Agro-food Chain Research Articles

Sustainable Development of an Innovative Spreadable Plant-Based Product of High Added Value through the Valorization of an Agro-Food By-Product

There is an increased demand for healthy foods by the consumer nowadays, while at the same time, circular bio-economy and sustainability in food production represent top priority issues for the food industry. In this context, purslane, a highly nutritious annual plant that grows abundant during the hottest months of the year but is considered a by-product of the agricultural process, was utilized for the development of an innovative, ready-to-eat food product suitable for a vegetarian diet in the form of a bread spread. Following an initial small-scale experimentation for the stabilization of apparent quality attributes, the product’s recipe was finalized on an industrial scale, and the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) for the manufacturing process, the physicochemical (pH, water activity) and sensorial analysis of the end product, together with its nutritional value, shelf-life, and antioxidant capacity, were determined. The results suggested that the acidic (pH 4.3) product had a shelf-life of a minimum of six months to one year and, according to EU legislation, it comprised a source of (dietary) fibers and protein, while being high in poly-unsaturated (e.g., omega-3, omega-6), and mono-unsaturated (e.g., oleic acid) fatty acids. Total phenolic content (TPC) with the Folin–Ciocalteau assay and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) using the Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power assay of the product, presented concentrations of 0.95 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g and 0.016 mmol of Fe2+/g of dry weight of sample, respectively. However, the predicted bioavailability for TPC and TAC was 28% and 31%, respectively. The product was evaluated positively by a panel of potential consumers without significant differences compared to conventional familiar products. The potential of using agro-food chain by-products, such as purslane, for the development of novel foods representing a healthy and tasty food choice at any time of the day is a promising opportunity for the food industry to meet growing consumer demands for more sustainable, nutritious, and healthy food products with a reduced environmental footprint compared to the traditional plant-originated products of intensive agriculture.

Regenerative Food Innovation: The Role of Agro-Food Chain By-Products and Plant Origin Food to Obtain High-Value-Added Foods

Food losses in the agri-food sector have been estimated as representing between 30 and 80% of overall yield. The agro-food sector has a responsibility to work towards achieving FAO sustainable goals and global initiatives on responding to many issues, including climate pressures from changes we are experiencing globally. Regenerative agriculture has been discussed for many years in terms of improving our land and water. What we now need is a focus on the ability to transform innovation within the food production and process systems to address the needs of society in the fundamental arenas of food, health and wellbeing in a sustainable world. Thus, regenerative food innovation presents an opportunity to evaluate by-products from the agriculture and food industries to utilise these waste streams to minimise the global effects of food waste. The mini-review article aims to illustrate advancements in the valorisation of foods from some of the most recent publications published by peer-reviewed journals during the last 4–5 years. The focus will be applied to plant-based valorised food products and how these can be utilised to improve food nutritional components, texture, sensory and consumer perception to develop the foods for the future.

Formation of a unified regulatory space of the agricultural sector of Ukraine with the EU internal market: processes and problems

The article is devoted to summarizing achievements and miscalculations in terms of the formation of a unified regulatory space of the domestic agricultural sector and the European internal market since the second half of the 2010s, as well as assessing the possibilities of achieving their full equivalence. It was established that the unified regulatory space is formed by the following components: technical regulation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, safety of food products and animal feed. The contribution of the components of technical regulation to the formation of a domestic regulatory system equivalent to the basic European system of technical regulation is assessed. It is argued that during the research period, the national fund of standards expanded significantly (more than 25,000 standards), and almost ¾ of them are harmonized with European and world standards. It is noted that the Program of the Development of the Reference Base has not been fully implemented as a result of Russian aggression, and the certification of safety and quality systems, products, processes and services and personnel is carried out only by accredited conformity assessment bodies (CABs). It has been found that the accreditation of domestic CABs is carried out by the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine, which in terms of accreditation interacts only with the signatories of international agreements on accreditation (EA MLA, ILAC MRA, IAF MLA). Since April 2016, state market surveillance has been carried out by the State Service of Food Safety and Consumer Protection. Special control regimes for manufactured products are based on the active implementation of certified safety and quality systems by producers of organic products and agricultural raw materials for the production of children's, dietary and special food products, as well as advanced management systems for the export of agricultural products to foreign markets. It has been established that Ukraine has ensured compliance with the European requirements of its own sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPM) in the field of agriculture and measures regarding the safety of food products and animal feed. This is evidenced by the following indicators: a total of 380 enterprises export agricultural products, of which 162 enterprises export food products. The fulfillment of the obligations stipulated by the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU has been systematized, which includes fulfilled obligations and intermediate results and totals 55 %. At the same time, the intermediate statuses of «Early» execution and «Advanced» execution are taken into account with weighting factors of 0.3 and 0.7, respectively. This assessment includes the following components: «perfect» performance is 30,4 %; «advanced» - 26.2 %; «early» stage – 21 %; fulfillment of obligations has not started – 20,8 %; the fulfillment of 1,6 % of the obligations has a critical inconsistency with the relevant norms of EU law. It was concluded that the activities related to the harmonization of domestic legal regulation of ensuring the quality and safety of products in agrofood chains to the practice of the European Union need to be intensified in order to complete it, as it will have a positive effect on the successful postwar recovery of the agricultural sector and the country as a whole. Key words: agricultural sector of Ukraine, EU internal market, unified regulatory space, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, food safety

МЕТОДИЧЕСКИЕ ПОДХОДЫ К ПОИСКУ РЕШЕНИЙ ПО ОБОСНОВАНИЮ БАЛАНСА ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ИНТЕРЕСОВ СИСТЕМООБРАЗУЮЩИХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ ЗЕРНОПРОДУКТОВОЙ ЦЕПОЧКИ

The article presents the results of a study in the field of ensuring the balance of economic interests in the interaction of backbone organizations of the grain product chain. The backbone organizations of agro-food chains have a special status, influence the state of the food market, determine key trends in the economic sphere and are responsible for solving socio-economic problems. The authors propose methodological approaches to substantiate the balance of economic interests of backbone organizations through the prism of income equivalence within the framework of the grain product chain. A combined algorithm is proposed that allows using a wide range of digital databases to select methodological tools to justify the balance of economic interests of backbone organizations.

Towards Trusted Data Sharing and Exchange in Agro-Food Supply Chains: Design Principles for Agricultural Data Spaces

In the modern agricultural landscape, realizing data’s full potential requires a unified infrastructure where stakeholders collaborate and share their data to gain insights and create business value. The agricultural data ecosystem (ADE) serves as a crucial socio-technical infrastructure, aggregating diverse data from various platforms and, thus, advertising sustainable agriculture and digitalization. Establishing trustworthy data sharing and exchange in agro-food value chains involves socioeconomic and technological elements addressed by the agricultural data space (ADS) and its trust principles. This paper outlines key challenges to data sharing in agro-food chains impeding ADE establishment based on the review of 27 studies in scientific literature. Challenges mainly arise from stakeholders’ mistrust in the data-sharing process, inadequate data access and use policies, and unclear data ownership agreements. In the ADE context, interoperability is a particularly challenging topic for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the system. Considering these challenges and data space principles and building blocks, we propose a set of design principles for ADS design and implementation that aim to mitigate the adverse impact of these challenges and facilitate agricultural data sharing and exchange.

An exploration of agro-food chain distributive, procedural and interactional fairness in food products

Fairness and ethical values in agro-food chain lay at the center of the current debate on agro-food chain sustainability. The food labels may contain elements focused on agro-food chain management fairness practices. The objective of the present study is to explore what types of fairness agro-food companies value in the food products they commercialize, and if the characteristics of agro-food companies have a relationship with the type of fairness valued. The research study collected 226 commercialized food products containing information on the agro-food chain fairness practices companies adopted to produce the food products. Data elaboration included a cluster analysis to identify groups of fair products, and a multinomial logistic regression to explore the relationship between the identified clusters and fairness types, organic, nutritional and functional claims, and price. Results support that fairness-oriented products provide information on different types of fairness that is distributive, procedural, and interactional. Some products provide economic information on the distribution of price between upstream and downstream actors. Other products focus on procedural and interactional fairness practices, such as dignity, respect and transparent relationship in agro-food chain; technologies used in the production and distribution of the product; and ethical certifications that companies hold. Fairness-oriented information differ depending both on the type of chain actor commercializing the product, and on the type of brand, that is whether commercial brand or private label. The main conclusion is that companies convey fairness-related information to consumers differently according to company’s role in the agro-food chain. Yet, there is need to exploit further the potential role of fairness practices in defining effective business strategies to contribute to higher equity and sustainability in the agro-food system.

Conditions for increasing the competitiveness of agro-food enterprises

Increasing the competitiveness of agro-food sector enterprises from a strategic perspective is inextricably linked to ensuring sustainable development and gaining long-term competitive advantages based on sustainable values and priorities. This implies the need to consider sustainable and environmentally neutral production methods in the management policy of business entities, the result of which should be new competitive products, original in terms of their quality parameters. Competitiveness implies enterprises’ high efficiency and ability to adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions. The level of competitiveness is formed not only at the level of individual producers but also at the level of the agro-food value chain in general and, thanks to the effect of scale and synergy, creates additional inclusive opportunities for improving the competitive positions of producers in the market. World experience has shown that solving these problems is possible by forming a competent, competitive strategy, which must meet the following criteria: the presence of clearly formulated relevant goals; the presence of a forecast of the development of the situation and scenarios for achieving the goal; the presence of a system of management and control of the main business processes. At the same time, the new policy of ensuring competitiveness should be aimed at strengthening the ties between agro-food chains and the market, consumers, and society, considering the interests of all parties. The priorities for achieving the goals of increasing the competitiveness of business entities along with commercial values should be increasing the added value of the agro-industrial production sphere, ensuring stable incomes of all participants in the agro-food chain, improving the use of resources and gradual transition to circular business models; formation of responsible consumer behavior and maximum satisfaction of consumer demand. The high variability of the external environment, the difficulties of identifying numerous and closely interacting factors, risks, and dangers, and the entropy of connections and relationships pose urgent tasks for businesses to form competitiveness as a system of strategies, measures, and technologies for maintaining market share and financial stability. Keywords: competitiveness, environment, agricultural enterprise, agro-industrial sphere, factors, drivers.

Does fairness matter? Consumers' perception of fairness in the agro-food chain

IntroductionDefining ‘fairness’ in the agro-food sector is a challenging task. There is no single definition of fairness and the literature does not provide a complete conceptualization from the consumer's point of view. The current research seeks to explore the consumers' interest in fairness and ethics in the agro-food chain by exploring (i) a comprehensive theoretical framework to conceptualize fairness from a consumer perspective, and (ii) the consumers' perceived importance of different food attributes as fairness-related aspects.MethodLiterature review and focus groups allowed for the creation of the final survey to be submitted to consumers. 529 valid responses from a predominantly Italian female sample were collected. Data were elaborated with Exploratory Factor Analysis and ANOVA test.ResultsThe research identified five dimensions of fairness: Fair price, environment, networking, short chain, and working condition. Also, it emerged that age influences consumers' perceived importance of products with fair attributes.DiscussionThis research contributes to the development of a fairer and more sustainable food system by identifying perceptions of agro-food chain fairness and establishing a link with food shopping intentions. The research provides companies with suggestions on how to expand sales by reaching a greater number of consumers.

Application of microbial cross-over for the production of Italian grape ale (IGA), a fruit beer obtained by grape must addition

In the last years, the production of grape ale beer has become a trendy choice among brewers in Italy, resulting in a new beer type known as Italian Grape Ale (IGA), a sort of bridge beverage between beer and wine. In this study, three autochthonous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (CHE-3, P4 and TA4-10), previously isolated from different food types, were tested in comparison with the commercial strain US-05. Fermentations were conducted at a laboratory scale on malt extracts with 15% and 25% grape must adjuncts, and on malt wort (control). After fermentation, the CHE-3, P4 and TA4-10 strains showed significantly higher CO2 production than US-05. The main analytical parameters (organic acids, real and apparent attenuation, ethanol content, glycerol level and carbohydrate profile) and the volatile compounds related to the organoleptic quality of the experimental beers were strongly influenced both by the grape must addition to the fermentation medium and the used strains. The addition of grape must enhanced the CO2 production, especially when 25% of grape must was added to the wort. By comparing the tested strains, the highest aromatic expression was observed with 15% grape must adjunct. The present results confirm the importance of media composition and microbial biodiversity to gain more different beers especially in the craft beers sector. Moreover, the outcome data show the significance of microbial cross-over, a novel approach based on the exploitation of microorganisms traditionally used in other agro-food chains also for brewing novel beer types.

Sustainable control measures of IPM of the cereal leafminer Syringopais temperatella Led. (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae): Short-term effect of tillage system

Syringopais temperatella Led. (Lep., Scythrididae) is a serious threat of barley and wheat in Jordan as it causes a great loss in crop. There is a growing interest in the development of innovative control strategies aiming to minimize the environmental impact of pest management and improve the safety of the agro-food chain. However, little attention has been paid on the use of cultural control methods against the pest, accordingly, this study aimed at investigating the effect of tillage system in controlling S. temperatella in Jordan. The study was conducted in Karak Governorate during the 2019-2020 cropping season with four tillage types; no-tillage, moldboard, disk and chisel plows. Furthermore, three soil depths (15, 30 and 45 cm) were evaluated for each plow type. Data on the infestation percentage, number of larvae, plant height, grain yield weight, straw biomass, and soil moisture were recorded. Results revealed that pest infestation and number of larvae were significantly the lowest in moldboard plow followed by disc plow and chisel plow, and then in no-tillage. In addition, the pest infestation and number of larvae decreased significantly with increasing plowing depth. Plant height, grain yield, straw biomass and soil moisture were significantly higher when the moldboard plow was used, followed by chisel plow, disc plow, and then no-tillage; likewise, they were increased significantly with increasing tillage depth up to 45 cm. In conclusion, it is suggested to use the conventional tillage at a depth closed to 45 cm instead of no-tillage especially when a moldboard plow used.

СТРАТЕГІЧНІ АСПЕКТИ ІННОВАЦІЙНОГО РОЗВИТКУ РЕГІОНАЛЬНИХ СИСТЕМ УПРАВЛІННЯ АГРОБІЗНЕСОМ

The production of agricultural products is the main feature of the identification and assignment of the enterprise to the specified type of activity, and the criteria for the classification of agricultural enterprises into large, medium, small, and micro enterprises allow to structure the factors of their participation as agents of the formation of agro-food chains, the creation of added value, and, accordingly, to consider the peculiarities of functioning their management systems. Local agribusiness management systems require complex administration at the regional level, since small and medium-sized farms and agricultural enterprises do not have developed administrative systems for the development and implementation of agribusiness development strategies. The insufficient development of effective communications in the organization of interaction between the subjects of the regional agribusiness system, resulting in problems of incoherence in coordination (lack of well-established sales channels, low level of accessibility to financial and consulting services, lack of transparency in the provision of state support), necessitates the formation of effective agribusiness management mechanisms on regional levels. The potential of local administration of farms and agricultural enterprises requires the involvement of additional resources (financial personnel). Modern trends in the digitalization of managing the development of socio-economic systems encourage the search for innovative solutions that will allow unification of the coordination of local business networks. The chain of creation of the added value of agricultural products as an object of management should be formed using the algorithm for the formation of system management of agribusiness, which is integrated into the mechanisms of administration at the regional level and allows to ensure the synergistic effect of the coordinated interaction of farm managers and representatives of territorial communities. This will contribute to the formation of creative professional and competent mechanisms of administration at the regional level, the fixation of methods of their implementation and the formation of an innovative culture of regional administration.

Financial security of the competitiveness of business subjects in the agro-food sphere

The aggravation of the global problem of hunger in the world significantly actualizes the task of guaranteeing national food security and expanding Ukraine's participation in the global agro-food chain. The inclusion of value in European and global agro-food chains is currently a priority with the strategic task of developing the agrarian sector, which requires increasing the competitiveness of domestic agricultural raw materials and their food processing products. It is necessary to outline the mission vision of long-term goals and objectives of sustainable development of the agricultural sector and search for effective mechanisms to ensure the achievement of the set goals and objectives of agricultural management to find strategic mechanisms for managing competitive agricultural production at the initial stage. The importance and priority of the agricultural sector for achieving global and national goals of sustainable development led to the realization of the need to find practical tools and mechanisms for strategic management of the competitiveness of agricultural production. Effective development of the agricultural sector and rural areas in the future is possible only based on sustainability and inclusiveness, which requires an integrated approach to management decision-making. The effectiveness of the strategic management of agriculture will be expressed in how quickly and adequately the management system will respond to new requirements, opportunities, challenges, and threats created by the competitive environment. Inclusive provision of business entities of the agro-food sector with financial resources becomes an essential condition for further developing its industries and solving the strategic task of increasing the level of competitiveness. The central core of the mechanism of inclusive provision of agriculture is the investment factor, which forms the prerequisite for the activation of innovative processes both in production and in the further development of rural areas. Keywords: mechanism, competitiveness, agricultural sector, leasing, financing.

Broccoli products supplemented beers provide a sustainable source of dietary sulforaphane

Broccoli is a highly consumed vegetable due to its content of bioactive nutrients and non-nutrients, including glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. Also, the consumption of craft beer has been boosted by the seek for enhanced sensory and functional properties. In this frame, broccoli have been proven as an ingredient to develop healthy beverages. The objective of the work was to evaluate alternative broccoli materials (sprouts and by-products powder) to go further from previous results, in a way contributing to the sustainability and circularity of the agro-food chain using underexploited material to supplement beers, which could be a sustainable dietary source of bioactive sulforaphane (SFN). The results showed high concentrations of SFN in beers supplemented with broccoli sprouts and powder (5.00 and 2.54 mg/L, respectively, previous to bottling). These concentrations remained stable until bottling, where they were reduced by >50%. After 150 storage days, the concentrations of SFN were 1.08 and 0.30 mg/L in beers supplemented with sprouts and powder, respectively. The sensory analysis revealed the positive attributes (colour, floral, fruity, and aftertaste as a result of the profile of volatile compounds) of beers developed using sprouts, and significant values of cooked vegetables, alcoholic, and earthy leather, which could be considered negative in beer. The latter negative tips are the ones offering sensory traits associated to ITC to broccoli-based beer. Therefore, the addition of broccoli in the format of fresh sprouts is more appropriate according to the SFN content and sensory features, providing a functional alternative that could be appreciated by consumers.

Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria deliberately introduced into the agro-food chain do not significantly increase the antimicrobial resistance gene pool

ABSTRACT Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria may serve as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance, but the risk posed by strains intentionally introduced into the agro-food chain has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether probiotics, starter and protective cultures, and feed additives represent a risk to human health. In addition to commercial strains of LAB and bifidobacteria, isolates from human milk or colostrum, intestinal mucosa or feces, and fermented products were analyzed. Phenotypic susceptibility data of 474 strains showed that antimicrobial resistance was more common in intestinal isolates than in commercial strains. Antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were characterized in the whole genome sequences of 1114 strains using comparative genomics. Intrinsic ARGs were abundant in enterococci, bifidobacteria, and lactococci but were considered non-risky due to the absence of MGEs. The results revealed that 13.8% of commercial strains contained acquired ARGs, most frequently for tetracycline. We associated 75.5% of the acquired ARGs with known or novel MGEs, and their potential for transmission was assessed by examining metagenomic sequences. We confirmed that ARGs and MGEs were not as abundant or diverse in commercial strains as in human intestinal isolates or isolates from human milk, suggesting that strains intentionally introduced into the agro-food chain do not pose a significant threat. However, attention should be paid especially to individual probiotic strains containing elements that have been shown to have high potential for transferability in the gut microbiota. Abbreviations: ARG, antimicrobial resistance gene; ICE, integrative and conjugative element; IME, integrative and mobilizable element; LAB, lactic acid bacteria; MDR, multidrug resistance; MIC, minimum inhibitory concentration; MGE, mobile genetic element; TRRPP, tetracycline-resistant ribosomal protection protein; WGS, whole genome sequences

Polyphyly in widespread Salmonella enterica serovars and using genomic proximity to choose the best reference genome for bioinformatics analyses.

Salmonella is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the world. Over the past 5 years, whole-genome analysis has led to the high-resolution characterization of clinical and foodborne Salmonella responsible for typhoid fever, foodborne illness or contamination of the agro-food chain. Whole-genome analyses are simplified by the availability of high-quality, complete genomes for mapping analysis and for calculating the pairwise distance between genomes, but unfortunately some difficulties may still remain. For some serovars, the complete genome is not available, or some serovars are polyphyletic and knowing the serovar alone is not sufficient for choosing the most appropriate reference genome. For these serovars, it is essential to identify the genetically closest complete genome to be able to carry out precise genome analyses. In this study, we explored the genomic proximity of 650 genomes of the 58 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars most frequently isolated in humans and from the food chain in the United States (US) and in Europe (EU), with a special focus on France. For each serovar, to take into account their genomic diversity, we included all the multilocus sequence type (MLST) profiles represented in EnteroBase with 10 or more genomes (on 19 July 2021). A phylogenetic analysis using both core- and pan-genome approaches was carried out to identify the genomic proximity of all the Salmonella studied and 20 polyphyletic serovars that have not yet been described in the literature. This study determined the genetic proximity between all 58 serovars studied and revealed polyphyletic serovars, their genomic lineages and MLST profiles. Finally, we enhanced the open-access databases with 73 new genomes and produced a list of high-quality complete reference genomes for 48 S. enterica subsp. enterica serovars among the most isolated in the US, EU, and France.

Influence of High-Power Ultrasound on Yield of Proteins and Specialized Plant Metabolites from Sugar Beet Leaves (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. altissima)

Ultrasound with water as a green solvent is an effective strategy for reducing losses and increasing the utilization of by-products. The extraction of proteins and specialized plant metabolites from sugar beet leaves (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. altissima) promotes sustainability in the agro-food chain. Guided by sustainability, samples treated with ultrasound showed lower energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the spectrophotometric determination revealed higher protein and phenol yields in ultrasonically treated samples compared to thermally treated ones. The highest yield of total proteins, 147.91 ± 4.58 mg (gd.m.)−1, was observed during ultrasound treatment (amplitude 100%, treatment time 9 min). Under the same extraction conditions, the same trend was observed in the yield of total phenols 17.89 ± 0.38 mg (gd.m.)−1. High-power ultrasound, compared to the thermal extraction method, has increased the yield of proteins and specialized plant metabolites with significantly lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The obtained results are in accordance with the foundations of sustainable development. From an economic and environmental point of view, ultrasound with the use of green solvents would be an excellent replacement for conventional extraction methods.

Fairness-Enabling Practices in Agro-Food Chain

Fairness in the agro-food system is an increasingly important issue. Ensuring fair and ethical practices in the agro-food chain is essential for sustainable, effective, and resilient agro-food systems. Identifying and understanding fairness-enabling practices and existing business applications in the agro-food chain is crucial to create a sustainable system. This research study is an extensive literature review analyzing academic and grey literature. Thus, this study aims: (i) to conceptualize fairness in the agro-food system; (ii) to identify the fairness-enabling practices contributing to a fair agro-food system; and (iii) to explore existing agro-food chain business applications relevant to achieving a sustainable and fair agro-food chain. Fairness-enabling practices have a vital role in achieving fairness in the upstream and downstream operational stages of the agro-food chain. On the one hand, the upstream cycle includes many elements, from a ban on unfair trading practices to ethical treatment to farmers, from transparency through technology and innovation to ensuring fair remuneration. The key goal is to improve the position of farmers in the chain. The study considers the following five upstream focused business applications to enable fairness practices: blockchain, cooperatives, interbranch organizations, business applications for small-scale farmers, and Fairtrade. On the other hand, achieving success in the downstream operational stage of the chain depends on fairness-oriented consumer food choice, consumer intention to buy fair food, consumer perceived value of fair food, and increased information and transparency on agro-food costs and price. This paper takes into account two consumer-focused business applications which provide downstream fairness practices: dual entitlement and dynamic pricing. To conclude, agro-food chain actors should learn how to find profit in fairness, and turn fairness-related costs into profitable business models.

From Power Imbalance to Interdependence: A Case Study of the Chadian Sesame Supply Chain

Smallholder farmers are crucial actors for rural development in Africa. Their participation in global agro-food chains assures a source of revenues and agricultural development. Nevertheless, their position is still marginal. Moreover, there is a lack of data about the participation of smallholder farmers in African supply chains. The paper aims to identify the power regime between farmers, processors, middlemen and exporters and analyse how collective actions and external players’ intervention may modify the bargaining power in the sesame value chain in Eastern Chad. The analysis is based on qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews with 98 farmers and 41 stakeholders. The study applies a netchain perspective, analysing the vertical relationships along the food chain in terms of power regime and the horizontal relationships of farmers by observing the first impact of collective actions. The results reveal that the dyadic ties are characterised only by supplier and buyer dominance, and there are no relationships characterised by independence and interdependence along the food chain. Especially, farmers suffer from both buyer and supplier dominance. The analysis of the horizontal relationships reveals that only middlemen organise horizontal agreements to improve their benefit in the commercialisation. The introduction of collective actions for farmers improves their horizontal relationships with potential positive impact on the farmers’ vertical relationships along the supply chain. Thus, their bargaining power may be further developed. This study offers a diagnosis of the farmers’ participation in value chain and future perspectives on the collective actions.

Governance in the Italian Processed Tomato Value Chain: The Case for an Interbranch Organisation

Collective action among producers is a corrective measure for power imbalance, which affects primary producers in agro-food supply chains. As associations of producers and processors, Interbranch Organisations (IBOs) promote dialogue, best practice, and market transparency. However, interbranch cooperation is still a less explored subject in agro-food governance studies. Therefore, the present paper aims to analyse the role of IBO North Italy for Processing Tomato (IBO NIPT) in the governance of the processed tomato value chain. The IBO for Processing Tomatoes of Northern Italy was chosen as a case study as it is one of the eight recognized IBOs in the country and Italy is the third biggest producer of tomatoes for processing worldwide. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in the processed tomato value chain were carried out to reach this aim. Abridged transcripts were analysed through thematic analysis by two or three researchers. The present study has three research steps: first, to explore the history of the IBO NIPT; second, to explore its current role as collective institution acting towards power imbalances; third, the IBO’s role in reference price streamlining. A multi-theoretical approach based on the following three theoretical frameworks was used to analyse the interviews: New Institutional Economics (NIE); Devaux’s framework for collective action; and Transaction Cost Economics. The paper highlights the role of local institutions in bringing innovations in the food supply chain and suggests that the future of IBOs in Italy has to be expanded beyond reference price streamlining and could benefit from the cooperation of retailers.

ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЯ АГРОПРОДОВОЛЬЧИХ ЛАНЦЮГІВ В КОНТЕКСТІ ВІЙНИ В УКРАЇНІ

Full-scale military operations in Ukraine in 2022 have disrupted economic ties and caused changes in the local agro-food chains which are integrated into the global agro-food networks. As a result of the blocking of sea and land logistics flows, food security was under threat. The purpose of the article is to systemize transformational processes in the national agro-food chains and define factors that make impact to the micro and small agribusiness economic model in the war conditions. The research methodology is based on the value chain approach as a scientific method. The study was conducted using the method of online questionnaires and telephone interviews. The target audience of research included the founders, directors and chief agronomists of agricultural enterprises specialized in the grains and oil crops growing and processing on the cultivated land plots from 780 to 6000 hectares, which are applying traditional and organic approaches of agriculture. Processing of the research results was carried out using statistical and economic methods, analysis and synthesis, etc. The research confirms that due to military actions in Ukraine 98% of respondents choose a "survival" strategy. They motivated their decision by the influence of external and internal factors such as currency risks and restrictions, sharp price increasing for the fuel and energy carriers, price reduction for the grain and oil crops on the domestic market, unstable economic and political environment. Limited access to logistics flows due to their blocking (destruction) and a multiple increasing of the transportation costs became the biggest challenges of the period of martial law (98% of respondents). The majority of surveyed agricultural producers (90%) optimized costs, for this purpose they used BigData technologies more actively. The results of the research confirm that small and medium agro producers will make the transition from the raw materials producing model to the added value creation model, that will allow producers significantly decrease logistics costs. These transformational processes in agro-food chains in complete uncertainty conditions require further study and systematization.