Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Responsibility and Sustainability in a Food Chain: A Priority Matrix Analysis
Get PDF This paper shows the results of empirical research conducted to assess the sustainability of a typical food supply chain, suggesting feasible solutions to satisfy inter-dimensional requisites of durable development. The analysis was conducted with reference to the supply chain of the San Marzano tomato (SMZ), a typical local food. The product is endowed with an origin certification label (PDO), meeting demand within high-value market niches. The SMZ is a flagship product in the Italian region of Campania and has benefited from several regionally funded interventions, such as genetic research and support for the application for EU certification of origin). Two key findings emerged from the research. First, the results allowed us to define a Stakeholder Priority and Responsibilities’ Matrix (SPRM), and monitor the sustainability trend of SMZ food supply chains. Second, the consistency between the adoption of quality strategy (brand of origin) and sustainable development of the sector was evaluated. Despite its intrinsic characteristics and its organized, well-defined structure, the SMZ food supply chain is unable to address sustainable objectives without considerable public intervention and support. In terms of sustainability, to be able to show desirable food chain characteristics, the existence of a fully collaborative relationship between the actors has to be ascertained. Identifying shared goals is essential to assign and implement coordinated actions, pooling responsibility for product quality into social and environmental dimensions
Spot and Futures Prices of Agricultural Commodities: Fundamentals and Speculation
Get PDFThis paper investigates the long-run relationship between spot and futures prices for corn and soybeans, for the period January 2004 -September 2010. We apply cointegration methodology in the presence of potentially unknown structural breaks in the commodities prices and we then study the causality relationships between spot and futures prices within each specific sub-period identified, with the aim to analyze where changes in spot and futures price originate and how they spread. Empirical estimates highlight the following evidence: i) breaks relate to events that have significantly affected the supply and demand of corn and soybeans for food and energy purposes; ii) subperiods consequently identified express different dynamics in the causal relationship between spot and futures prices and support the idea that many factors contributed to the 2007-2008 food price increase
Information Reference Models for European Pork Supply Networks – Identifying Gaps in Information Infrastructures –
Get PDF Several global developments such as diminishing production resources, limits in the availability of water and the growing demand for bio-energy as well as sector-wide crises (e.g. BSE, swine fever, dioxin) have led to a changing attitude of society towards the conse-quences of the food system‘s activities for social, economic and environmental issues, cap-tured in the term of sustainability. As a consequence, consumers show increasing interest in the characteristics of food, and in turn, on the availability of related information and guaran-tees. The paper introduces different information reference models for European pork supply networks, which give an aggregated overview about information availability and exchange in the pork sector, identify additional information demands of decision makers at different stages of pork production, and identify gaps in the existing information infrastructure. The models support different parties involved in pork production, such as enterprises, system developers and consultants, in developing enterprise or network specific solutions
A Computer Simulation Model of Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Agri-Food Enterprises
Get PDF System dynamics is an appropriate tool to build management models due to its ease of application in solving unstructured problems. In the twenty-first century the sustainability of organizations is influenced by the way it manages its knowledge. In this sense, knowledge management (KM) represents a strategy that contributes to improving the production supply chain (SC) of the agri-food industry (AFI). The objective of this research is to develop a computer model to simulate the effect of KM on the production of AFI. The methodology applied was that of the system dynamics by using the Vensim PLE ® v. 5.10 software, whose determining indicators were selected through an empirical study of KM in the SC of precooked corn flour industry in Venezuela. The study concluded that the balanced implementation of KM practices in the strategic dimension and in the functional dimension achieved an increase in production through the stabilization of the system. Further evaluation of the methodology developed in other agro-industrial environments is recommended
An Exploration of Irish Consumer Acceptance of Nanotechnology Applications in Food
Get PDF Nanotechnology has come to the attention of food stakeholders in recent years. It offers many potential benefits to food companies and consumers, for example the ability to produce healthier food without compromising taste, but it has also generated much debate, in particular about potential unknown risks associated with food applications of nanotechnology. This research provides some insights into Irish consumer acceptance of food related applications of nanotechnology and details the determining factors framing consumers’ attitudes. Key issues investigated include consumers’ awareness of and attitudes towards nanotechnology, the subjective values (including perceived risk-benefit trade-offs) that frame these attitudes and the influence of new information on consumers’ attitudes and acceptance. An innovative methodology was applied involving observations of a one-to-one deliberative discourse between a food scientist specialising in nanotechnology research and consumers. The aim of this research was to understand the evolving perspectives of the individual consumer as information was presented to them. During the discourse, the scientist presented a number of pre-defined hypothetical scenarios, illustrating benefits and risks of different food applications of nanotechnology in an effort to establish ‘tipping points’ in consumer acceptance. In-depth pre and post-discourse interviews were also completed with participants (n = 7; 21 observations in total) to determine the perceived influence of the discourse on consumers’ acceptance and the factors contributing to any attitudinal change. Thematic analysis was undertaken with the support of the software package NVivo8. A brief questionnaire was completed by participating consumers to support some of the qualitative findings. While participants were unfamiliar with the concept of using nanotechnology in food production, in general, new information appeared to positively impact their attitudes towards food applications of nanotechnology. This increased their perceived likelihood of purchasing foods that incorporated nanotechnology applications during processing or packaging. Consumers were more accepting of the different applications presented if they perceived the associated personal and societal benefits to outweigh potential risks. However, consumers were not homogenous in their perceptions of the applications. Product characteristics (e.g. perceived naturalness), subjective values including the perceived individual relevance of such ‘nano food’ products, individual risk assessments, trust in stakeholders and personal control, general risk sensitivity and attitudes towards technology, familial relevance of such applications, and societal and environmental factors framed consumers’ attitudes towards the nanotechnology applications presented. Furthermore, acceptance was conditional on potential risks being adequately addressed before ‘nano foods’ reach the market. How risks are ‘adequately addressed’ is a key question emerging from this research. As a small number of consumers participated in this study, the findings presented are by no means representative of Irish consumers. However, the diversity of factors framing participants’ attitudes and acceptance indicates the relevance of the issues raised at a broader level
Influence of Brand Equity on Milk Choice: A Choice Experiment Survey
Get PDF In the context of sustainable consumption buying local produce could support environmentally friendly production from the local economy. Our study estimates the preference weights that local consumers assign to some milk attributes including local origin and the influence on choice of a local brand of milk, which is traded by a local cooperative of producers in Umbria (Italy). Several preference segments are found amongst fresh and UHT milk buyers by employing a Latent Class model to analyze stated choice data. This specification allows us to verify whether consumers who have a better attitude towards local milk also prefer this brand to others, placing different values on the regional origin of milk
The Sustainability of Intensive Livestock Areas (ILAS): Network System and Conflict Potential from the Perspective of Animal Farmers
Get PDF The present study has determined the perceived consequences of an ILA on the production conditions of livestock farming systems based on the advantages of an agglomerated agri-food industry and the disadvantages of an increasing livestock concentration. It became obvious that the benefits of such ILAs can be understood according to their human and social capital. These elements, however, are both associated with a low geographic responsiveness to any increase in problems and so cause land use conflicts to increase. Their perception of the effects of being located within an ILA caused the livestock farmers in this survey to consider their production conditions more when formulating their demands with respect to policies concerning regional development and land use planning. Understanding this type of perception may help to counter current problems and to enhance the success of structural policies in ILAs
Should I Make or Should I Buy? Innovation Strategies and Governance Structures in the Italian Food Sector
Get PDFThis paper analyses the "make or buy" decision of food firms applied to innovation strategy using 389 Italian food firms data from the Unicredit 2007 database. We develop a set of hypothesis from three theoretical perspectives such as transaction cost economics, strategic management and resource-based view. Our paper aims at highlight whether or not different firm’s features can be linked to the decision to make or buy. We found out that these two decisions are positively interlinked. Moreover we also found out that it is difficult to indicate a clear-cut behaviour for the Italian food firms if we refer to making or buying decisions. We discuss these results and use them to bring some interesting outcomes to discuss managerial implications and/or policy interventions in this highly strategic domain
Internationalization and Firm Performance in Agribusiness: Empirical Evidence from European Cooperatives
Get PDF The ongoing internationalization of markets has become a major issue also for companies of the agribusiness. Nevertheless, neither the degree of internationalization of agribusiness firms nor the internationalization-performance relationship in the agribusiness sector have been analyzed thoroughly so far. To help fill this void, we use panel data compiled from annual reports and balance sheets to investigate the internationalization as well as the internationalization-performance relationship of 21 leading European cooperatives in the dairy and meat sectors. Our results indicate that internationalization has a significant positive impact on firm performance
What Can We Learn from Best Practices Regarding Food Chain Transparency?
Get PDF This paper reports on food chain transparency. The research specifically aims to investigate best practices. Therefore, inductive research was conducted, starting with the identification of best practices. Further, underlying patterns were investigated to derive hypotheses and to develop a theoretical framework. These were confronted with literature findings which resulted in the validation of the hypotheses and the theoretical framework. Overall it can be concluded that several types of food chain transparency exist, whereas the different types represent a hierarchy of transparency domains, and that the basis mainly applies to information quality. In addition, it is shown that performance indicators measure directly or indirectly the success of transparency