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This article explores how the quality of institutions influences the strategic choice of agents in the pulp and paper production system based on the forest plantation sector. In order to proceed with the study, we employ the Economic Analysis of Property Rights (Barzel, 1982, 1989, 2002) as foundation, and test the proposition: in federative states where the institutional environment is fragile and therefore the State has a high cost to enforce property rights, private mechanisms stand out in the protection of property rights. According to Dixit (2009, p. 8), "if the government does not pro tect property rights, at least not as well as owners require, many private arrangements arise to satisfy the owners' needs". The analysis of three business cases of companies with plantations in more than one federative unit revealed the broad range of private mechanisms in place to cope with insecure land rights. In addition to countrywide strategies, in the federative units where government fails to be a good property rights steward, we found geographically specific initiatives being used. Another finding was the identification of variables that are able to evaluate the quality of institutions and employed in the companies' decision-making process for the selection of land rights protection strategies. Findings altogether are empirical evidence of how the quality of institutions influences the strategic choice of land rights protection in the forest plantation sector in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural policies are widening the scope to contribute to environmental objectives, such as the Green Deal, Paris Climate Agreement and sustainable development goals. This leads to new monitoring and data needs. To fulfil these data needs, it is crucial to explore the opportunities and limitations of new technologies. This paper analyses the information flows within the agricultural sector and its potential to contribute to future information needs. Farmers act within a network of commercial and governmental organisations. The information exchange with these organisations could increasingly occur through digital means, but in reality, there is still a lot of data transfer on paper or in PDF format. This implies information loss. Digital information flows provide a wealth of information for policy evaluation and monitoring and have the potential to reduce transaction costs. Combining data from different sources (open data like earth observation data, data from on-farm sensor networks, accountancy data like invoices and data from food chain platforms) concerning a single farm is an even bigger challenge than the transfer from paper to digital. Based on these observations a list of requirements for a future solution for information transfer is defined. Based on these requirements, this paper presents the design of a System for Information Transfer to Reduce Administrative burdens (SITRA) to combine data from different sources and give farmers control who can access these data. SITRA will address farmers' needs to reduce the growing administrative burden placed on them by governments and the food chain sustainability and food safety schemes, especially if data would be stored in a digital farm locker and a farmer could voluntary give his consent through an authorisation mechanism to share specific data with his business partners, paying agency, statistical organisation and Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN, an EU monitoring system for the Common Agricultural Policy). A platform that provides such data lockers could also provide benchmark facilities and a tool for common (open source) maintenance of coding systems. The paper proposes some follow-up activities to test this design. As a pilot, organic farmers that participate in the Dutch Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) will be recruited to co-develop and test the design principles of the system. Given trust issues around data management, the design of the governance and business model of the system are key issues in the follow-up. This group is chosen as organic certification and FADN are the most dataintensive monitoring and evaluation tools in the CAP. The Farm to Fork communication proposes to enlarge the organic sector to 25% of the agricultural area. A new organic control regulation, based on a risk assessment approach is about to be implemented. The Farm to Fork communication also proposes to link the FADN much more with the Farm Advisory System and to extend it to a Farm Sustainability Data Network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the sustainability of the retail supply chain. The paper shows the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Mind Genomics to understand how ordinary people think about food sustainability. The combination reveals how people think about the topic, from the point of view of what information regarding sustainability in retail is attractive to the ordinary person, what information is believable, and finally, the nature of different ways of thinking about sustainabili ty in retail, namely mindsets. The paper closes with the PVI (personal viewpoint identifier) evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project HELIX 2016-2020 was developed and implemented in Wales, to improve technical and safety/science knowledge; and sustainable innovation in food manufacturing small to medium enterprises (SMEs). The paper aims to place Project HELIX within the wider context of regional and food sector development and then examine the project's rationale and delivery methods relative to this. It reflects on the effectiveness of the project (or otherwise) in constructing regional advantage from knowledge transfer and knowledge spillovers. Finally, the paper identifies areas of further research both in terms of the firm level and in relation to other food sector initiatives more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Erasmus+ FIELDS project aims to contribute to skill enhancement of workers in the agriculture, food industry and forestry sectors, to be able to make full use of the opportunities and comply with requirements of the "Twin" Green and Digital transition. The FIELDS project focuses on the domains Digitalization, Sustainability, Bio-Economy and Management & Entrepreneurship. Skills include "hard"/measurable and technology-based skills as well as "soft" / transversal skills. This paper reports on key challenges and prerequisites for the development of a European Agri-Food and Forestry Skills Strategy. Starting with the results of a European agri-food-forestry trend analysis and focus groups discussion on skill and training needs in 10 European countries, this paper presents the results of a follow-up survey among key stakeholders of the European skills ecosystem, including the following topics: prerequisites for the development of training programs, harmonization challenges in the European agri-food and forestry skills ecosystem, and monitoring and key performance indicators the European agri-food and forestry skills ecosystem. The paper develops directions for a EU strategy on agri-food and forestry skills, including:. - In the development of training programs in Europe special attention should be paid to management/entrepreneurship and soft skills, the position of training in practice, possibilities for online training, and attention to underprivileged groups. - For the harmonization of the agri-food and forestry European skills ecosystem a common European catalogue and repository of training programs, linked to national systems, together with a system of micro credentials, is needed. This should be aligned with a harmonized certification system for VET courses/programs and VET providers. Agreement between public and private parties on the catalogue and certification system is essential. - A supra-national institute should be responsible for design and maintenance of a monitoring infrastructure for skills. The system to be designed should be smart, user friendly, upgradeable and interoperable. The newly established Agri-food Pact for Skills can play a central role in the establishment and governance of an "Agri-food Skills Observatory". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a new model of short-term price levelling behaviour is introduced, for the case of variability arising from demand-side factors rather than supply-side factors. The key components are the direction of the information flow in the market, and the ability of value chain participants to adjust their demand for and supply of market services. The model is illustrated using data from the Papua New Guinea coffee industry. Almost all PNG coffee is exported to a wide range of countries. The industry has a competitive marketing structure with many active producers and buyers of various sizes. There is keen competition for the limited supply of coffee, but inefficiency in the pricing mechanism has long been a concern to many producers in the industry, in particular the smallholder coffee producers. They argue that increases in world coffee prices have not been fully passed on to growers, with exporters and processors able to hold their buying prices stable in the face of rising world market prices. In this study marketing margin analysis is used to investigate and test hypotheses related to price levelling, and in addition, the influence of marketing costs and throughput, on the aggregate industry margin, and the exporting margin and processing margin components. Average monthly price data over the period January 1999 to December 2010 are used. Using simple regression models, at the whole chain level short -run price levelling is confirmed and both aggregate costs and total volume of exports are significant determinants of the size of the margin. Short-run price levelling is also confirmed at both the exporting and processing stages, but in the preferred models, while throughput is an important determinant of exporter and processing margins, costs have a significant but negative effect on margins. Partial adjustment processes are important in determining margins at all stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically explores, analyses, reports on and synthesises research on the topic of sectoral innovation systems related to agriculture and agri-food in OECD countries. It is based on systematic mapping of the literature (academic papers published in scientific journals) in the period 1997-2017. The aim is to show the state of current knowledge on sectoral innovation systems in agri-food, in order to identify knowledge gaps and future areas for research and provide methodological and theoretical perspectives. Abstracts for a total of 320 papers were analysed, using a qualitative approach. Key elements of agricultural innovation systems identified were organised into 8 main themes/topics: agents, basic technologies, knowledge and learning processes, mechanisms of interaction, institutions, end-users, system transition and contextual variables. Areas identified as requiring research included making the sector more consumer- and market-oriented, increasing interactions outside conventional system boundaries, including the consumer perspective and societal changes, and determining the role of gender in innovation in agri-food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the trends of Sustainable Food System in Ethiopia, and how the various indicators evolved over time in the four food system dimensions: environmental, economic, social, and food and nutrition security. We employed quartile analysis to evaluate the relative performance of Ethiopia vis-à-vis the rest of the world by grouping the latter into lower quartile, median, and upper quartile based on their performance. The result revealed that while some positive strides have been achieved in reducing poverty headcount ratio over the past two decades, a high proportion of stunting and undernourishment, high variability of food supply, the slow-onset of adult obesity, and poor access to basic facilities for food utilization, especially when compared to the countries in the lower, median and upper quartiles, remain to be formidable challenges calling for the attention of policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess farmers' challenges in enhancing biodiversity. The so -called "trilemma" (WBGU 2021) of land use stems from the multiple demands made on land for the benefit of mitigating climate change, securing food, and maintaining biodiversity. Agriculture is accused of maladministration, causing soil contamination, animal cruelty, bee mortality, and climate change. However, farmers play a key role in overcoming upcoming sustainability challenges. While their supportive role is urgently needed, farmers find themselves caught between a "rock" and a "hard place". Consumers call for sustainable productio n and affordable food products without pesticide residues, demanding enough for all. Farmers are restricted by the wants and needs of consumers who are influenced by interest groups and exposed to interdependent direct and indirect influencing factors. They need to balance the scrutiny of the critical public as well as the regulatory control. In this paper, we collected and surveyed the data of farmers within or close to the 21 selected nature protected areas of the DINA (Diversity of Insects in Nature prot ected Areas) Project, using a mixed methods approach with a semi-structured questionnaire considering issues' interdependencies and the complexity of today's problems. The conflicts and obstacles faced by farmers were assessed. The results reflect the farmers' willingness and the importance of receiving appreciation for implementing biodiversity measures. These results, complemented by a following quantitative study, are the basis for recommendations for policymakers and farmers in all German nature protect ed areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeking to establish how supermarket chains have dealt with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, this paper analyzed the discourses of two cooking magazines promoted by the two major Portuguese supermarket brands: Continente Magazine, owned by the Continente chain, and Sabe Bem, supported by the Pingo Doce supermarkets. As they represent supermarket brands and the Portuguese food culture, analyzing these publications' discourses, we could identify their relationship with the sustainable principles advocated by the 2030 Agenda through its addressers' verbal and image choices. We concluded that among the several fragilities implicit in this relationship, several principles of the Agenda are kept at the edges of the magazines' discourses, including the second Sustainable Development Goal, which deals specifically with food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public food procurement (PFP) is a policy instrument that has been used to "link" differen t objectives at once. We undertake a first systematic review of the scientific literature that deals with PFP in order to 1.) assess the progress of the scientific literature concerning PFP in different areas of the world, 2.) look for d ifferences among them and try to identify the topics on which these studies focuses the most . Accordingly, our research questions deal with the definition of the main conceptual dimensions developed by the academic literature on PFP as well as with the geographical and temporal differences among the dimensions identified. The first evidence is the increase in the number of papers per year during the last decade. Furthermore, the literature on PFP is centred on the concepts of localisation and structured demand and its impacts on food chain actors, on citizen-consumers and on sustainability at large. As a main research result, we provide a conceptual framework of the PFP literature largely based on the concept of linkage that has been first proposed in law and regulation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic, global trends, and technological advancements lead to the perception that digitalization is about the most sustainable means of growing Africa's agribusiness and food supply chains. Many global agribusinesses have successfully integrated digital technologies to enhance operational efficiencies and business relations with their upstream and downstream actors. However, evidence is scant on the uptake of digital technologies among small and medium agribusiness firms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Against this backdrop, this review paper identifies research gaps regarding the adoption and implication of digitalization in building sustainable food systems for African economies. Our preliminary finds show some sustainable practices in the SSA food supply chains by adopting specific technologies related to production, grain storage, food waste management, and warehouse management but very low adoption of food processing technologies and digital marketing platforms. Most importantly, the application of the Internet of Things, Big data, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and/or Business Analytics is very rare. Most of the digitalization process tends to be mobile-based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has two purposes: (1) to study the relationships between subject ive and objective (cost-based) measures of customer profitability, and (2) to study managers' collective cognitions of their customers' profitability. Empirical data have been collected from four Norwegian fish exporters: (1) managers' a priori subjective judgments of the profitability of customers, and (2) customer profitability accounts (not available earlier). This industry has a very high level of directly traceable costs (98.5 per cent) implying very low uncertainties in the measures of customer profitability. Associations between subjective and objective measures of customer profitability measures are weak both regarding absolute and relative customer results. Managers have common perceptions with respect to customer profitability, however, not in accordance with the customer profitability accounts (CPA). Neither education nor experience can compensate for insufficient or missing customer accounts that provide reliable profitability figures. Intuition may function best when "cornerstones" based on rational working methods are available for the decision makers. Thus, CPA provide managers with new decision support. The paper emphasizes practical implications regarding customer profitability accounting and management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines US government involvement in nutrition and agriculture. Specifically, it attempts to explain the existence of conflicting information presented by scientific versus government sources in the food pyramid. We start by examining the theory of the politicization of science and regulatory capture. We then examine federal nutrition advice through this theoretical framework. The paper concludes that the negative consequences of federal intervention for everyday Americans call for an alternative approach of decentralization, with an emphasis on private regulators, with government sticking to its core functions, rather than engaging in politicized favoritism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this term paper is to investigate the extent to which Covid-19 has influenced the gastronomy and food sector regarding fresh food counters and the to-go assortment in terms of vegetarian and vegan offerings. An extensive literature and internet research was conducted for this thesis. In addition, this included a study of vegan- and vegetarian-friendly food offerings in ten different randomly selected restaurants in the city of Trier, Germany. The results show that on average a good selection of vegetarian dishes (33.6%) and a small selection of vegan dishes (11.8%) can be found in the individual restaurants. The trend towards a plant-based diet has been evident for years but accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as society began to doubt the safety precautions of the meat industry and awareness of animal, environmental and health issues increased. This has led to many restaurants and food retailers expanding their range of vegetarian and vegan options to meet this demand. More and more vegan products can also be found in food retail, and the range of vegan alternative products in the to-go area or at fresh food counters for actual meat, sausage, cheese and fish products is expanding, as can be seen at pioneer REWE Group, for example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Republic of Kazakhstan aims at improving food security by increasing self sufficiency in food. However, present developments in population growths, climate change and related issues pose a challenge the country has to deal with. This requires new and different initiatives for improving agricultural production and the competitiveness of its enterprises which would facilitate investments and attract external investment interests. The paper outlines the challenges and provides suggestions on how policy could contribute to arriving at self sufficiency in food, assuring long-term food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper develops a framework for modeling and explaining the decisions of farmers for realizing investments aimed at improving the operation of their holdings. The empirical analysis is conducted in Greece on 777 farmers of arable and orchard crops. The results prioritize the significance of farmers' research engagement and information collection and show that there is a systematic difference between the realized investments between arable crops and orchard farmers, as the latter seem to invest more in their holdings. Finally, the paper ends up with a clustering exercise, in order to distinguish three groups of farmers which could be used as a means for shaping more tailored policy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with European Union quality schemes of Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed labels. This paper aims to analyse the share of PDO, PGI and TSG labels in EU countries, selected product categories and their structure, and explains the relationships between country of product origin and number of registered product names. Secondary data from the Database of Origin and Registration are used. As the results show, the highest number of product names is registered under the PDO label, followed closely by the PGI label. The dominant country is Italy followed by other Mediterranean co untries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper inquires on the impact of cognitive styles over the decision-making process producers perform while making input and capital equipment purchases. We will question if Argentine farmers with diverse cognitive styles have different purchasing behaviors when buying the inputs they use in their farming operations. Cognitive styles express differences in the way decision-makers process information and organize knowledge. Results show that different segments of producers have distinctive purchasing behaviors. Specifically, analyticoriented producers tend to focus more on product performance and less on the relationship with suppliers when buying their inputs. They also tend to be loyal to input brands, they rely less on dealers/retailers and salespeople, and they are willing to change suppliers more often than other producers. Intuitive-oriented producers value more the relationship with the supplier and are interested in contacting the salesperson if they need a product. While balanced-oriented producers declare to be less loyal to brands but are more stable in terms of not changing input suppliers frequently. This characterization of producers has important business implications, since identifying and segmenting the different types of producers with different cognitive styles and distinctive buying profiles is a key aspect of the strategic marketing plan of any company in the input markets. To our knowledge, this is the first paper on the topic of cognitive styles of Argentine producers and their impact on their purchasing behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on a review of literature and EU policies for rural development, innovation, entrepreneurship and the bio-based economy. It provides a basis for conceptualizing modern rural economies dealing with food, bio - based value chains, and valorization of ecosystem services regarding future conditions for rural entrepreneurship (including agriculture), remote areas (including those in coastal areas), and urban-rural integration. It will outline emerging opportunities to promote diversification, shared values, innovation, and resource conservation, and to reach a common understanding of the solutions to set up a “Modern Rural Economy” in different conditions. In general, there are many opportunities for rural development, many of them linked to emerging technologies which reduce the relevance of distance in marketing, sales and many other activity domains and to business opportunities evolving within the bio-economy and ecosystem services. However, it becomes obvious that the realization of opportunities needs to build on the simultaneous engagement of various stakeholders in business development, research, and public administration. Successful developments require an integrated development approach which combines opportunities into a comprehensive development program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contract-based nature protection schemes are a voluntary mechanism, with a limited contract duration, that aim to raise the acceptance of biodiversity conservation practices in agriculture among farmers and other land users. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the institutional settings of contract-based nature protection based on the-- "Institutions of Sustainability" (IoS) framework in the German Rhine-Sieg district, and to outline the way in which policy measures should be designed to encourage farmers to participate in contract-based nature protection programmes. This was achieved by answering research questions to identify the challenges, potentials and obstacles of a contract-based nature protection scheme in different "sub-arenas" as defined in the IoS framework. Qualitative research methods were used as the methodology. The analysis shows that main constraints for sufficient implementation of contract-based nature protection schemes are the limited consideration of the impact of climate change during the contract period, the limited consideration of regional conditions as regards the measures taken on the ground and an inflexible contract duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm animal husbandry is increasingly criticized by consumers across Europe. This paper provides insights into consumer attitudes and perceptions regarding animal welfare poultry meat in the study countries Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Animal welfare is stated to be an important product characteristic, although it obtains less importance than other product attributes such as quality and price. However, many participants indicated to be willing to pay a higher price for poultry meat produced under improved husbandry conditions. The main motivating factors for buying improved animal welfare poultry meat are the perception of better quality and ethical concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global agrifood trade is highly reliant on developing countries, which affects value chain transformation and which often results in an imbalance of governance and value addition. In order to address this imbalance and increase the overall value creation, this paper develops and empirically test s a framework for agrifood value chain transformation in developing countries. The research employs a qualitative methodology to explore the proposed framework, which is based on a value chain maturity assessment of current practice and identification of a transformation route. Three primary value chain maturity levels in developing countries are established: traditional, managed, and best practice. Each level is determined using key indicators relating to governance (verticalhorizontal coordination, and information flow) and value addition (value orientation, safety, and quality). The application of this framework to Indonesia's cashew nuts value chain reveals a mix of traditional and managed practices. The short-medium term transformation focuses on enabling farmers, as the decoupled actors, to advance from a traditional to a more managed chain. Further, the major wholesaler and exporter are identified as highly influential in driving the transformation process. The long-term transformation focuses on developing best practices regarding branded value addition and collaborative governance. This framework offers a novel value chain transformation approach based on a maturity assessment technique leading to the identification of transformation routes. This method takes a holistic transformation approach via the evaluation all the value chain actors' governance and value-addition capabilities. Follow-up research is required to identify the enablers and barriers of globalised value chain transformation, especially with respect to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth in dairy consumption and food scandals in India in the 2000s increased awareness of food safety issues among consumers and policymakers. This led to the introduction of new standards. However, there is li ttle information about how they affected farm-level activities and whether value chains played any role. Our paper addresses these questions using a two-round panel survey of dairy farms in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. We find significant improvements in adoption of farm-level hygienic practices, especially in Punjab. Value chain innovations do not play a significant role in stimulating safety and quality improvements among dairy smallholders in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) type certification schemes in countries outside Europe is a recent phenomenon as the philosophy of origin based foods obtains global traction. It is therefore interesting to understand whether consumers in these countries have a similar appreciation for these certification schemes and whether they are willing to pay a premium if the origin of the product is guaranteed. The Karoo Lamb case in South Africa provides an ideal opportunity to explore this question. At the same time the paper illustrates that the results and interpretation of consumer studies are sensitive to the methodology applied. We illustrate this argument by benefitting from a range of consumer studies that was undertaken over a period of five years in order to understand the South African consumers' perceptions about the Karoo region and their preferences and willingness to pay for the meat product from the Karoo. The studies which we compare and synthesise in this paper used different techniques such as perception analysis; stated preference methods (through a conjoint analysis); and a range of revealed preference methods including, an experimental auction and a retail store experiment. In essence the paper synthesises and compares the results from the different studies and illustrates how different techniques bring different results and conclusions. We then try to establish whether there is consistency in the results across methods to help us getting to a conclusive position on the consumer value of this product. From these results we are able - in a more comprehensive way - to tell whether PDO-type products are likely to be of value to South African consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses consumer trust in organic food in order to find out which aspects increase and decrease trust and which trust expectations consumers have. The aim is to strengthen consumer trust on the basis of the findings and to develop trust-building measures. To this end, ten focus groups with German consumers were conducted online in February 2021 and evaluated using content analysis. The results show that there is a predominant lack of trust in organic food. This is based in particular on the fact that organic production is often doubted and there are from the consumer's point of view too many organic labels. This can be attributed not only to a lack of knowledge on the part of consumers, but also to a lac k of transparency within the organic sector and in relation to organic food. Results from the consumer's point of view show that the possibility of control, information and transparency are relevant for trust in organic food and the development of knowledge about organic food can positively influence this trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an integrated framework of success and failure factors of agricultural cooperatives and its applicability based on a review of recent literature and an illustrative case study. We identify six categories of success and failure factors: the societal environment, quality of management, strategy, member base, commitment, and product aspects. Contrary to expectations that failure factors mirror success factors, the framework shows that the two represent distinctive features in at least some of the distinguished categories. The analysis of an agricultural cooperative in Peru, selected and presented as an illustrative case study, shows the applicability of the framework for the analysis of success and failure factors of cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to develop a better understanding on the potential to recognise a fourth principle encompassed by the slow food movement - agri-food philosophy - supported in three factors: spirituality, socialization, and knowledge. Employing a Delphi method to forecast if this new principle might constitute a future trend in agri-food systems, in a ten years timeframe, twenty-four national experts from business, administration and academic backgrounds have contributed their thoughts over three rounds. The results allowed to predict several trends associated with each of the three factors. Firstly, regarding the Socialization factor, findings revealed the growing importance given to three trends: the value of food, the "training of taste" and the "wise gourmand" of food traditions and artisans. This scenario can occur in 89.4%. Secondly, and concerning the Spirituality factor, the panel of experts validated that food associated with physical exercise and meditation will be the most important axes for achieving harmony of being. This trend observes can occur 82.8%. Finally, and in relation to the Knowledge factor, it was concluded that a standard of conduct assumed by all stakeholders will be possible based on full transparency (from raw materials to consumption) and access to true information. This trend can occur in 88.9%. This research allowed to conclude that there is space to reflect on the importance of philosophical standpoints to forecast trends in future agri-food systems. More importantly, it can stimulate serious and deeply critical thinking about the current state of agri-food systems and contribute to help and develop new research approaches, on the need to promote changes, not only in lifestyles and food consumption, but mainly in establishing and improving more transparency in all types of agri-food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is twofold. First, it introduces a new index (called Consy) for measuring the sophistication of traded goods looking at the importers' side. The index is defined and then its sophistication content is assessed based on a simple regression model. Second, an empirical exercise is carried out focused on agri-food imports for a set of 46 selected items. This empirical analysis brings evidences on the kind of outcome provided by the index, but it also sheds light on recent trends in agri-food trade where demand of food imports in emerging countries is enlarging and it is more quality-oriented. Results can help stakeholders in better defining and implementing their exporting strategies, especially orienting business towards promising markets and enhanc ing the quality features for their exports to be delivered to more demanding consumers. Policymakers and sector analysts may also be interested in acknowledging how agri-food international trade is re-shaping in recent years in order to be able to govern the related processes. The Consy values of agrifood products indicate that rich countries are major world importers. Furthermore, the Consy ranking shows that higher value-added and more complex items are imported mainly by richer countries. The time trend of the Consy index is also studied and results show that, in the studied period, the was an increase of import shares of food items for final consumption of higher quality from poorer countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of profound structural changes of the agricultural sector during the last decades, the current paper examines an often neglected area in agricultural economics, namely the local farm supply and grain elevator (FSG) business. By using a discrete choice experiment, we examine strategic preferences of agricultural traders in Germany. For this purpose, we employ a Hierarchical Bayes Model and simulate shares of preferences for different strategic options. Since our study also reveals strategic subgroups, the paper at hand helps on the one hand to better understand the ongoing structural changes within this industry and on the other hand to forecast the manner of competition between the farmers' market intermediaries in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast majority of traded products in Indonesia must be halal certified. This means that Indonesian consumers rely heavily on certificates issued by the Indonesian halal authority. Halal certification validates individual products and after four years, a certificate expires and must be renewed. One of the requirements in the certification process is that all the ingredients of the product must be halal. For this reason, we attempted to enhance the information on halal products, production, processes and delivery processes, using blockchain to address the validity issue. This paper proposes a blockchain-based system to support traceability in the chicken slaughterhouse industry. The design was tested using a black-box approach with 46 test cases that were based on a general scenario in a chicken slaughterhouse factory. The test result showed that all test cases produced the desired output. Hence, the proposed system fulfills the goal of enhancing the traceability of halal products. Ultimately, the buyers of halal chicken products will be assured that the chicken slaughterhouse followed the halal assurance system in its halal-critical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -Web-based CSR disclosure provides a variety of advantages for firms. Determining factors for web-based CSR disclosure have been analyzed in several papers. However, only limited research has been conducted on both, the food industry and small and midsized enterprises. This paper is one contribution to fill this gap as we investigate web-based CSR communication of food processors including SME. Design/methodology/approach - We analyzed corporate communication on the websites of 71 food producers from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany using dictionary-based content analysis. Based on an ordered logit model the relationship between CSR communication and size, profitability, indebtedness and closeness to market was estimated. Economic data were obtained from the commercial database DAFNE. Findings - Our results reveal that larger firms provide relatively more CSR information than smaller firms. There was no significant relationship between CSR disclosure and profitability or indebtedness of a company and an ambiguous relationship with regard to the determinant 'closeness to market'. Regarding the different areas of communication we found that social compared to environmental aspects were underrepresented. Practical implications - Social aspects of CSR could be used for differentiation in the market. Furthermore, as smaller firms provide relatively less information on CSR it might be worthwhile to analyze the central impediments for CSR communication for those companies. Originality/Value - This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about firms' CSR communication. From a convenience sample of 71 food processing firms, including SME, it provides insight regarding the determinants for CSR disclosure on firms' websites. With the focus on the food industry and the inclusion of SME we contribute with our study to two under-researched areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifts in global agriculture have led more women into formal roles in the coffee industry as small-holder producers and cooperative members. Inclusion of women in these institutions, however, does not guarantee a change in historical power relations, or the benefits that might flow from this. A transformative change in gender relations not only requires changes in women's attitudes and capacities and in the relationships between men and women, but also progress at the institutional and structural levels, a topic which has been infrequently studied. To address this gap, this paper explores institutional perspectives of stakeholders in the supply chain of a fair-trade organic coffee federation located in the western highlands of Guatemala. Major themes emerged from the interviews regarding women's inclusion in the industry, gender sensitization, women's empowerment, and supply chain support. The study finds that empowering women as productive cooperative members requires not only technical assistance and support, but also creation of an inclusive social and political environment that supports expanded choices for women and men. The paper expands our understanding of the historical context and current institutional dynamics that are fueling gender transformative change in the coffee industry. The conclusions find that this type of approach may lead to more than just superficial gender integration, and has the potential to result in the genuine integration of women into previously male-dominated organizations and the eventual percolation of society-wide shifts in gender norms, moving towards a more equitable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the actual perception of German citizens regarding the importance of different husbandry aspects. In 2017, an online survey with 2.400 respondents, based on a qualitative pilot study with focus groups, was conducted. Participants discussed about their perception of actual animal husbandry with respect to the design of stables and animal-related aspects. Using two different ranking procedures, main points of criticism as well as sideshows could be identified for fattening pigs, dairy cattle production and laying hens . The results will contribute to establishing livestock production systems in consensus with citizens’ preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainties arising from market fluctuations limit choices of banana famers under contracts. However, they can opt not to renew their contracts with multi-national firms to sell to spot market or diversify. This paper examines optimal portfolio of Cavendish banana products of contract and non-contract farmers under uncertainty. We explore the effect of diversification by including banana flour from rejects aside from fresh banana. Constrained M-estimation of parameters and robust portfolio optimization results show that (1) noncontract farms benefit more from diversifying compared to contract farms; and (2) prices are higher for noncontract farms but profits are lower compared to contract farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies are becoming intensively interrelated while increasing numbers of societal groups and stakeholders are affected. At the same time, current and future challenges require improved capacity in terms of models, their linkages or redesigns to deliver forward-looking insights on policies. Different stakeholder workshops have recently been carried out in the context of two scenario studies to support these activities, including stocktaking, inputs for narratives, validation of the outcomes, acceptance of analysis and drafting future research agendas. This paper describes the approaches applied in both projects, shortly presents their results and findings to finally draw some general conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates mindsets in the context of family farm succession. Using a grounded theory approach, interviews and group discussions were analyzed. Results based on both data sets present prototypical mindsets of successful predecessors and successors. The mindset construct, which has been developed for this study, was expanded with stakeholders, information flows, and time, according to the results of this study. The findings provide insights into information processing in intra-familial farm succession and the mindsets of successful predecessors and successors. The mindset approach offers a supplementary and valuable perspective on the succession process. It can contribute to early action taking of farming families or consultants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how cooperatives' changing organizational structures can be explained by the Theory of Institutional Change. When a cooperative's decision makers receive exogenous signals, endogenous processes concerning organizational adaptations start. Radical changes are met with resistance, such as the conver sion of a traditional cooperative into an entrepreneurial cooperative (where members have individual ownership) or a farmer-controlled business (external investors participate in ownership and governance). Cooperative memberships and leaderships may have change agents who advocate for new institutions while gatekeepers try to resist them. The development of Swedish agricultural cooperatives from 1990 until 2020 illustrates this theoretical reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the nature of the food supply chain, an increase of the integration's degree in the chain may be an important aspect in the context of increasing the efficiency of agri-food companies. Therefore, exploring the relationships among these variables was found as an important research area and adopted as the goal of the paper. The paper is focused mainly on the theoretical background showing the relationship between integration and performance. A description of the theoretical and methodological aspects of performance measurement and its extension (including the integration aspect) was also made within the framework of the paper. For an empirical illustration of the analyzed relationships two steps were made. Firstly, the integration's degree in the food chain was measured. Secondly, the efficiency of the companies from the cereals processing industry in Europe was assessed. The SFA models (e.g. Translog and Cobb-Douglas functional form) were used for assessment of efficiency. By using stochastic method (e.g. the SFA, Stochastic Frontier Analysis), one may show the influence of external variable (the integration in the supply chain) on the efficiency performance of enterprises. Efficiency of economic entities is not an unambiguous term. There are several different concepts of efficiency, its measurement and expressions. Within the framework of efficiency, many terms of similar meaning may be applied. However, these concepts are not identical. The actual concept of efficiency is derived from the structure of the production function, therefore it is conditioned by changes in the productivity of production factors and their remuneration and refers to the allocation of production factors in the most technically efficient way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting healthier diets is strategic to solve the global societal challenge of excessive and unhealthy calorie intake that causes obesity and overweight and is responsible for chronic diseases that burden healthcare systems. The relationship between food and personal health is well established and in recent years it has originated a number of dietary recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) focused on encouraging healthier diets. The environmental impact of food intake and of particular diets is a growing research area. However, neither research nor public policies, in particular, have been able so far to establish a link between promoting healthier diets and their impact on enhancing environmentally healthier farming systems and the sustainability of rural landscapes. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a multidisciplinary literature review which combines evidence from nutrition and health sciences with that from environmental, agrarian and sustainability studies on the impacts of foods and dietary patterns on the environment, ecosystems and rural landscape. This integrate d review, complemented with data analysis, highlights the Mediterranean diet as a healthier dietary pattern whose promotion could be beneficial to recover or maintain the sustainability of Mediterranean rural landscape. Hence, the second part of the paper focus on discussing the role of public policies in enabling the link between enhancing healthier diets and healthier farming systems in order to sustain rural landscapes since these play a key role in the sustainability of Mediterranean rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 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 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of agri-food, impact assessments to support policy decision-making are often based on simulations delivered by models. The increasing complexity of policies affecting the agri-food sector requires improving the capacities of current models, connect ing or redesigning them to deliver forward-looking insights on policy objectives. The EU-Project 'Support for Policy Relevant Modelling of Agriculture' (SUPREMA) has identified upcoming needs in the research and policy agenda, while exploring the feasibility of those potential modelling exercises by testing the existing tools. The assessment has pointed out necessities for model extens ions and development of new tools. Besides, it has revealed the potential of model integration and collaboration to supplement the outcomes of individual models. This is supported in view of the food system approach that is becoming the fundamental framework for analysing the dynamics of the agri-food sector when considering it from a broad perspective. This paper describes shortly how the assessment was conducted and presents the outcomes and lessons learnt from the project. It pays special attention to the challenges and the policy priorities that are expected to become important issues in the policy agenda in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food value chain businesses form alliances with horizontal and/or vertical partners to take collective action to either overcome or ameliorate chain failure, or to take advantage of new opportunities available due to innovations in products or processes. The desired outcomes from the collective action would no t be possible to achieve if these businesses acted independently. While such alliances and collaborations may take many forms, depending on the degree of commitment, the kind of governance and infrastructure linkages, they can often be thought of as "clubs" for the purpose of economic analysis. Several different types of clubs can be identified, thus the path to collective action chosen by clubs may vary according to existing capabilities and the scope for collaboration, particularly in relation to the potential for value-creating innovation. The result of the collective action is the provision of a chain good or service, which usually leads to greater and more valuable chain coordination. By collectively identifying, funding and acting to capture positive externalities associated with innovation, businesses in many parts of a food value chain can widen opportunities to increase whole-of-chain surplus as well as private profits. In this paper five mini-case studies are presented to demonstrate the breadth of past collective actions undertaken by businesses in food value chains, two in Europe and three in Australia. These are the Euro Pool System, and Global Standards certification in Europe and globally, as well as Meat Standards Australia, an Australian beef organic producer alliance (OBE Organic®), and the supply of food to households during Covid-19 lockdown in Australia. Each case study yields insights into the rationale of how businesses in different food value chains in different countries have acted as a club to use their joint resources to internalise positive innovation and coordination externalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of interdisciplinary research literature on the complexity of sustainable food consumption and offers an empirical analysis of selected countries worldwide. It seems that the consumer behaviour is the most unstable and unpredictable part of the entire supply chain and requires special attenti on. Concrete measures to influence consumer behaviour towards sustainable consumption are highly complex. The Danish example, explored in this paper, with its well-functioning organic market demonstrates that sustainable food consumption is realistic. Successful development of organic food and farming in Denmark is the result of pioneers as well as shared responsibility of a consumer, state, and business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to advance the knowledge on side-selling. The case study of the paprika supply chain in Central Malawi showed that 36.9% of small-scale farmers engaged in side-selling. It was projected that the focal company lost between 19.9% to 44.6% of paprika due to side-selling. The main reason for side-selling was the higher price offered by local vendors. Binary logit regression indicated that the geographical location, education and income levels, distance to the collection point, a negative impact of contracting on livelihoods, membership in farmers' association and assistance from the Government significantly influenced small-scale farmers' side-selling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how technical barriers to trade (TBT) affect Vietnam's tea expor ts to 55 importing countries from 2001 to 2019. We use the gravity model with different estimation methods: ordinary least square (OLS), fixed - effect (FE), and random effect (RE) to estimate the impact of TBT on Vietnam's tea exports. The results show that although GDP, population, distance, tariff, and participation in World Trade Organization (WTO) are crucial factors, the TBT measures imposed by these importing countries have significantly negative impacts on Vietnam's tea exports. Our findings reveal that while a 1% increase in the cumulative TBT measures imposed by developing countries decreases Vietnam's tea export by 0.341%, the figure for developed countries is 1.308%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify quality attributes in products from short agri-food chains, highlighting the perception of these attributes in three types of short chains (face-to-face, spatial proximity, and spatially extended). We conducted a survey with 904 consumers in six distribution channels. The results indicate that the perception of quality attributes for consumers in short agri-food chains is not homogeneous. The results also shed light on the mechanisms adopted for transmitting information from producer to consumer in spatially extended short chains, restricted to the use of seals or brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to organize and analyze studies on blockchain application in food supply chains and to discover emerging research themes and topics using cluster analysis to determine future research directions. Bibliometric analysis was used to organize and analyze the literature on blockchain application in food supply chains. The database consisted of 629 Scopus-indexed articles from 2016 to 2021. These were organized using bibliometric analysis (e.g., annual publication trends) and content analysis (e.g., research method applied). Themes and emerging research trends were then clustered based on keywords using the VOSviewer software. The analysis showed that manufacturing is the type of industry that most applies the blockchain. Trust is the most-cited benefit achieved by blockchain application, while traceability is the most-claimed function. Keyword classification resulted in seven main clusters (e.g., sustainability and transparency) and each cluster had emerging research trends (e.g., resilience toward sustainability and transparency). This research provides an overview of scientific development and emerging application trends related to blockchain application in food supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traceability systems have improved significantly in the last few years in relation to safeguarding food safety and quality. Although traceability is considered to be an effect ive tool in supporting quality control, the adoption of different traceability systems along the supply chain can bring the drawback of information asymmetry, which affects inventory management. This paper explores adoption alternatives that may facilitate the blend of traceability technologies in the food industry of developing countries. The analysis is based on a simulation model that represents the behaviour of inventory and food quality in the case of the mango supply chain in Colombia. The results show the asymmetries between traceability systems along the supply chain as well as their effects on inventory and food quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated great changes in society and business, particularly agribusiness. Consumers are more demanding, some countries have increased restrictive policies and retail has changed dramatically. The impact is everywhere. The purpose of this position paper is to summarize what we believe may happen in a short term period at the level of agribusiness. We will establish seven critical areas of change that may occur at this juncture considering both the Argentine and global situation. These areas are: a) the role of consumers, b) economy and business management, c) digitalization and connectivity, d) workforce changes, e) regenerative business models, f) behavior, g) protectionism and government intervention. Every topic is presented in a systemic view, taking into account the situation both in developed and underdeveloped countries. This approach implies the definition of a series of situations at a group and individual level that --sooner or later and at a greater or lesser level of occurrence-- will allow us to make better decisions at work, personally and as a society. Covid-19 took into consideration the processes associated with globalization and de-globalization. The irruption of a new information and knowledge society reveals demands for transformations and challenges for organizations with a special connotation on people and their interaction with society. In this context, organizations must respond with actions that allow them to be sustainable over time. Studying these changes enables the identification of possible institutional, organizational, and technological adaptations for agri-food companies, policymakers, NGO's managers, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]