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Tobacco is grown on more than 4 million hectares of global agricultural land in at least 124 countries. As a member state to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) international treaty, Uganda seeks to support economically viable alternative activities as a means to tobacco control because previous efforts with tobacco control that focused on the demand side have failed to control tobacco supply. This study employed the Tradeoff Analysis-Minimum Data (TOA-MD) model to assess tradeoffs and associated economic impacts of switching from tobacco to alternative crops in smallholder cropping systems. Results revealed that switching from tobacco to alternative crops is economically feasible for most of the farms owing to the higher net economic returns. The proportion of farms that expect higher returns from alternative crops is highest for cassava (97%) followed by maize (87%), rice (83%) and the least for beans (74%). Cassava is the best alternative for both small and large farms because of the highest gains in farm net returns, per capita income and poverty reduction. The next feasible crop alternatives for large farms are maize and rice. Despite their economic feasibility, alternative crops are typical of uncertain markets with unorganised structures for production. Since these are important incentives for tobacco farmers, the study recommends development of institutions that foster value chain development for alternative crops. Supporting agro-processors is likely to guarantee markets and provide for lump-sum payments, input credit for production and a reliable extension service system as way of incentivizing a sustainable switch to alternative cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How are moral markets organized? While previous research has shown that moral markets combine conventional and alternative elements, it has failed to explain how these hybridizations can ensure the organization of moral markets. To this end, we take an economic-sociological approach using ethnographic materials from a study of Swedish Reko-rings, a direct-to-customer market for local foods, to analyse how actors address the key coordination problems of value, competition and cooperation. The analysis shows how participants of these markets enact an 'alternative framing', emphasizing economic certainty as instrumental for moral certainty, which enables them to develop and implement 'alternativized' solutions to market coordination problems. Thereby, participants make economic and moral values certain by making the former instrumental for the latter. We advance previous research by showing that moral markets require not just hybridization, but hybridization guided by a specific economic-moral framing that enables these markets to avoid co-option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a microlevel database of Irish cooperative creameries covering the period 1897–1921. The data were hand collected from the annual reports of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS) and contain information from 531 creameries and covering 49 variables. We perform some initial analysis of the data, finding considerable heterogeneity in the productivity of creameries as measured by the milk/butter ratio. We focus on differences between the four historical provinces of Ireland, finding that the south of Ireland (the historical centre of butter production) was on average less productive than the north at the start of the period, although this changes after 1913, when Ulster becomes the least productive province. These results present interesting avenues for future work, given the IAOS' focus on founding creameries in the north of the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The milk processing sector in the Republic of Croatia faces numerous challenges. It is a distinctly bipolar structure, with some entities resembling the largest milk producers in the EU, while many small and medium-sized dairy farms struggle to remain competitive and achieve further progress. To formulate effective policy, it is important to differentiate between these types and address their key challenges.

The aim of the article is to identify changes in the production and export of poultry from Poland and the factors influencing the development of this market. The main methods used to achieve the aim of the study are comparative analysis over time, structure analysis, and correlation coefficient. The study mainly used annual data collected by the Ministry of Finance and Statistics Poland. During the period under study, Poland was self-sufficient in poultry production, which increased, except for 2021, when it decreased, which was primarily caused by the very dynamic transmission of avian influenza in poultry. A progressive process of production concentration is observed in the sector. The share of farms keeping the smallest flocks of broiler chickens decreased, and the share of farms keeping the largest flocks increased. Imports of poultry products in relation to exports were small. Production was much higher than domestic market demand. About half of the production was exported. Between 2014 and 2022, poultry meat and offal had the largest share in the export structure. One of the challenges for market development is the greater intensity of avian influenza, which directly or indirectly affects various participants in the supply chain. Therefore, there is a need to create plans for dealing with the appearance of avian influenza in poultry. In the case of export, the consequence of the occurrence of avian influenza in poultry may be the need to change some geographical export directions, which should be included in such plans. It is also necessary to prepare a plan for the management of surplus poultry in the event of a ban on ritual slaughter. The development scale creates a need for systematic research of this sector.

AbstractThis paper aims to address the following research question: How are agrifood companies configured in terms of sustainable performance? This study performs an exploratory quantitative analysis assessing the level of sustainable performance of 480 agrifood firms in Brazil (376) and Chile (104). A cluster analysis was performed to do this. We also compared the sustainable performance of companies in these two countries. This study answers calls for more focus on the sustainability of the agrifood systems in South America and more cross-country investigations, especially from developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used a survey to investigate the effects of personality, motives, and socioeconomics for drinking hard cider among 3,373 Norwegian respondents in 2023. Wine interest, cultural interest, having a high score on conspicuous attitude, or being female increased the predicted consumption frequencies of hard cider. Scoring high on the taste index, being a conscientious respondent, being older, higher educated, or believing religion is important reduced the predicted frequencies. The estimated effects were compared with the corresponding effects for red, white, and sparkling wines. Cultural interest and wine interest are the main motives for hard cider and all categories of wine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the economic impact of wine counterfeiting, with a focus on the Sassicaia scandal, publicized in 2020, regarding counterfeit 2015 vintage bottles of the iconic Super Tuscan wine. Wine fraud, documented since ancient Rome, has evolved alongside the industry, with key developments such as the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée system aiming to curb it. The paper briefly reviews three other significant modern cases of wine counterfeiting: the Hardy Rodenstock "Jefferson bottles" affair, the Brunello di Montalcino scandal, and Rudy Kurniawan's counterfeit operation. It then shifts to a detailed analysis of the case of Sassicaia. We combine informal analysis using data plots and a formal difference-in-differences analysis to assess the market impact of the 2015 Sassicaia scandal. We find that, surprisingly, the scandal led to an increase in the price of authentic 2015 Sassicaia, perhaps driven by perceived rarity and media attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis regulatory reform has opened areas for product innovation and entrepreneurship. One dimension that has so far been understudied is the potential for cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) beverages. This study uses double-bounded contingent valuation techniques and parametric and nonparametric estimation procedures to assess consumer demand and willingness to pay (WTP) for various cannabis-infused beverages. By targeting a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, the study finds that roughly half of consumers are willing to try cannabis-infused beverages. Among these respondents, cannabis-infused juices and sweetened iced tea elicit the highest mean WTP, though the WTP for other beverage options varies across demographics and consumer preferences. On average, the mean WTP for THC-infused beverages is 12.5% higher per 12 oz can than its CBD-infused counterpart, and younger consumers are willing to pay more for each of these products. These results have important implications for entrepreneurial decision-making, product development, and marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the rise of mandating climate-related disclosures (CRD), this paper aims to investigate how energy and agriculture markets are exposed to climate disclosure risk. Design/methodology/approach: Using the multivariable simultaneous quantile regression and data from 1 January 2017 to 29 February 2024, the authors examine daily and monthly responses of energy and agriculture markets to climate disclosure risk, energy risk, market sentiment, geopolitical risk and economic policy risk. The sample covers the global market, Australia, Canada, European Union (EU), Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the USA. Findings: The results show that climate disclosure risk creates both positive and negative shocks in the energy and agriculture markets, and the impacts are asymmetric across quantiles in different economies. The higher the climate disclosure risk, the greater impact of crude oil future on the energy sector in North America (Canada and the USA) and Europe (EU and the UK), but no greater effects in Asia Pacific (Australia, New Zealand and Singapore). The agriculture sector can hedge against economic policy and geopolitical risks, but it is highly exposed to climate disclosure and energy risks. Originality/value: This study timely contributes to the modest literature on the asymmetric effects of climate disclosure risk on the energy and agriculture markets at the global and national levels. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers and investment practitioners in understanding financial effects of mandating CRD to diversify risks depending upon market conditions and policy uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of the digital economy, digital transformation is becoming essential for microeconomic entities to achieve high-quality development. This study utilizes A-share listed agribusinesses from 2007 to 2022, constructing a micro-level digital transformation index through textual analysis. It empirically examines the impact and mechanism of digital transformation on total factor productivity. Our findings indicate a positive effect of digital transformation on total factor productivity, considering endogeneity and other issues. The impact mechanism reveals that digital transformation enhances risk-taking ability, alleviates information asymmetry, and decreases financing constraints, thereby promoting total factor productivity (TFP). Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates varied impacts on ownership, industry, size, and region. This study provides an empirical basis for the high-quality development of agribusinesses and informs policy formulation from the perspective of agribusiness digital transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing interest in the performance of agricultural cooperatives. However, there is little consensus on what measures are most appropriate to use or how best to capture the social and environmental impact of these organisations. Despite this, to date, there are no studies that review the literature on agricultural cooperative performance to establish how the most used performance measures have evolved over time and establish any relationship between the sectors and locations of agricultural cooperatives. Thus, this paper seeks to address this gap by (i) identifying the foremost measures that have been used to evaluate the performance of agricultural cooperatives; and (ii) exploring the trends, sectoral and geographical association with the use of these performance measures. A multistage analytical framework, comprising a journal article network analysis and a qualitative meta-analysis, was used to extract relevant information from 124 journal articles and perform content analysis. Subsequently, a non-parametric test was used to examine the association between the year of publication, sector and geographical location of agricultural cooperatives and the performance measures. The results highlight a diverse list of indicators utilised to assess the performance of agricultural cooperatives. However, there is a narrow focus and dominant use of short-term economic metrics, and limited use of environmental and sustainability measures. Also, the results show a significant increase in the use of liquidity indicators in more recent publications. There exists a significant association between the sector of the agricultural cooperative and the most used performance measures but no association with the geographical location. The findings highlight the need to develop performance measures that evaluate the positive spill-over effects of agricultural cooperative activities on non-members, communities, and the natural environment. Also, the findings provide a rubric for benchmarking the performance and identifying best practices that can be shared across different cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedonic analysis of Wisconsin Beef Improvement Association Bull Sale and Development Program data revealed buyer preferences for calving ease, growth, production weight, and carcass merit traits. Attributes like calving ease direct Expected Progeny Differences (EPD), average daily gain, birth to yearling gain EPD, and rib-eye area consistently ranked higher and significantly influenced the bull's sale price. Further analysis using a 2-Class Finite Mixture Model indicated distinct groups of buyers in the region who prioritized measured bull attributes and others who did not, confirming heterogeneity in buyer preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers increasingly prefer lattes using alternative milk from plant-based sources. This study aims to find the factors affecting consumer intention to purchase lattes using alternative milk from plant-based sources and to compare the links between the factors and purchase intentions depending on two labels, "vegan" and "plant-based." An online, scenario-based experiment was conducted with a between-subjects design (plant-based: n=268, vegan: n=265), followed by a survey. In both groups, the results show that the perceived benefits positively affect purchase intention, but the perceived barrier (i.e., vegetarian stigma) did not. Perceived benefits and preference were higher when showing a "plant-based latte" label focusing on the presence of plant-based ingredients than when showing a "vegan latte" label focusing on the absence of animal-based ingredients. For the label "vegan latte," even if consumers are non-vegan, the higher their food curiosity, food snobbery, and food variety-seeking tendency, the higher their purchase intention. It suggests to marketers and menu developers what needs to be highlighted and which consumers to target to boost sales of latte using alternative milk. The findings emphasize the potential for labels to promote the purchase intention of alternative lattes, offering a strategy for changing consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has made extensive outward foreign direct investments (FDI) over recent years, and Chinese international dairy sector investments have been substantial. Germany is the largest European Union milk producer and significant exporter of dairy products to China, but has yet to host these investments. Scientific literature considering industry-level macro-environmental factor falls short in exploring this phenomenon, leading to the question of how can the absence of Chinese foreign direct investments in the German dairy industry be explained by factors in the macro business environment? Following an abductive approach, this study explores the question through an adapted PESTEL conceptualization and operationalization based on an extensive literature review, descriptive analysis of secondary data and triangulated with semi-structured expert interviews. Results show factors such as existing governance structures and legislative tightening may outweigh incentives such as product quality characteristics and consumer preferences, and potential deals should be approached cautiously from a commercial perspective. Regulators and policy makers should also not reject Chinese investment applications out of hand. Our PESTEL application additionally illustrates how the framework could be adapted for initial considerations of FDI. This study is of interest to management academics, and stakeholders in both Germany and the wider dairy industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology holds significant potential for enhancing business efficiency in agricultural marketing. However, empirical research on the use of digital technology among smallholder farmers engaged in staple crop marketing in Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. Recognizing the pivotal role of digital technology in agriculture, this study aims to analyse and synthesize existing knowledge regarding the impact of mobile phones on market participation among smallholder farmers. Through a comprehensive analysis, we seek to provide a robust understanding that can inform policies and programs aimed at enhancing smallholder market integration. To achieve this objective, we collected cross-sectional data from 360 farmers in southeast Nigeria and implemented a double hurdle model to analyse market participation decisions and the extent of farmers' involvement in staple crop markets. In addition to traditional econometric methods, we employed propensity score matching to further investigate the impact of mobile phone ownership on market participation. Our analysis revealed that ICT tools, particularly mobile phones and radios, significantly influence both the decision and intensity of market participation among smallholder farmers. Specifically, mobile phones were found to play a crucial role in facilitating access to market pricing information and disseminating knowledge on improved production methods. Given the volatility of farm prices, the timely dissemination of market information through mobile phones is essential for farmers to make informed decisions. With a high percentage of mobile phone ownership and substantial investments in mobile networks in Nigeria, the digitalization of extension services and marketing information delivery systems could catalyse rapid improvements in agribusiness and marketing. This shift towards digital platforms has the potential to address information asymmetry, particularly among smallholder farmers, thereby fostering greater market integration and economic empowerment within rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact reporting has become a lynchpin for global agri-food supply chain decision-making. This importance has become heightened as governing bodies such as the European Union pass traceability legislation in an effort to reduce Scope 3 emissions. Despite this heightened importance, few studies have explored the role of supply chain management software in achieving sustainability goals within the agribusiness sector. This article provides a current perspective on ongoing supply chain and logistics software issues that might restrict the effectiveness of sustainability reporting. We argue that agribusinesses may struggle to achieve sustainability targets effectively without proficiency in supply chain software. This research contributes to the field by offering a nuanced understanding of the technological competencies required for sustainability success in agribusiness. This article highlights the importance of developing and implementing advanced supply chain management software to address the need for enhanced sustainability practices within the agribusiness sector. Using interviews with pre-farmgate and post-farmgate agribusiness employees, we demonstrate how these software skills will likely impact sustainability reporting and governance. Managerial implications also include the need for targeted skill development to facilitate more sustainable agribusiness management practices, as mastering such technological competencies is critical for adhering to evolving global environmental standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entertaining farm stay in sharing economy has become a unique and feasible accommodation option in China. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework with which to examine the trust-building mechanisms within this emerging sector. Utilizing data from 527 experienced tourists in China, this study conducted a structural equation modeling analysis. The findings indicate that system quality, information quality and service quality, all stemming from platform factors, significantly influence trust. Electronic word-of-mouth, influenced by guest factors, and media richness, influenced by host factors, positively affects perceived usefulness and trust. Notably, while system quality remains positively correlated with trust, its impact on perceived usefulness is diminishing, reflecting the changing information landscape and consumer preferences. This study extends the research on consumer trust on entertaining farm stay in sharing economy. It also provides certain theoretical guidance for trust building in entertaining farm stay market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurs in the agribusiness sector in Ghana encounter numerous challenges due to the weak institutional framework in the country. This often leads to business failure and poor performance of agribusiness ventures. In this paper, we aim to highlight the significance of institutional support for agribusiness entrepreneurs and its crucial role in creating more opportunities for farm entrepreneurs and ensuring the success of farm ventures. The study analyzes empirical data collected from 246 maize farm entrepreneurs in Ghana using the Structural Equation Modelling technique (PLS-SEM). The findings show that regulatory and cognitive institutions have a more positive significant influence on the opportunity recognition and exploitation strategies of maize farm entrepreneurs. Both opportunity recognition and exploitation partially mediate the effects of regulatory, normative and cognitive institutional pressures and farm business performance. The study suggests that maize farm entrepreneurs appear to benefit from regulatory and cognitive institutions. The findings, therefore, have strong policy relevance. The results of this study contribute significantly to food policy aimed at boosting maize supply chain business and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission's new horizontal guidelines create scope for sustainability agreements and, to calculate efficiencies, suggest the estimation of consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for so-called "nonuse value." We contrast estimates obtained from a hypothetical choice experiment conducted for the Netherlands' competition authority (the "Chicken of Tomorrow" case) with estimates based on homescan data documenting consumers' real choices between more or less animal-friendly meat, ensuring that the respective alternatives are made highly comparable. Still, the estimated WTP for the animal-friendly alternative is several times higher in the choice experiment. Given observed prices and the WTP estimated in the choice experiment, the animal-friendly alternative should have already crowded out the conventional variant. We use our findings to inform about several pitfalls both when using experimental data and when using data from true purchases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, increasing productivity and agricultural commercialization are mooted as one of the pillars for agricultural development. However, the measurement of agricultural commercialization has been restricted to the household crop commercialization index (HCCI) that focuses on crops neglecting livestock. This study develops an extended metric of agricultural commercialization named household crop-livestock commercialization index (HCLCI), which combines crop and livestock commercialization with the argument that it is superior to the overly used HCCI. Fractional regression is used to estimate the determinants of the extended metric using secondary and primary data from Ghana. Results indicate that agricultural commercialization is low when examined with the HCCI and the HCLCI. However, the HCLCI (at 26.44 % and 29.76 %, respectively, for the GLSS7 and primary data) is much lower relative to the HCCI (at 35.20 % and 38.24, respectively) but higher than the livestock commercialization index (10.93 % and 8.21 %, respectively). The underlying simultaneous factors that boost agricultural commercialization are infrastructure variables (i.e., road, market, transport, and bank), institutional variable (i.e., agricultural cooperatives) and scale of production (i.e., land endowment and crop production diversity). These findings imply that Ghana needs to invest in infrastructure and farmer institutional development to boost agricultural commercialization.

The Rwandan government emphasizes the role of cooperatives in transforming rural economies from subsistence farming to diversified commercial agriculture, including high-value export horticultural crops. The success of these cooperatives depends significantly on farmers’ willingness to join and remain committed members. Previous research indicates that Rwandan cooperatives often follow a top-down approach, which can lead to dissatisfaction, disagreement, and distrust among members. This dissatisfaction can undermine the cooperatives’ goals of improving farmer welfare, thereby adversely affecting their capacity to transform local livelihoods and economies. This study measures the trust and commitment levels of Rwandan smallholder farmers towards horticultural cooperatives using surveys and experiments. It provides empirical evidence on the extent, role, and determinants of trust and commitment, with a particular focus on behavioral determinants such as risk and time preferences. The findings show that while trust levels are relatively high, commitment levels are relatively low. Probit model estimations indicate that risk and time preferences influence farmers’ trust and commitment. Specifically, risk aversion decreases the predicted probability of trust and commitment, while greater patience increases the predicted probability of trust. No statistically significant relationship was found between behavior in an experimental trust game and survey responses regarding trust and commitment. The study's findings suggest several policy and practice implications, particularly the need to identify and implement strategies to enhance farmers' commitment to cooperatives.

In this article, we examine how weather variables affect markets for U.S. high-end wines, both luxury wines and wines from the same region that are still high-end but not in the very limited highest category. Specifically, we compare so-called "cult wines" with "non-cult wines" from the same subregions that are known for their high-quality wines. We investigate associations between weather conditions and prices, price gaps (the difference between the secondary market price and release price), the number of cases produced, and wine scores assigned for both cult and non-cult wines. We further examine whether associations with weather differ across wine regions. Implementing a fixed-effects methodology, cult and non-cult wines from three U.S. regions were studied: both Napa and Sonoma in California, and Walla Walla on the border of Washington State and Oregon. Overall, the analysis suggests that weather is associated with various characteristics of wine markets, including prices, price gaps for cult wines, wine scores, and cases produced. The nature of the associations depends on the type of wine (cult or non-cult, red or white) and timing of weather conditions throughout the year and growing region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the market position of hard cider within the broader alcoholic beverage market. The first experiment identifies two distinct consumer segments—around 40% prioritize flavor attributes, while 53% prefer production information. The second experiment utilizes a basket- and expenditure-based choice experiment and a multiple discrete choice extreme value model to assess hard cider's standing among commonly consumed alcoholic beverages. Results reveal that hard cider is perceived as a complement to red and white wine but is independent from beer. The study suggests marketing hard cider in conjunction with white wine to capitalize on observed complementarity. Emphasizing the importance of addressing both consumer segments—those valuing flavor notes and those prioritizing production information—the research offers valuable insights for optimizing hard cider market strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether wording a promotional marketing message as originating from the US government vs. the US president impacts consumers' responsiveness to the message. Using a discrete choice experiment, it examines consumer responsiveness to President Biden's order promoting domestic production. Results indicate that consumers are willing to pay a premium for domestically produced tomatoes, with variations based on political affiliations and product attributes like organic labeling and farm employment practices. However, findings on the significance of information treatment effects are mixed, suggesting that consumer responsiveness is unaffected by wording the message as originating from a broad political body vs. a specific politician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goat meat consumption has grown in recent years due to dietary and cultural changes. US demand has surpassed domestic supply, presenting an opportunity for industry expansion. This study provides valuable insights into consumer preferences for goat meat. A sample of 1,015 Floridians was randomly assigned to a control and three treatment groups that included information about the health and/or environmental benefits of goat meat. Results show a significant difference in willingness to pay for goat meat under different information treatments. Persuasive marketing campaigns can increase consumers' preferences for goat meat by raising awareness of the health and environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to systematically review the literature on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast evaluation and critically assess their methods and findings. The fundamental characteristics of optimal forecasts are bias, accuracy and efficiency as well as encompassing and informativeness. This review revealed that the findings of these studies can be very different based on the forecasts examined, commodity, sample period, and methodology. Some forecasts performed very well, while others were not very reliable, resulting in forecast specific optimality record. We discuss methodological and empirical contributions of these studies as well as their shortcomings and potential opportunities for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food delivery applications have grown rapidly in recent years, fueled by increasing consumer demand for convenience and prepared foods. Previous studies on what factors encourage consumers to use delivery platforms rely largely on survey data, likely due to the lack of availability of restaurant or industry level data. Utilizing web-scraping techniques to collect restaurant level data from one of the biggest delivery applications in South Korea, Yogiyo, this study conducts an analysis on spatial market structure of the restaurant business. Through restaurant level data, market expansion, changes in the number of restaurants to order from, and changes in prices across regions with delivery application are considered. Analysis suggests that the average number of orderable restaurants increased from a nearby 2.3 restaurants to distant 13.5 restaurants with customers willingly paying for delivery fees according to distance via the delivery application. As the restaurant delivery market becomes spatially more competitive with an additional 13.5 restaurants, it is found that aggregate prices totaled with food prices and delivery fees from two restaurants in different locations converge to serve the customers between the two restaurants. In addition, the increased degree of competition due to increased number of restaurants leads the aggregate prices to decrease by between 5.13 and 7.56%, depending on regional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focal firms in the agri-food business must take strategic measures to ensure certain product and quality characteristics along the value chain. This is necessary in order to be able to keep up with competitors in the long term. Research shows that competitive parity, in addition to competitive advantage, should be considered as a strategic dimension. In the production of food, often several actors are involved and the focal firm (that is primarily responsible for the product) must organize the business relationships along the chain in such a way that the desired outcome is achieved in the short and long term. The achievement and safeguarding of competitive parity have been little researched so far. Up to now, there has only been a systematic literature review on this topic. Therefore, this aim of this research is to examine which factors influence the construct of competitive parity. Based on the findings of the literature review and further literature on the management of value chains, a theoretical framework is developed. A first empirical application of the model makes it possible to derive recommendations for action for focal firms in the agri-food industry. Therefore, we conduct a quantitative survey in the wine industry. PLS-SEM is used to analyze the model, using SmartPLS software. This research is the first to empirically investigate the strategic relevance of competitive parity in the agri-food business. The results show that chain management needs to pay attention to competitive parity besides the competitive advantage. Whereas the measures of cooperation have a stronger effect on achieving a competitive advantage, the measures of coordination have a stronger effect on achieving competitive parity. The constructs of power and trust — in contrast to the existing basis of resources and capabilities in the company — seem to have a significant influence on cooperation and coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmer cooperatives represent a vertical coordination strategy aimed at reducing transaction costs and facilitating the adoption of technologies among farmers. In their roles, cooperatives undertake internal coordination of activities which may include enforcement measures, provision of quality inputs, internal control, and negotiation of favourable terms of exchange with buyers. However, limited attention has been given to understanding how cooperatives' performance in the internal coordination of activities either promotes or hinders the continued adoption of agricultural technologies among cooperative members. We conducted a case study of the dairy sector in West Java, Indonesia, and utilised a mixed-method approach combining insight from dairy cooperative board members and dairy farming households. Our results suggest that the dis-adoption of dairy technologies is rooted in weak or non-existent monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure input and output quality, the absence of price incentives, and inadequate provision of extension services. Furthermore, the lack of tight monitoring and control mechanisms reduces the cooperatives' bargaining power with input providers and milk buyers. Unless these issues within the cooperatives are addressed, continued adoption of recommended dairy farming practices by smallholder farmers will not be sustained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agritourism is considered an effective strategy for revitalizing traditional agriculture, enhancing rural economics, and achieving sustainable livelihoods. While the processes of how the conventional agrarian industry has taken up diversified management and affiliated with the creative supply of tourist services remain unclear, the theoretical interpretations of the diversification processes have yet to be articulated. This study explores agritourism innovation and proposes a conceptual framework of agritourism diversification built upon the connotations of integration of production sectors and the multi-functionality of rural and land resources. Different styles of agritourism innovation detail the progress of agritourism diversification and how various functions of farm resources are initiated and capitalized upon. Results show that diversification through agritourism has brought considerable economic returns to farms, and increased their resilience in the face of possible business challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Founded in 2016, the Mato Grosso Meat Institute is an autonomous social service formed by representatives of the farm production sector, of the industry, of society and of the state government to promote the meat produced in the state of Mato Grosso, one of the most important states for Brazilian agriculture and livestock production. Despite several promising projects in the pipeline on the topics of information sharing, sustainable insertion of smallholders and other, IMAC still has not reached a protagonist role in Mato Grosso beef chain. With several changes and trends emerging in consumer food behavior, its president (Caio Penido), is still looking for the best strategies to improve Mato Grosso's competitive advantage and align all the agents involved to fulfill IMAC's "vision for the chain". The Teaching Note to this Case Study is available on request via e-mail to ifamr@ifama.org [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]