Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Acceptance of Animal Husbandry Practices: The Consumer Perspective
Get PDFEverything consumers do involves making a choice. Looking at these choices, an increasing consumer interest in food products bearing labels identifying non-tangible attributes has been observed over the last years. Consumer concern relates not only to the issue as to what is produced and which product attributes are present in final products, but the growing sentiment relates also to the question of how food is produced in general. Consumers question fairness and justness of production processes with regard to producers (e.g., fair trade labelling) or animals (e.g., animal welfare labelling) and demand support for local supply chains. As a result, certain food production technologies are stigmatized in certain parts of the society. Thereby stigma is defined as “[…] a mark placed on a person, place, technology, or product, associated with a particular attribute that identifies it as different and deviant, flawed, or undesirable.” (Kasperson, Jhaveri & Kasperson, 2001:19).Human values are thought to be at the root of the stigmatization of certain food production technologies. A systematic analysis of human values was introduced in the seminal book by Milton Rokeach in 1973. He defines values “an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally and socially preferable to alternative modes of conduct or end-states of existence.” Values hence transgress situations and time. Later work by Schwartz (1994) has refined the definition of values and developed a value survey instrument that links values to ten different value domains. He arranges these along a two-folded dichotomy of self-enhancement versus self-transgression and openness to change versus conservation. In consequence, some of these values relate to egoistic versus altruistic versus biospheric values. Thereby egoistic values refer to an egocentric orientation, altruistic values refer to a homocentric orientation and biospheric values refer to an ecocentric orientation (De Groot & Steg, 2008)
Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
No full textProceedings of the 10thInternational European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks, organized by the International Center for Food Chain and Network Research, University of Bonn, GermanyFebruary 15-19, 2016, Innsbruck-Igls, Austri
The Tanga Dairy Platform: Fostering Innovations for more Efficient Dairy Chain Coordination in Tanzania
Get PDFThe Tanga Dairy Platform, created in 2008, is an informal forum of different stakeholders involved in the dairy industry of Tanzania’s Northeastern Tanga region. The platform’s objective is to exchange knowledge and develop joint actions to common problems. Six years on, it is a sustainable example of a commodity association addressing the joint problems of the region’s dairy industry. The platform has achieved a common understanding among chain actors on dairy price structure; it has successfully lobbied policy makers to reduce value-added tax on dairy inputs and products, and to remove limitations on urban dairy farming in Tanga city
Case Study Analysis for Sector Research and Teaching Support
Get PDFThe use of case studies in dealing with problems of the food sector is gaining increasingly attention in the scientific community. Case-based reasoning supports as a scientific approach the analysis of problems, relationships, behavior, and development directions of the sector and may contribute to understanding the sector’s opportunities and abilities in meeting the challenges of the future. This editorial provides a short introduction into the case study approach and links it to the publications in the special issue which cover case studies from the US, Canada, South America, Europe, and Africa
Designing Sustainable Production and Distribution Scenarios for the Beef and Pork Supply Chains in Brazil
Get PDFDue to the intensive use of natural resources in food production in Brazil and the consequent air and water pollution, sustainable production is high on the agenda of businesses and policy makers. This paper designs sustainable production and distribution scenarios for the beef and pork supply chains in Brazil, covering Planet, People and Profit aspects. A case study design is employed in a multi-phase qualitative approach, consisting of two rounds of interviews to pursue the final design of six feasible scenarios for the beef and pork chains. Three sustainable production and distribution scenarios for beef are designed: intensification, local production and sustainable operations and integrated land use, and three for pork: integration of animal and crop production, sophistication and balanced sustainability.The core improvements that can be extracted from the scenarios are: increased chain collaboration, information sharing in the chain, and governmental involvement in the Brazilian beef and pork supply chains. A major value of the paper lays in the three-phase methodology set-up. This paper will also contribute to the debate on sustainable improvements feasible in these Brazilian food chains
Price Margins in the Finnish Food Chain
Get PDFThere is a growing interest – among consumers, the media, political decision-makers and the food system at large – in more detailed information on the formation of consumer prices for foodstuffs. This paper, based on Finnish case evidence, is an opportunity to increase the transparency of the food chain as well as consumers’ knowledge of its functioning. The aim of this study is to present an analysis of the price margin data for selected food products falling into three sectors: meat products, dairy products and cereal products. More specifically, the objective is to determine the share of consumer food prices taken by each actor along the food supply chain: primary production, processing, and retailing, as well as government taxes
Value Chain Dynamics of Agri-Food Exports from Southern Mediterranean to the European Union: End-Market Perspective
Get PDFThis contribution explores the buyer side of the value chains of the main agricultural products exported from the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) to the EU, taking Spain as an explorative case study in the broader European context. It draws on the Global Value Chain (GVC) approach to provide new survey-based evidence for better profiling the opportunities and constraints for EU trade for orange, strawberry, tomato and olive oil imported from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. The approach used complements inquiries using quantitative trade models usually based on aggregate sectoral level. Results show differences depending on the product and the country studied. There are in all cases multiple challenges to be solved at the origin of the value chain including better chain organization, further transparency and security, improvement in infrastructure and logistics, keeping transaction costs manageable at the same time. Consumer preferences in buyer markets when sourcing must be taken on the first place. The findings can have relevant policy implications in terms of prospective Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Agreements on agriculture and food
Value Chain Governance and Governmentality of Horticultural Exporters by Developing Economies: A perspective of Kenya’s Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Export Sector
Get PDFThe domain of governance has largely been extolled by Nations, States or governmental and intergovernmental actors especially in upholding Nations’ sovereignty and values. While this still holds, governance complexity has been reinforced by establishment of global value chains such as in food and agriculture commodities increasingly being influenced and controlled by non-state actors in different parts of the world by both corporate and retail actors through private governance mechanisms. These mechanisms often fall short of universal standards and the resultant effect is ramified through proliferation of standards that result to state of governance that is constantly being redefined as ‘codes of colours’. This paper thus seeks for an alternate dimension based on Foucault’s governmentality theory. The quest for this overarching theory is based on its mediatory role that regulates the excesses of private interests in regulations while not prioritizing any state’s sovereignty but views governance inclusively to both the State and non-state actors; this view promotes the broader understating of global value chains in the global economy of the 21st century. The paper’s methodology is based on literature review pertinent to governance theory, value chain governance, governmentality as its key variables in light of the agrifood sector. It applies the value chain discourse and governmentatity in light of the Kenya’s Horticultural export and strategic positioning to the EU market. This paper’s novelty in light of the discourse and building on the body of knowledge and for the plausible ways and means to re-articulate value chain governance in the global economy while creating a viable alternative between the States, and Non-State actors for the benefit of both the upstream agents and downstream customers
Future-Oriented Dairy Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in a Sustainability Standard: Evidence from an Empirical Study in Germany
Get PDFAs a major agricultural subsector, milk production plays an important role in the EU 28. Political decisions such as the abolition of the milk quota system in 2015, highly volatile milk prices, high bargaining power of retailers and fierce international competition have led to challenges for both farmers and dairies and have created a need to improve competitiveness. Furthermore, the dairy sector is increasingly subject to societal demands for higher animal welfare and ecological standards. The concept of sustainability in the form of a production standard can be seen as a means for both dairy farmers and dairies to gain competitive advantages and meet stakeholders’ demands. Farmers’ willingness to participate in a sustainability standard is a key factor for its successful implementation. One attractive target group for such a standard are future-oriented farmers who plan to stay in dairy farming in the long run. This study, therefore, focuses on future-oriented dairy farmers and investigates their willingness to participate in a comprehensive sustainability standard. A hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis is conducted to identify different groups based on their willingness to participate. 211 farmers can be categorized into three different clusters: ‘halfhearted sustainability proponents’, ‘highly dedicated sustainability proponents’ and ‘profit-oriented sustainability refusers’. Further analysis provides insights into the determinants of farmers’ willingness to participate in a sustainability standard. The results of this study provide manifold starting points for deriving managerial implications for the successful implementation of sustainability standards in European dairy farmin
Policy-change Triggered Environmental Uncertainty in a Dairy Cooperative: The Case of Mila in South Tyrol
Get PDFOn April 1st 2015, the European Union lifted its quotas for dairy production, a system that has been in place since 1984. Prior to this, the region of South Tyrol in Northern Italy enjoyed protection from the constraints and penalties of overproduction. With the lifting of quotas in Europe, „Bergmilch Südtirol“, a dairy cooperative based in Bozen, Italy, faces significant challenges. The aim of this exploratory single case study is to gain a better understanding of how a dairy cooperative copes with uncertainty in the context of a new economic environment. The data collected included semi-structured interviews, observations, and a review of internal documents of the cooperatives. Results support claims of the cooperative’s resilience, despite new economic pressures. Recent Russian embargoes have also added to the challenges „Bergmilch Südtirol“ faces. Despite good governance practices and sound financial performance in recent years, „Bergmilch Südtirol“ may need to readjust its strategy, beginning with how the cooperative compensates its farmer-members for their milk