Choice Of Production System Research Articles

Assessing sensory attributes and quality of lettuce from open field, greenhouse, and controlled environment production systems

Lettuce is a popular, low-calorie, nutrient-rich leafy vegetable known for its health benefits and bioactive compounds. The transition from open-field to controlled-environment agriculture has revolutionized lettuce production, enabled year-round cultivation while provided advantages such as enhanced environmental management, diminished pest challenges, and improved crop quality. This study assessed the consumers’ perception of quality attributes of Eden lettuce from three production systems: open field, greenhouse, and controlled environment. Sensory evaluation encompassed the assessment of attributes such as colour, flavour, texture, and nutrition, with panellists evaluating lettuce samples from each production system, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to analyse the data. Controlled environment cultivation showed the highest texture intensity, with significant variations in sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and astringency among production systems. Aroma and aftertaste remained relatively consistent across different systems. Acceptability levels of sensory attributes varied among lettuce samples from different production systems. Controlled environment lettuce received the highest acceptability ratings for texture, flavour, and colour, while notable variations were observed in colour acceptability among production systems. Taste attributes varied among production systems, with open field lettuce displaying diverse taste profiles, greenhouse lettuce leaning towards bitterness, and controlled environment lettuce emphasizing sweetness. Texture attributes also differed, with open field exhibiting balanced profiles, greenhouse yielding firmer textures, and controlled environments emphasizing moderate firmness. In conclusion, the choice of production system has a substantial impact on lettuce quality and sensory attributes. Controlled environment cultivation consistently yielded lettuce with superior attributes, while greenhouse cultivation led to firmer textures and specific taste profiles. On the other hand, open field cultivation exhibited a broader range of taste attributes. These findings provide valuable insights for agricultural practices, resource management, and quality control in lettuce cultivation, offering opportunities for growers and consumers to make informed choices based on their preferences and requirements.

Characterization of Small-Scale Farming as an Engine of Agricultural Development in Mountainous South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mountainous South Kivu is an agropastoral zone in Democratic Republic of Congo where small-scale agriculture is predominant. Due to its location and potential, this region contributes to the food security of the population of South Kivu and neighboring territories. This research aimed to establish a characterization of small-scale farming in this area in order to highlight the factors that differentiate farms. To achieve this objective, we adopted a holistic approach coupled with descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and Student's t-test for data analysis. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 211 farmers in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The results revealed that differentiation of farms is based on the number of plots per farm, the choice of production systems, the cropping system, the land tenure, the gross margin, the gross value added, and the net farm income achieved at farm level. Therefore, solutions such as access to finance allowing farmers to diversify their production system, the restoration of security in rural areas, the rehabilitation of the existing and creation of new feeder roads, and the setting and promotion of very strong and dynamic farmers' structures would allow a significant development of agricultural activities in the study area.

Examining the social, physical and institutional determinants of pineapple farmers’ choice of production systems in Central Ghana

Various researchers have determined the different factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt certified organic production, without considering factors about the social and institutional environments of smallholder farmers in developing countries. In this paper, we examined the social, physical and institutional factors that affect farmers’ choice of production systems for pineapple in Ghana. A multinomial logit model was used to examine the factors influencing the pineapple farmers’ choice of a production system. Empirical findings indicate that apart from personal and attitudinal factors, the social, physical and institutional factors are also very important in individual farmer’s decisions to adopt certified organic production systems. Policy implications of these findings are that besides farmers’ personal and attitudinal characteristics, the social, physical and institutional features were also crucial in their decision to adopt certified organic production systems. The identified factors contribute to informing the government and other key players along the pineapple value chain on the elements to strive for when designing strategies and programmes to promote certified organic pineapple production. The study proposes that to encourage and sustain certified organic pineapple production systems, stakeholders in the pineapple sector should help farmers to consider the environmental sustainability in their production decision making and educate farmers on the potential cost and benefits of certifying their products organically. Effective policy and strategy design should, therefore, consider these factors to improve the adoption rate from conventional to certified organic production systems.

Contribution Des Femmes A La Production Piscicole En Côte D’Ivoire

Women play a major role in the accession to food security because of their significant contribution to agriculture. However, very few data exists on women’s contribution to the Cote d’Ivoire fish production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of fish farms owned by women to contribute to the fish production in Cote d'Ivoire. A survey has been conducted on women fish farms characteristics and their production capacity. Only 5.98% of 301 farms belonged to women with a contribution to the total production of 2.89%. They are mostly farmers (44.44%) aged 30 to 60 years (88.89%), native of the regions (66.67%) where they had their farms. Tilapia and catfish are the main species produced with a semi-intensive (83.33%) farming system in pond. The area of production is less than 1 hectare (77.78%). Commercial or farms-made feeds are preferably used as fish feeds. Women-owned farms production is characterized by the tilapia commercial weigh over 300 g (66.67%) and a yield of 1000 kg/ha/year (77.78%). By their choice of production system, feeds and their production capacity, women can contribute to set up a sustainable production environment of farm fish in Cote d'Ivoire.

Risk management strategies on small-scale commercial farms in three zobatat of Eritrea

In this study the perceptions of small-scale commercial farmers in Eritrea of the importance of various risk responses are ascertained and analysed to gain insight into their risk-management strategies. Data were elicited through a survey of 186 small-scale commercial farmers conducted in three zobatat (regions) of Eritrea. Factor Analysis is used to investigate heterogeneity in sample farmers’ responses. Results indicate that relatively more important risk responses include the use of internal and external sources of information, on-farm and off-farm diversification, choice of production system and product marketing arrangements. Farmers’ perceptions of risk responses vary according to farm type, geographical location, farm and farmer characteristics, as well as the existence of enterprise specific risk responses (e.g. livestock insurance) and differences in the marketing regulations of various agricultural products.

Classification of production systems for industrialized building: a production strategy perspective

The purpose is to develop a matrix for classifying production systems for construction with various degrees of industrialization. Previous attempts to classify industrialized production systems for construction focus on dimensions such as the design process, the product technology, or the supply chain structure, but none of them acknowledge the importance of how orders are actually won in the market and that different market segments have different requirements. Using production strategy theory as a base, a matrix is developed linking market requirements, via the product offering, to the design of the production system. The matrix positions typical production systems based on their respective degrees of product standardization and volumes relative to the degree of offsite production. Similar to production systems in manufacturing, production systems for construction also deliver manufacturing outputs at different levels, indicating that the choice of production system will affect the competitiveness of the company. The applicability of the matrix is exemplified through three case illustrations of concepts for industrialized building, and these show that the matrix can be used to analyse the production systems’ relative strengths and weaknesses. The matrix can also be used as a guide when developing new, or adjusting existing, production systems for industrialized building so that they will match market requirements and offer competitiveness.

Moderating the impact of agriculture on climate

Many options are available for reducing the impact of agriculture on climate; however, it is difficult to provide a comprehensive set of solutions because several aspects are still poorly understood. An overall assessment of the various impacts of agriculture on climate is presented. It focuses on the trade-offs among the relevant greenhouse gases (GHG), CO 2, N 2O and CH 4, and the geochemical and biophysical interactions between agriculture and climate. Three spatial scales are examined: field, farm, and regional scale. At the field level, both GHG and energy fluxes are related to technical decisions by the farmer. At the farm level, strategic decisions on the choice of production systems are governed by economical constraints. Land use and landscape govern the biophysical factors that act on the regional climate when spatially integrated. At the regional level, national and regional policies on GHG emissions and surface forcing influence global climate. The biochemical and geophysical contribution of agriculture to climate need to be considered using new approaches in terms of global warming. The use of GCMs appears to be an adequate tool at this scale for assessing the global effect on climate, upon which smaller-scale effects will be superimposed.

A Methodology for Evaluation of Order Picking Systems as a Base for System Design and Managerial Decisions

Presents a methodology useful when analysing the efficiency of order picking systems. The main feature of the analysis is the ability to compare different system designs. The methodology has earlier been applied mainly to assembly production systems, and has in these cases proved to be an effective management tool in discussions concerning the choice of production system.

SOURCES AND MANAGEMENT OF RISK IN EXTENSIVE LIVESTOCK FARMING IN THE NORTH-WESTERN TRANSVAAL BUSHVELD / Bronne en bestuur van risiko in ekstensiewe veeboerdery in die Noordwes- Transvaalse Bosveld

Abstract A survey involving 93 farmers in the North-Western Transvaal Bushveld reveals sources of and responses to risk in farm production, marketing and financing. Main sources of risk were considered to be variations in livestock production, rainfall and livestock prices, the threat of land reform, and changes in input costs. The most important production responses to risk include low-cost production, choice of production system and changing livestock numbers. Acceptance of the floor price scheme was regarded as the most important marketing response to risk, while financial record keeping, debt management and maintaining credit reserves were considered the major financial responses to risk. The results could assist policy makers, lenders, extension officers and consultants in designing appropriate risk management programmes and strategies for farmers in the study area.