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Correction to: Towards estimating the economic cost of invasive alien species to African crop and livestock production
Get PDFTowards estimating the economic cost of invasive alien species to African crop and livestock production
Get PDFBackground: Invasive alien species (IAS) cause signifcant economic losses in all parts of the world. Although IAS are
widespread in Africa and cause serious negative impacts on livelihoods as a result of yield losses and increased labour
costs associated with IAS management, few data on the impacts are available in the literature and the magnitude and
extent of the costs are largely unknown. We estimated the cost of IAS to agriculture, the most important economic
sector in Africa.
Methods: Data on the monetary costs of IAS to mainland Africa as well as information about the presence and
abundance of the most important IAS were collected through literature review and an online survey among a wide
variety of stakeholders. Using this and additional data from publicly available sources we estimated yield losses and
management costs due to IAS in agriculture for individual countries and the entire continent. Where the data allowed,
the costs for selected IAS or crops were estimated separately. The estimates were extrapolated using production and
distribution data and/or matching of agro-ecological zones.
Results: The total estimated annual cost of IAS to agriculture in Africa is USD 65.58 Bn. Management costs (comprising mainly labour costs associated with weeding), crop yield losses and reductions in livestock derived income
constitute the majority of the estimated cost (55.42, 44.31 and 0.26 percent, respectively). The IAS causing the highest
yield losses was Spodoptera frugiperda (USD 9.4 Bn).
Conclusions: This study reveals the extent and scale of the economic impacts of IAS in the agricultural sector in one
of the least studied continents. Although the cost estimate presented here is signifcant, IAS also cause major costs to
other sectors which could not be assessed due to data defcit. The results highlight the need for pre-emptive management options, such as prevention and early detection and rapid response to reduce huge potential future costs,
as well as measures that contribute to large-scale control of widely established IAS at little cost to farmers and other
afected land users, to reduce losses and improve livelihoods
The Potential Role of Equity Crowdfunding as a Catalyst to Foster Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans as the Next EU Startup Hub in the Post-Covid Era
Get PDFVisualizing Food Traceability Systems: A novel system architecture for mapping material and information flow
Get PDFBackground: Traceability of food products, ingredients and associated operations are important requirements for improving food safety and consumer confidence. Food traceability systems (FTSs) often suffer from inefficiency in either material or information flow within an enterprise or between supply chain partners. Modelling of system architecture is a visualisation approach that allows multiple parties to collaborate in a system design process, identify its inefficiencies and propose improvements. However, there is little academic research on the ability to use a standard visualisation tool that supports collaborative design and considers both material and information flow for a given food traceability system.
Scope & Approach: The aim of this research is to propose a new visualisation approach that allows supply chain operators to collaborate effectively in the design process of FTSs capable of maintaining streamlined information flow, minimising information loss, and improving supply chain performance.
Key findings & Conclusion: Food traceability systems are complex, encompassing processes, material flow, information flow, techniques, infrastructure, people and control strategies. Screening of literature demonstrates that model-based system engineering (MBSE) offers a sound way for visualisation of such complex systems. However, in the food traceability literature, an MBSE-based standardised traceability system modelling approach is absent. This study makes a strong contribution to existing literature by proposing a novel, material and information flow modelling technique (MIFMT), to visualise FTS architecture. MIFMT can support common understanding and iterative implementation of effective FTSs that contextualise food supply chains at multiple levels and provides opportunity to identify points at where inefficiencies can occur so that actions can be taken to mitigate them
Modelling of Quadratic-Surface Sludge Digesters by Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH)–Finite Element (FE) Methods
Get PDFThe quadric-surfaced sludge digester (QSD), also known as the egg-shaped sludge digester,
has proven its advantages over traditional cylindrical digesters recently. A reduction in oper-
ational cost is the dominant factor. Its shell can be described as a revolution of a parabola
with the apex and base being either tapered or spherical. This shape provides a surface free
of discontinuities, which is advantageous regarding the efficiency during mixing. Since the
shape does not produce areas of inactive fluid motion within the tank, sludge settlement and
an eventual grit build-up are avoided. The stresses developed in the shell of the sludge digester,
vary along the meridian and equatorial diameters. A non-dimensional parameter, ξ, defines the
height-to-diameter aspect ratio which is used to delineate the parametric boundary conditions
of the shell’s surface. Three groups of analyses were conducted to determine the orthogonal
stresses in the shell of the QSD. The first-principles numerical models ran reasonably quickly,
and many simulations were made during the study. The results showed that they were in within
the range 5.34% to 7.2% to 2D FEA results. The 3D FEA simulation results were within the
range of 8.3% to 9.2% to those from the MATLAB time-history models. This is a good indi-
cator that the first principles numerical models are an excellent time-saving method to predict
the behaviour of the QSD under seismic excitation. Upon examining the criteria for the design,
analysing the results for the 2D FEA simulations showed that the fill height is not a significant
variable with sloshing however the 3D FEA showed that the hydrostatic pressure is a significant
variable. With the maximum tensile stress of the 3D-printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
(ABS)-a common thermoplastic polymer typically used for injection molding applications,
being 24.4 MPa, the overall maximum stress of 5.45 MPa, the material can be a viable option
for the use of QSD construction in small island developing states (SIDS
Considering the ethical implications of digital collaboration in the Food Sector
Get PDFThe Internet of Food Things Network+ (IoFT) and the Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Intelligence for Automated Investigation for Scientific Discovery Network+ (AI3SD) brought together an interdisciplinary multi-institution working group to create an ethical framework for digital collaboration in the food industry. This will enable the exploration of implications and consequences (both intentional and unintentional) of using cutting-edge technologies to support the implementation of data trusts and other forms of digital collaboration in the food sector. This article describes how we identified areas for ethical consideration with respect to digital collaboration and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in the food sector and describes the different interdisciplinary methodologies being used to produce this framework. The research questions and objectives that are being addressed by the working group are laid out, with a report on our ongoing work. The article concludes with recommendations about working on projects in this area
Food Safety vs health and safety: strong alignment or clear blue water?
Get PDFThis article considers the management approaches to designing and adopting a management system to ensure the health & safety of personnel and visitors to a food premises and comparing these to the processes used to develop an effective food safety management system. In some organisations the management systems for health & safety and food safety are distinct and managed separately, whereas in other organisations there is integration of practise and processes in an overarching management system that provides both shared learning and cross-competencies. The management of both health & safety and food safety can only be realised when there is appropriate strategic leadership, an enabling organisational culture and the daily behaviours at all levels of the organisation support a positive and collaborative environment. A failure to deliver this objective can lead to increased organisational risk across all functional areas
Exploration of the fipronil in egg contamination incident in the Netherlands using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method
Get PDFFollowing the 2017 fipronil egg contamination incident in the European Union, improvements in safety management continue to be necessary, particularly for regulatory, preventive, and control activities. Drawing from the Dutch and European legislation, and the use of the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM), the aim of the study was to explore the regulatory framing of the elimination of red mites on poultry farms, the compliance of actual events in 2017 with these hygiene standards and regulations in order to reconcile actual practices with policy directives. The study considers the difference between policy implementation for work-as-imagined and the tasks undertaken in practice i.e., ‘work-as-done’. This allows for assessment and analysis of the gap between pre-defined hygiene policy and actual practice and allows for a systemic approach rather than a causal approach to examine the public health incident. The study concludes that it is important for high level policy makers to comprehend the challenges and barriers faced by those implementing policy, and how this could potentially mean that policy in practice is not aligned with what was originally intended. The presented analysis outlines the potential of the FRAM in assessing complex food systems to support a public health investigation of incidents, and to design practical and realistic food safety policies leading to higher levels of stakeholder compliance and improved safety management
Primary school education resources on conservation in New Zealand over-emphasise killing of non-native mammals
Get PDFGuidelines for sustainability linked to the government-approved National Curriculum for education in New Zealand emphasise values of empathy and respect for all life. These instruct educators to discuss different values around sustainability and conservation.
I reviewed educational resources published or endorsed by government agencies to determine compliance with these sustainability Guidelines. The resources reviewed promote the view that non-native mammals should be killed. Some resources go further in giving instructions to children on how to do this, and how to source kill traps.
Children are provided with material designed to engender dislike towards non-native mammals, particularly possums. Resources conflate issues of conservation by tying it in with protection of tourism, ornamental plants and primary industries.
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This encouragement of killing in environmental educational resources appears unique to New Zealand. It is discussed in light of increasing evidence that performing or witnessing animal abuse is a causal factor for future violence towards human and non-human animals
Resilience and digitalization in Short Food Supply Chains: A case study approach
Get PDFThe interest in short food supply chains (SFSCs) has grown significantly in the last dec- 12
ade, notably in respect of their potential role to achieve more sustainable food chains. However, a 13
major barrier to achieving sustainable supply chains is the uncertainty associated with supply 14
chain activities. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the different resilience capabilities that SFSCs 15
possess and the potential role of digital technologies as enablers of SFSCs' resilience. Using a case 16
study research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted in two SFSCs in Mexico. 17
Collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that SFSCs possess the 18
supply chain resilience (SC resilience) capabilities investigated here, namely flexibility, redun- 19
dancy, collaboration, visibility and agility. A key finding is the importance of low-cost digital 20
technologies (including freeware and social media) that can support flexibility, collaboration, visi- 21
bility and agility. These findings raise important implications for SFSCs actors exploring opportu- 22
nities to improve their collective resilience. This study expands current literature by proposing a 23
conceptual framework that summarizes a wide variety of strategies that support SC resilience ca- 24
pabilities in the context of SFSCs