as-vis smallholders and their cooperatives