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W(h)ither environmental governance? - Limited access to information undermines meaningful public participation in development projects
No full textThere is a surge in public agitation against environmental destruction caused by ongoing development projects in Sri Lanka. The surfacing of environmental issues after construction has commenced is highly problematic for two reasons. First, the construction may have already caused damage to the environment, which may be irreversible in certain cases. Second, the revising of original project plans to mitigate environmental damages can result in delays and increased costs. A mechanism used globally to protect the environment and avoid such costly readjustments and delays is to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to commencing a project. An EIA is a consultative scientific process, which aims to “avoid, reduce or mitigate potential adverse impacts through the consideration of alternative options, sites or processes. This research brief finds that the ability of Sri Lanka’s public to meaningfully participate in the EIA process is severely hampered by limited access to vital information and identifies a number of gaps that exist in Sri Lanka’s EIA framework with respect to the disclosure of information and documents. These are: 1) the gaps in information disclosure in Sri Lanka’s EIA laws and regulations; and 2) the gaps in Sri Lanka’s EIA practice with respect to information disclosure
Factors Influencing Consumer Preference Towards Horticulture Geographical Indications (GIs): A Case of Udupi Brinjal from South India
No full textConsumers' attention towards fruits and vegetables in recent times has shifted to regionally grown geographical indications (GI) due to the quality and origin of these products. This research work aims to explore the factors influencing consumer preference towards Udupi Brinjal, a horticulture GI grown in Udupi District of South India. The present study has used a mixed-method approach to gather and analyze data collected from local consumers of Udupi District. The qualitative study design involved a survey of key informants in the local region. Subsequently, data collected from consumers through a structured questionnaire were analyzed using factor analysis and regression techniques. Results from data analysis revealed that quality factors show greater importance in predicting consumer preference, followed by sensory attributes and health-related aspects. The results will help formulate marketing strategies for horticulture GIs. Agri-business marketers and State-owned agriculture promotion agencies can adopt these strategies to promote GIs and gain consumer acceptance. The results and discussions of this research work are consistent with Sustainable Development Goals (Goals 2 & 12) and contribute to sustainable agriculture
De la cocina a la escuela: siempre celebrando al maíz y a la arepa [Reseña de libro]
No full textOn this occasion, Manuela Montilla Arreaza (editorial coordinator, writer, and editor) presents the new book in the “History of the arepa” saga, entitled “An arepa for the future: Knowledge with a deep-rooted flavor” (2024, published by Arraigo Group). Among other contents, this new text recounts the development of the concept of Venezuelan cuisine throughout the history of Venezuela. Thus, the origins of Venezuelan cuisine, some stories of chefs and their innovations in contemporary history, chronicles of the country's culinary schools, the role of corn in national gastronomy, culinary education and the necessary renovation of curricula, innovation in ingredients and flavors of arepa from the cooking schools, a tribute to the work of Alicia Allas, Armando Scannone and Magdalena Salavarría in the rescue of traditional recipes, are dealt with in the following eight chapters (after a prologue by Ivanova Decán Gambús). The book concludes with a compendium of original recipes created by the students of the school. It also includes an epilogue by Laureano Márquez
Food and Drug Administration Proposal to Restrict the Use of Selected Antibiotics at Subtherapeutic Levels in Animal Feeds (Briefing Paper)
No full textReport Introduction: The Food and Drug Administration announced on August 29, 1977, a proposal to prohibit the routine addition of the antibiotic penicillin to animal feeds. This briefing paper attempts to place in perspective the complex and extremely controversial issue of restricting the practice of using certain antibiotics at subtherapeutic levels in animal feeds. This paper covers the history and use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, the public health problems that might emerge from their continued use, antibiotic policy developments, current FDA proposals, economic research on restricting antibiotic use, other pending actions, and recommendations for future action. This paper was prepared by the Economic Research Service with assistance of the Agricultural Research Service, Cooperative State Research Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Food Safety and Quality Service, and the FDA Bureau of Veterinary Medicine
Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Crop Productivity of Migrant-Sending Rural Households in Oromia Region of Ethiopia
No full textThis study quantified the impact of rural out-migration on crop productivity using the multinomial endogenous switching model as an analytical model in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Cross-sectional data were gathered from a random sample of 384 rural households. The descriptive analysis revealed that the rate of rural-rural migration in Ethiopia decreased from 55.8 to 24.6% while the rate of rural-urban migration increased from 28.7 to 33.8 % between 1984 and 2021. The proportion of migrants in the total urban population increased from 17.2 to 49.2% in the Oromia region between 1999 and 2021. The regression results found that land size, use of irrigation, tropical livestock unit, dependency ratio, and education level of household head decrease the likelihood of participating in migration, whereas family size, number of plots, being female-headed households, and age of household head increase the probability of participating in migration. The participation in rural-urban and international migration increases the productivity of wheat producers by 341.28 and 707.21kilograms, respectively. Similarly, the participation in rural-urban and international migration increases the productivity of teff producers by 502.05 and 257.04 kilograms, respectively. This finding also supports the credit and risk hypotheses of the new economics labour migration theory. Enhancing access to finance or credit markets, agricultural land, and enhanced technology for youth in migrant-sending rural communities can leverage the gains from rural out-migration. Provision of pre-migration training, rural non-farm employment, awareness creation, promotion of safe migration, and better rural public services would capitalize the net benefit from out-migration
Perfiles de los consumidores de vino en la ruta del queso y vino de Querétaro, México
No full textWine consumption in Mexico has constantly increased over the years, with a growing interest in wine among the population. Particularly during the last decade, the wine tourism routes have positioned themselves as spaces that have the purpose of attracting a significant number of oenological tourists interested in exploring the unique cultural, naturalistic and gastronomic aspects of these regions. Around this activity, it is possible to know a set of consumption preferences by its visitors, which allows identifying the most important criteria regarding the choice of a wine. This article had as its objective generating a characterization of wine consumers, taking as a reference the route of art cheese and wine from Queretaro (Mexico). The methodology followed during the research consisted of the application of 379 surveys to winemakers. Among the themes addressed, he was interested in knowing about the general habits of wine consumption, such as frequency and reasons of consumption, and election reasons for wine. To contrast this information, some socio-demographic questions were included in the interview: age, origin and place of birth, monthly income, scholarship, average expenditure during the visit, among others. Among the most relevant findings, it is that much of the consumers who attend this wine tourist route do not have sufficient experience or knowledge to identify key elements that distinguish the quality of wine, that their consumption is associated with recreational purposes, and that among the key factors that determine the choice of this product are the cost and recommendation of other people with whom there is a relationship of trust. Based on these results, the study reveals that understanding the specific characteristics and preferences of winemakers who visit these routes could help tour operators to develop specific marketing strategies and improve the general experience of wine tourism
Aproximación físico-económica al estado de la seguridad alimentaria en México
No full textAlthough Mexican agricultural and livestock production suggests adequate food availability for most of the country, household income restricts actual food access. The study aims to develop an indicator that assesses the physical and economic access to food for families in Mexican municipalities. It has been found that food availability in the country is not a widespread issue; therefore, the study seeks to understand the causes of food insecurity. Taking advantage of geographic variability, food security was analyzed at local scales to capture the specificities of each municipality. Based on the FAO’s definition of food access and a literature review, a composite indicator of physical and economic access to food was constructed using data from 7 municipal-level variables and 1 state-level variable. These variables were grouped into three sub-indicators: physical access, economic access, and state economic access. The variables were weighted, and through algebraic summation, the values of the sub-indicators and the indicator were obtained and classified into four categories, as follows: low (deficient), medium (limited), high (favorable), and very high (optimal). Cartography of the results was generated, and a geospatial data analysis was included using the Global Moran Index to evaluate spatial autocorrelation. It was found that 34.4% of the country’s municipalities have low physical access to food, while 40.6% have medium economic access. The indicator showed that 25.4% of municipalities have low physical and economic access to food, with the southern region being the most affected, and another 64% are in conditions of medium physical and economic access. The importance of adopting an integrated view of food security in Mexico is highlighted, and addressing these inequalities is suggested as a means to transform the country's food system
Comparative Advantages and Specialization Dynamics in Agri-food Trade of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay
No full textThe article interrogates the shape, dynamic, and fragility of revealed comparative advantages of 46 agri-food products traded by Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in the period 1995-2020 using normalized revealed comparative index and summary statistics, stochastic kernels, Galtonian regression, Markov chains, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The analysis reveals the agri-food flagship products and the agri-food trade of these countries has formed mainly around these flagship products. The results support the argument that changes in distribution of comparative advantages in agri-food trade underwent an increase in specialization in these countries, especially in the period from the beginning of millennia until about period slightly after the Great Recession. The results also indicate slight convergence in the change in agri-food comparative advantages in these three countries, as well as the increased complexity of agri-food comparative advantages in Argentina and Paraguay at the end of the period under scrutiny. Despite these variations and differences among countries under scrutiny the distribution of comparative advantages remains stable and persistent. Given this evidence, we conclude that these countries will continue to develop their agriculture-led growth economic model and these flagship products will play an important role in the overall agri-food export structures of these countries in the future
Presentación
No full textAgroalimentaria reaches its 59th issue and celebrates its 29th anniversary (September 26, 1995, Universidad de Los Andes-ULA, Venezuela, Centro de Investigaciones Agroalimentarias “Edgar Abreu Olivo”), to contribute to the dissemination of research results in the social sciences of agri-food. The regular section of the issue includes eight articles from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. As always, the REVIEWS AND MISCELLANEOUS section consists of three reviews: one of the book “Agri-food Potentials of traditional products from depressed regions of the Pacific Coast of Ecuador” (an e-book in Spanish by Luis Dionicio Andrade Alcívar, Rafael Cartay, and Henry Xavier Mendoza Ponce); the 47th issue of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Journal-EARN of Spain (Vol. 24, No. 1, January-June 2024); and the last one, issue 54 of the Agribusiness Review for Mexico And Latin America (Year XXVIII, Vol. 54, January-June 2024). The Cumulative Index for the year 2024 completes this 59th issue
Olive oil from the Southwest of Buenos Aires (Argentina) according to some models of business failure
No full textBusiness failure models identify intrinsic and external elements of firms that explain their performance. The objective of the work is to build a matrix of strategies based on the SWOT matrix of the production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in the Southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina (SWBA) within the framework of one of these models. This sector forms a regional and sectoral cluster that translates into advantages for its members, such as joint purchases, and better access to training and technical advice, among others. However, they face disadvantages in other aspects such as access to credit, not having enough volume to export, to mention some of the sectors own, in addition to the country's macroeconomic instability (high inflation, changing policies). The information comes from a census carried out on the forty-eight producers and subsequent updates in 2023 through interviews with key references. This article presents major results as a SWOT analysis, highlighting the producing farms' strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats derivate from their environment. The analysis focuses on the economic-financial aspects, comparing producer statements with the analysis results to determine alignment with business failure theories. Finally, a Matrix of strategies is built based on the variables that entrepreneurs should monitor to avoid business failure. Based on these recommended strategies to avoid business failures, the following stands out: (i) diversifying your points of sale, advancing in the process of establishing a collective brand by overcoming the rivalry between them; (ii) increasing the number of extractors so that there is no bottleneck at that stage; (iii) promote the healthy aspects of EVOO consumption so that the consumer is willing to pay the price differential compared to traditional oils; (iv) improve the accounting and formality aspect of the farms; and (v) join the already existing Olive Route, among others