Additional Value Research Articles

Assessing production, processing and utilization of sorghum in West Pokot County, Kenya

Sorghum is one of the most important and under-utilized cereal crops in the Arid and Semi-Arid land (ASAL) regions of Kenya. The crop is grown in drought-prone marginal agricultural areas of Western Central and Eastern and coastal regions of Kenya. The diverse biotic and abiotic constraints including climate changes reduce sorghum productivity. Sorghum technology generators continue promoting suitable management practices and innovations to cushion and improve the resilience of smallholder farmers against the adverse effects of climate change. These interventions contribute to the attainment of not only household and national food security but also enhance incomes. Despite the increasing sorghum production and utilization in West Pokot County, there is limited knowledge of the status of production, processing, and utilization technologies. The aim of this study was to assess the current sorghum production, processing, utilization technology, innovations, and management practices among smallholder farmers. A household survey was undertaken using a jointly developed structured questionnaire by a multi- and inter-disciplinary team of researchers. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 599 households were randomly selected and interviewed. Data collected were on household and farm characteristics including technologies. The study revealed that compared to maize and pasture, land allocated to sorghum enterprise was relatively low ranging from 0.32 acres to 0.80 acres with an average of 0.73 acres. The adoption of various sorghum technological components was also low. Adoption of improved sorghum varieties was less than 7% while fertilizer use was less than 20%. These contribute to low crop yields of about 140kg per acre. In addition, value addition was also low. Sorghum use was limited to ugali (56%) and porridge (39%) against the diverse value-added products including bread baking. and industrial processing of pure and blended products. More farmer and stakeholders training need to be done. In order to fully upgrade the sorghum value chain; there is the need to have targeted sorghum policies focusing on a range of activities along the value chain. These interventions could be integrated into the West Pokot County Integrated Development Plan. Key words: Sorghum, Production, Marketing, Utilization, Challenges, Opportunities, West Pokot

An update on phytoconstituents and pharmacological importance of Asparagus racemosus

Background: Asparagus racemosus (family: Liliaceae), is a well-researched traditional or ancient medicine in the Siddha, Ayurveda, and Unani systems. It is commonly known as Satawar, Satamuli, Satavari, and found at low altitudes throughout India. It contains bioactive metabolites such as fructo-oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, asparosides, shatavarins, sapogenins, racemosols, isoflavones, glycosides, mucilage, and fatty acids, while saponin is one of the main active constituents of asparagus. Objective: Across the globe, Asparagus racemosus gained importance for its ethano-pharmacological value in curing various ailments. This review will outline the medicinal properties, uses, and value addition of Asparagus racemosus. Methods: We have reviewed and retrieved the relevant information by probing the main keywords in online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science, etc.). Screening of relevant abstracts/ title and full papers were done to pick the suitable content based on the pharmacological profile of Asparagus racemosus. Conclusion: The whole plant possesses pleiotropic therapeutic activity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, nootropic, antidepressant, etc., without showing any remarkable side effects. It also treats stomach ulcers, diabetes, kidney disorders, and Alzheimer's disease, etc.

Small Pelagics in West Africa face the multiple challenges of food security, wealth creation and regional governance

The aim of this article is to present the multidimensional challenges associated with the exploitation of small pelagic fish in the West Africa region. The method involved collecting statistical data on the production and trade of these fish from research centres located in countries along the West African coastline. Field surveys were also conducted with experts and key stakeholders in fisheries to gather qualitative information on fisheries resource governance and working conditions within the value chain. These empirical data are enriched by a narrative review of scientific literature. Our results show an average annual production of small pelagic fish estimated at 1.3 million tonnes. Although this performance has improved over the past decade, primarily due to increased catches in Mauritania, it remains insufficient to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. Indeed, per capita consumption of small pelagic fish has decreased by two kilograms over the past decade, currently standing at five kilograms per individual per year. The trade deficit in pelagic fish is increasing. This situation is set to worsen in the coming years due to various factors such as the current state of overexploitation of pelagic stocks, degradation of marine ecosystems, and climate change. Additionally, the emergence of fishmeal and fish oil industries, as well as the lack of adequate port infrastructure, hampers the value addition of the small pelagic fish value chain for human consumption. On the governance front, several challenges remain. Current public policies are often directive and ineffective, particularly concerning artisanal fisheries. The management of migrant fishers also remains problematic, exacerbating the pressure on already vulnerable stocks. Despite the establishment of regional institutions, interviews with experts highlight a lack of integration and synergy in fisheries resource governance. In a context where issues of food security and climate change are becoming increasingly urgent, it is imperative to design and implement robust regional strategies to address these critical challenges.Haut du formulaire Bas du formulaire

Buckwheat: An Underutilized Himalayan Crop with Multifaceted Nutraceutical Benefits.

The human population is growing and alternate food options are needed to provide food and nutritional security to mankind. Reduced agricultural output as a result of climate change and increased demand for grains because of continuous population growth have created a gap between demand and supply of food. Buckwheat is a pseudocereal crop plant with high nutritional value that can be included as an alternate food in our diet. It is a traditional crop plant grown in the high mountains of the Himalayas for food as well as fodder. It completes its life cycle in 3-4 months, so is mostly grown as a second crop in between main crops like maize and barley. It also acts as a green manure by improving the phosphorus content of the soil. Buck-wheat has high nutritional value as it is rich in essential amino acids, vitamin B, trace elements, and other nutrients. The main bioactive compounds identified in buckwheat are rutin, quercetin, isoquercetin, d-chiroinositol, resveratol, and vitexin, which are responsible for its pharmacolog-ical properties. Research focused on value addition by exploring its nutritional, pharmaceutical, and other alternative uses of commercial importance, is needed for reviving buckwheat cultiva-tion practices and its conservation. Considering the multifarious applications of buckwheat, this review summarizes the currently available knowledge on the agronomic and nutraceutical sig-nificance of buckwheat to project its value as a future crop in the avenue of agriculture and functional food.

Value Addition and Consumer Preference on Social Media Marketing: A Case Study of the Kazhani Farmers Market

This study investigates the role of value addition in shaping consumer preferences through social media marketing, focusing on Kazhani Farmers' Market in Erode district, Tamil Nadu. Conducted in June 2024, the research explores how value-added features, such as improved health benefits, enhanced product quality, and innovative characteristics, influence consumer choices. Using open-ended questions, data were collected from market members on their preferences for value-added products and the reasons behind these preferences. Qualitative analysis performed with NVivo software, revealed that consumers are drawn to products that offer significant benefits, dietary value, and superior quality. The findings indicate that social media marketing strategies highlighting these value-added attributes can effectively engage consumers and drive purchasing decisions. This study provides insights for businesses aiming to optimize their social media presence and cater to health-conscious consumers by emphasizing the unique value of their products.

An analytical study on value chain finance to tomato and mango as a component of high value agriculture in the Eastern Uttar Pradesh of India

The study conducted an extensive field survey utilizing pre-tested interview schedules with tomato and mango growers and chain actors. A multi-stage purposive-cum-stratified random sampling method was employed to select sample units. The findings of this study highlight the cost orientation of tomato and mango production, indicating a greater need for consequential credit. The research revealed that growers of both commodities within fragmented value chains had a higher proportionate share in the value addition (price) than growers in integrated chains, primarily due to direct sales of produce to consumers. Additionally, downstream actors such as commission agents, wholesalers, and retailers received a comparatively higher proportionate share in the value additions (price) compared to upward actors, indicating that producers could not effectively compete with increased demand in the marketplace. Observations within the chain indicated that finance for tomato and mango production circulated through a product commitment relationship established between chain participants. Downstream actors provided financing to upstream actors from either their surplus funds or external finance received from financial institutions. The study suggests developing a producer-driven chain financing model as an alternative to the buyer-driven financing model for tomato and mango production. This could be achieved by promoting farmers' organizations as long-term financing strategies for financing institutions.

Financing a push and pull supply chain under revenue sharing: value addition and default risk transmission mechanism

Supply chain finance (SCF) releases participants' capital constraints and facilitates their operations. SCF and transactional contracts can have synchronised effects on participants' performance. This research analyses how credit financing and bank loans with revenue-sharing contracts can help capital-constrained suppliers and retailers improve their financial and risk management performance in the push and pull supply chains. Results suggest that SCF generates greater profits than capital-constrained supply chains without SCF and well-capitalised supply chains, demonstrating a leverage effect. In a push scenario, SCF enhances the wholesale price effect and risk-sharing effect of the revenue-sharing contract, resulting in increased order quantity and profits for participants, albeit with an amplified default risk transmission effect. Conversely, in a pull scenario, SCF boosts participant profitability by strengthening the order quantity effect of the wholesale price contract, although its risk-sharing effect is weakened by the revenue-sharing contract, thereby mitigating the default risk transmission effect. When the revenue-sharing rate is low, the push model performs better in terms of profit enhancement but exhibits higher default risk transmission levels compared to the pull model, and vice versa. The findings guide participants in leveraging SCF and revenue-sharing contracts to enhance their benefits and control the default risk transmission level.

From ESG to holistic value addition: Rethinking sustainable investment from the lens of stakeholder theory

Stakeholder theory calls for effective stakeholder management in the interest of sustainable businesses. Whilst there is a need to redefine ‘stakeholders’, investors (i.e. shareholders) can play an essential role in bringing a paradigm shift in shaping current business practices. In recent times, the ‘Environment, Society and Governance’ (ESG) approach has emerged as an alternative form of investment for key investors seeking change. However, certain deficiencies have been identified when it comes to ESG strategies, which have led to disagreements among sustainable investors. To plug this gap and overcome this challenge, we propose an alternative framework based on sustainable business practices that holistically adds value that is inclusive of all stakeholders. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with social entrepreneurs, academics, and experts from the financial services industry in an emerging country context, namely India. Based on our text analysis of interview data, we propose a ‘Holistic Value Addition’ (HVA) framework of sustainable investment that builds on value-addition by businesses towards its stakeholders. We envisage that adoption of this framework will help sustain the sustainable agenda.

Low-resource multi-granularity academic function recognition based on multiple prompt knowledge

PurposeFine-tuning pre-trained language models (PLMs), e.g. SciBERT, generally require large numbers of annotated data to achieve state-of-the-art performance on a range of NLP tasks in the scientific domain. However, obtaining fine-tuning data for scientific NLP tasks is still challenging and expensive. In this paper, the authors propose the mix prompt tuning (MPT), which is a semi-supervised method aiming to alleviate the dependence on annotated data and improve the performance of multi-granularity academic function recognition tasks.Design/methodology/approachSpecifically, the proposed method provides multi-perspective representations by combining manually designed prompt templates with automatically learned continuous prompt templates to help the given academic function recognition task take full advantage of knowledge in PLMs. Based on these prompt templates and the fine-tuned PLM, a large number of pseudo labels are assigned to the unlabelled examples. Finally, the authors further fine-tune the PLM using the pseudo training set. The authors evaluate the method on three academic function recognition tasks of different granularity including the citation function, the abstract sentence function and the keyword function, with data sets from the computer science domain and the biomedical domain.FindingsExtensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the method and statistically significant improvements against strong baselines. In particular, it achieves an average increase of 5% in Macro-F1 score compared with fine-tuning, and 6% in Macro-F1 score compared with other semi-supervised methods under low-resource settings.Originality/valueIn addition, MPT is a general method that can be easily applied to other low-resource scientific classification tasks.

Women’s Participation in Agro-biodiversity Management: A Case Study of Kaski District

The management of agro-biodiversity is integral to developing resilient and sustainable agricultural systems capable of addressing existing challenges. An investigation was carried out in Kaski district of Nepal during 2022 to explore the women’s participation in agro-biodiversity management. Pretested semi-structured questionnaire was employed to gather primary data from 100 farm households. Further, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII) was used to gather primary data. Mean, frequency and other measures were used to present the findings. Results revealed that women play major role in collection and preservation of Non-Timber Forest products (NTFPs) in comparison to men. Involvement of women in drying, storage, marketing and value addition was also high in comparison to men. Women farmers’ role in seed selection is predominant. Farmers are conserving traditional and exotic species of fodders, vegetables crops, and diversity on spices, cereals, oilseeds and legumes. From the above findings, it is suggested that the government and other development agencies should tailor policies and programs through the participation of women farmers for sustainability of conservation efforts. Moreover, involvement of stakeholders should be ensured in the implementation at the community level.

Factors Influencing the Choice of Value Addition Among Kiwi Growers in Ilam, Nepal

Value addition helps farmer to overcome financial difficulties during market crises. Production of value-added product is the best possible alternative to diversify income sources for farmers in developing countries like Nepal. However, the choice of value addition is low among kiwi growers in Nepal. An investigation was carried out to identify existing value-added products and factors influencing the choice of value addition among kiwi growers in Ilam district, Nepal. Primary data were gathered using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire with 39 randomly selected kiwi growers from the study area during 2023, followed by Focus Group Discussion and Key Informant Interview with selected individuals. Descriptive statistics and a logit model were used to analyze the findings of the study. The results revealed that juice was the commonly produced product. Farm size was statistically significant in production of value-added products. Thus, extension agencies of government and non-governmental organizations should primarily focus on large farms for better adoption of value addition. Similarly, provisions to increase farm sizes can be made by providing cost-effective lease in options or even subsidies to lease in land. Group based farming enterprises should be promoted to increase the adoption.

Value addition to dietetic frozen yoghurt through use of fruit peel solids

The study pertains to preparing value added frozen yoghurt through use of orange peel powder (OPP). The quality aspects of medium-fat (6.0% fat) frozen yoghurt prepared using OPP at three levels (1.5, 2.5, 3.5% as T1, T2 and T3 respectively) was studied. Frozen yoghurt was prepared by freezing blend of fermented yoghurt base with ice cream mix (25:75 w/w); other ingredients were sugar, stabilizer-emulsifier and orange crush. Inclusion of OPP in frozen yoghurt impacted the orange flavour favorably and enriched product with β-carotene and dietary fiber. The control product (TC) was prepared in similar manner, avoiding OPP. As the level of OPP was raised in formulation, there was a marked increase in the protein, carbohydrate, ash and total solids when compared with TC. Presence of OPP markedly affected the acidity, viscosity, overrun and melting resistance of the product; maximum overrun was associated with TC. Product T3 had the maximum acidity and viscosity; T2 had maximum total sensory score. It is recommended to prepare medium-fat frozen yoghurt utilizing 2.5% OPP along with orange crush as flavouring. Such inclusion of peel solids enriched the product with β-carotene and dietary fiber, contributed to stabilization of product and enhanced the products sensory acceptance.

A study on value addition of cow dung-based anaerobic sludge for biomethane and bio-oil production via co-liquefaction with rice straw and clam shells as a catalyst.

The waste management sector is moving towards sustainable approaches for facilitating resource-recovery possibilities. Agriculture residue (rice straw), cow dung (cattle waste), and clam shells from the ocean are the primary waste materials possessing a huge value addition opportunity. In this study, the effective usage of rice straw and anaerobic sludge from cow dung for bio-energy production was studied. Cow dung was initially anaerobically processed for the generation of biomethane and sludge in a digester for a retention time of 40 days. The anaerobic sludge with rice straw was hydrothermally processed in varying proportions of 1 : 0, 0 : 1, 1 : 1,1 : 2, 2 : 1, 3 : 1, 1 : 3 and temperatures of 240-360 °C for 1 hour with varying biomass loads of 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 g. Additionally, clam shells, one of the best bioresources, were used as a catalyst in the hydrothermal process at concentrations of 0.2-1 wt%. The maximum bio-oil produced was 36.23 wt% at a temperature of 320 °C, with a biomass load of 100 g, mixed proportion of 2 : 1 and catalyst loading of 0.6 wt%. The produced bio-oil comprised hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and carboxylic acids, as confirmed through GC-MS. In the anaerobic study, ≈0.018 m3 cumulative gas was produced at a retention time of 40 days. The biochar had a higher carbon content and its feasibility for further usage shows promise towards sustainability.

Knowledge Based Millet Trainings for Sustainable Nutritional Security in the Tribal Communities of Andhra Pradesh

India, home to the world's largest tribal population of 10.43 crore as per the 2021 census, heavily relies on millet farming for food security in tribal communities. Millets, often termed Nutri-cereals or superfoods, are resilient to poor soil and harsh climates and provide essential nutrients like iron, calcium, and dietary fiber, addressing widespread nutritional deficiencies. Despite their advantages, millet farming faces significant challenges due to climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and rising food prices. The research sampled with 240 women from three Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the Alluri Sitharamaraju (ASR) district was included for the study. Structured interview Schedule and a five-point continuum were used to evaluate the tribal women views towards training given on millet cultivation, post-harvest practices, and value addition techniques. Findings revealed a general positive response to the training, particularly in areas like field preparation and nutrient management. However, challenges persist, such as limited access to resources, modern processing equipment, and proper storage facilities. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving the livelihoods of tribal women and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Enhanced infrastructure, timely financial support, and continuous capacity-building are essential for maximizing the benefits of millet farming in tribal areas, contributing to food security and economic development.

Role and applications of advanced digital technologies in achieving sustainability in multimodal logistics operations: A systematic literature review

Integration of advanced digital technologies along with ensuring environmental sustainability in the logistics sector is becoming the need of the hour novel multimodal transportation concept. The rapid technological development in the era of industry 4.0 can not only create new opportunities in achieving highly efficient, intelligent, and smart logistics systems but also enable new business models for value addition, additionally, this novel system will also avoid environmental degradation and use of scarce natural resources that contribute to climate change. This paper summarizes the research trends of these technologies in multimodal logistics systems since 2005 through a systematic literature review. The results revealed a mixed picture of the situation, starting from emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain becoming key technological concepts for multimodal logistics systems to government policy hurdles and lack of impact breakthroughs in the industry. However, the results show that adaptation to these technologies improves the overall environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the system.

Investigation of complex single-walled intersecting structures fabricated by wire-arc directed energy deposition

PurposeThis study aims to investigate an intersecting single-walled structure fabricated using wire-arc directed energy deposition (waDED). Because of the highly complex geometrical features of this structure, characterisation is used to identify potential weak points and provide a benchmark for future complex components.Design/methodology/approachA structural component with a process-specific design is built using additive manufacturing of an Al-Mg alloy and analysed using micro-computed tomography. Scans are carried out at different resolutions and subsequently compared to microsections. The chemical composition and hardness are also examined. These investigations provide an enhanced understanding of defects and overall quality of the manufactured parts.FindingsThe results show that very high-quality parts can be achieved using ER5183 alloy, even in intersecting areas. Defects in these regions are primarily caused by converging and diverging waDED paths and discontinuous waDED operations.Originality/valueIn addition to demonstrating the feasibility of complex structures using waDED, this study provides an overview of problem areas and potential improvements in waDED manufacturing.

Revolutionizing Rice Grain Quality: A Holistic Review Integrating Conventional and Molecular Approaches

This review mainly focuses on the rice grain quality based on which rice varieties are distinguished into several quality classes like, physical quality, eating and cooking quality and nutritional quality. The rice breeding programme needs to focus on the development of nutrient-dense rice for value addition, helping in reducing malnutrition and Vitamin-A deficiency (VAD). There is enough scope to enhance the nutritional and cooking quality in small and medium grain rice germplasm by bringing them into the breeding programme through Fe and Zn and Vitamin-A biofortification, aided with molecular techniques. Many studies have been conducted to find out the quantitative trait locus (QTL) for enhancing the quality of grain. The QTL qBRR5 and qBRR3 are responsible for brown rice grain width and length found on chromosome 5 and on chromosome number 3, respectively and for head rice on chromosome number 1, 5, and 6. The QTLs present on chromosomes 3, 5, and 6 are responsible for head rice recovery, chalky appearance of rice grain as well as grain size and shape. The gene Wx, located on chromosome 6 linked with the QTL qAC6 regulate amylose content and gel consistency. The QTL SSIIa on chromosome 6, control both the amylopectin and gelatinization temperature. The QTLs for Fe and Zn content in rice grain are located on chromosome 2, 3, 8, 11 and 12. Development of “Golden rice” and innovations with Arabidopsis genes can significantly enhance β-carotene levels and address Vitamin-A deficiency, while RNAi techniques improve storage quality.

Nourishment beyond grains: unveiling the multifaceted contributions of millets to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

United Nations General Assembly declared that 2023 will be celebrated as the International Year of Millets. Millets are a group of coarse grains from the Poaceae family that offer numerous benefits that align with various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This review explores diverse contributions of millet cultivation, consumption, and value addition with UN SDGs. The millets help in combating hunger by providing economical sources of essential nutrients and diversifying diets, improving health through mitigating malnutrition and diet-related diseases. Millet's lower water demand and resilience to climatic stress help in sustainable water management. Millets reduce the risks associated with monoculture farming and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Similarly, millet plants need few chemical fertilizers, and the ecological damage associated with these plants is minimized. Millets can prevent soil degradation and conserve biodiversity. They can adapt to diverse cropping systems and support sustainable land practices. Millet cultivation reduces inequalities by empowering smallholder farmers and maintaining economic balance. The cultivation and trading of millets promote partnerships among governments, NGOs, and businesses for sustainable development. The ability of millet to contribute to poverty reduction, hunger alleviation, health improvement, environmental sustainability, and economic development makes millet a sustainable choice for a better world.

Impact of socio-economic dynamic of SMEs and large enterprises in GCC

This article emphasizes the importance of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and large companies in driving economic growth. SMEs are labour-intensive and agile, creating more jobs, while large companies are capital-intensive and rely on technology, having more resources for research and development. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, SMEs contribute significantly to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and job opportunities, while large companies dominate specific sectors. The research employs a multidisciplinary approach using an extensive literature review to summarize the current literature, highlight the economic impact of SMEs and large companies in GCC, and highlight the importance of large companies in developing local citizens. Policy-makers must consider these differences to integrate these dynamic changes for effective support policies. This study examines the economic impact of SMEs and large companies in the GCC region, providing recommendations to support large businesses. It addresses challenges and opportunities related to employment, household earnings, economic output, and value addition. Promoting the economic impact of SMEs and large companies can lead to sustainable economic growth and development in the GCC region. Also, this article pointed out the importance of large companies and their economic impact in the GCC region; policy recommendations will help the governing bodies in decision-making towards promoting sustainable economic growth.

The ecological effects and valorization of coal fines-a review.

The beneficiation and valorization of coal fines is an important element that has to be considered in coal waste management. This review aims to assess the potential ecological impacts that arise due to coal fines dumping and the various methods that can be used for value addition and beneficiation of the coal fines for domestic and industrial use. The PRISMA method was used for the identification and inclusion of studies in the review and studies which focused on coal fines production, utilization, and their effects on the environment which were included in the review. The review showed that several technologies such as briquetting, pelletization, coal-water slurry, brickmaking, and fluidized bed technology have been developed in an effort to reduce the quantities of coal fines in the environment as they are an ecological threat through air, water, and soil pollution. These methods have the potential to be scaled up to the industrial level as there are vast quantities of coal fines to support the industry.