Farm Certification Research Articles

Producers’ Perception of the Benefits of Farm Certification: The Case of the National Good Agricultural Practices Programme

Producers’ Perception of the Benefits of Farm Certification: The Case of the National Good Agricultural Practices Programme

Voluntary optimisation of antimicrobial consumption in swine and poultry production in Thailand: a policy analysis.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern with significant implications on economies and health security, affecting humans, animals, food, and the environment. To tackle this issue, promoting responsible antimicrobial use in livestock production has emerged as a crucial intervention. In 2018, Thailand introduced the Voluntary Optimization of Antimicrobial Consumption (VOAC) programme, with the objective to encourage responsible antimicrobial use practises. This study aimed to analyse the context, content, process and actors of the VOAC programme. A qualitative method including document reviews and key informant interviews were applied. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 key informants who are key stakeholders from public and private sectors involved in the policy formulation, design of policy contents and implementation of VOAC: policy makers or officers responsible for animal health (n = 12), animal producers (n = 2), animal product traders or retailers (n = 2), and farm veterinarians (n = 2). Interview transcripts were validated by informants for accuracy, and triangulated with document review findings. Deductive approach was applied for data analysis and interpretation based on Walt and Gilson's policy analysis framework. The VOAC farm certification comprises of Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) and Reducing Antibiotic Use (RAU), both aiming to combat AMR in food animals. Global and national factors, including increased public awareness, policy commitments, export requirements from the European Union, and international organisation advocacies, influenced the development of the programme led by the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Collaboration with the private sector facilitated policy clarity, with implementation primarily executed through regional, provincial, and district livestock officers. Integration of the programme with the pre-existing Good Agriculture Practise certification system enabled cost-effective implementation without additional resources. In 2022, DLD official data reported 214 RWA farms (112 pig and 102 broiler), and 230 RAU farms (83 pig and 147 broiler). Incentives for farms to participate in the programme include improving corporate image and demonstrating corporate responsibility addressing AMR in food products. Recommendations include optimising certification strategies, increasing consumer awareness of RWA and RAU products and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems.

서비스 디자인 관점에서 본 치유농업 발전방안

Healing agriculture is attracting attention as a new industrial field that contributes to improving people's health and quality of life by utilizing the pluralistic functions of agriculture. This study suggests that the perspective and methodology of service design can be effectively applied in seeking the development direction of healing agriculture. Through a literature review and analysis of domestic and international best practices, it was confirmed that principles such as user-centeredness of service design, stakeholder participation, and use of ICT technology can contribute to the design and improvement of therapeutic agriculture programs. In addition, the development potential of healing agriculture as a 6th industry was highlighted in terms of revitalizing the local economy and creating social value. Based on the analysis results, policy and practical recommendations for revitalizing healing agriculture were derived. It was proposed that service design education be included as a mandatory part of the training process for healing agriculture professionals, that user experience indicators be reflected in the healing farm certification evaluation, and that a collaborative governance system between relevant ministries and the private sector be established. This study emphasizes that the introduction of service design is essential for the sustainable growth of healing agriculture, and suggests that in-depth research and policy support to support this are required.

Traceability Automation in Coffee Production: A Case Study on QR Code Integration to Optimize Manual Steps

Agriculture and coffee production are vital to Brazil’s economy, generating jobs, driving regional development, and contributing significantly to the trade balance, making Brazil a leading coffee producer and exporter. In this context, this scientific article proposes automating coffee production traceability using QR codes to optimize processes, enhance quality, safety, and sustainability in the supply chain under the Industry 4.0 paradigm. We employ BPMN modeling to delineate coffee production stages, leveraging QR codes for data collection and registration during activities like harvesting, washing, drying, processing, storage, and farm certification validation. QR codes streamline operations, reduce errors, and enhance traceability, involving actors ranging from harvesters to quality personnel, inspectors, and clerks. The study scrutinizes coffee transfer from rural producers to warehouses, optimizing stock and delivery management. The main results obtained were the significant reduction in the number of employees, the reduction of activities and consequently the time, finally, the assertiveness to complete the process.

STUDIES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE INTEGRATION OF QUALITY SCHEMES FOR AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTS

Quality systems established at Union or national level, including farm certification schemes for agricultural and food products, provide consumers with assurances about the quality and characteristics of the products or the production process used as a result of farmers' participation in these schemes, confer added value to the products concerned and increase their market opportunities.Until June 2022, Romania received, from the European Union, the proof of registration in the Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications of the product "Telemea de Ibăneşti", as well as of the wines "Insuraței" and "Adamclisi" as products with the Designation of Protected Origin (PDO). Also, the products registered as PGI were: "Salam de Sibiu", "Cârnaţi de Pleșcoi", "Magiun de prune Topoloveni", "Novacafumat din Tara Bârsei", "Scrumbie de Dunăreafumată" and "Salad with pike roe from Tulcea". The only product registered as STG was the product "Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea".In Romania until June 2022, five documents were published in the eAmbrosia database for the registration of 5 food products that come from 3 classes, respectively: Class 1.2. Meat products (boiled, salted, smoked) - "Salinate de Turda"; Class 2.3. Bakery products, pastry products, confectionery products, biscuits - "Pita de Pecica"; Wines - "Drăgășani", "Bohotin", "Terasele Dunării".

Practices and Barriers to Sustainable Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Louisville, Kentucky

As urban populations increase, there is growing interest in developing innovative technologies, sustainable urban farming practices, policy measures, and other strategies to address key barriers in urban agriculture that impede improved food security and sustained urban livelihoods. We surveyed forty urban farmers and gardeners (growers) in Louisville, Kentucky, for base-level information to assess their agricultural practices and the various factors or key barriers that could influence such practices. Secondary objectives were identifying areas where practices could be improved, and identifying opportunities for research, outreach, and incentives for urban growers to transition to more sustainable and higher-yielding practices. The majority of these urban growers were white females, were more diverse than Kentucky farmers, and attained a higher degree of education than Kentucky residents as a whole. Most were engaged in urban agriculture for non-commercial reasons, and 11% were full-time urban growers operating farms for profit. Smaller farms were less likely to be operated for profit or have farm certifications than medium-sized or larger farms (Chi-squared = 14.459, p = 0.042). We found no significant differences among farm sizes in terms of whether growers rented or owned the land they were on (Chi-squared = 9.094, p = 0.168). The most common sustainable practices recorded were composting (60%), crop rotation (54%), polyculture (54%), organic farming (49%), and low or no-till (46%). The least common practices were alley cropping (5%), plasticulture (3%), and hydroponics (3%). Small farms were less likely to use crop rotation than medium-sized or large farms (Chi-squared = 13.548, p = 0.003), and farms responding to the survey in the latter part of the data collection were less likely to use compost than expected based on responses from the early part of data collection (Chi-shared = 5.972, p = 0.014). Challenges faced by these growers included limited space, accessibility to farm certification, presence of pests and diseases, and lack of record keeping and soil testing for fertility and contamination. Our study documents the need for more farm certification, education, outreach, training, research, investment, innovative ideas and solutions, collaboration among stakeholders, and better access to land through favorable urban policies and local support.

Certification, agricultural waste, organic production, herbal medicine and biotechnology in the conception of farmers of the State of Goiás

ABSTRACT The organic production system aims not at the intensive exploitation of resources, but the correct management of waste, the use of alternative treatments of animal diseases, and the utilization of some biotechnologies to assist in production. This is an exploratory study to evaluate the way farmers perceive the certification of their farms, the organic agricultural production, waste control, and the use of herbal medicine and biotechnologies in their properties. Fifteen farmers from the Dom Fernando Gomes dos Santos (GI) settlement, in Itaberaí, participated in the study, besides 15 farmers (GII) who are not participants in agrarian reform programs from different municipalities in the state of Goiás. Information was collected using questionnaires that addressed issues related to certification of farms, production of waste, organic agricultural production, herbal medicine, and biotechnology. Most farmers of GI and GII were unfamiliar with farm certification. Most GII farmers knew about agricultural waste, but few GI farmers knew its meaning. Most farmers of the two groups were familiar with the term organic agricultural production. More GII farmers were familiar with herbal medicines than GI. In both groups the term biotechnology was unknown to most people. It was concluded that this lack of knowledge by the majority of farmers about most topics presented shows the need to plan and execute actions to assist in the dissemination of information among farmers, settlers or not, using practical and functional strategies.

Contractual Farming Arrangements, Quality Control, Incentives, and Distribution Failure in Kenya's Smallholder Horticulture: A Multivariate Probit Analysis

ABSTRACTWith the rapid growth of horticultural value chains, the use of contractual farming arrangements, strategies of quality control (farm audits/crop rejections), pricing incentives, and distribution efficiencies (crop collection arrangements) are increasingly breaking market barriers, for example, private standards, certification, traceability, and supply reliability in developing countries. Cognizant of market access, farm produce value, sustainable production, and reduction of postharvest losses, this paper investigated whether farm size, schooling, producer price, farm visits, and social capital networks condition these strategies. The results show that use of written contracts is conditioned by farm sizes, more extension, and number of producer groups (PGs) while farm certification is positively predicted by farm sizes, more extension, number of sellers in the village and seasons with the same buyer. However, certification is less responsive to producer prices. Crop rejections are predicted to be less depending on a farmer's education, number of PGs, and the producer price but are more likely to increase the more the number of sellers. Further, the results show that a forward pricing incentive is highly correlated with higher producer prices, more extension, and number of seasons with the same buyer. Finally, uncollected produce at harvest is likely to decrease with farm sizes, more education and extension, higher producer price, number of PGs, and seasons with the same buyer but is more likely to increase the higher the number of sellers. Implications are made. [EconLit citations: L14; Q13].

한국형 농작업 안전보건 농가 인증제도 수립을 위한 프레임워크 및 평가항목 설계

1)ABSTRACTThis study establishes a safe and healthy farm certification sy stem for Korean farmers and presents the certification system and assessment items. Existin g certification systems for safety and health were compared through a review of local and internat ional studies as well as an examination of advanced examples. Then the certification system and assessment items were objectively verified through an expert evaluation process. As a result, four domains of certification participation, implementation, certification evaluation, and po st management were identified as components of the certification system. For assessment measures , 6 categories, 21 factors, and 96 items were derived. The results are expected to be used as b asic data in establishing a foundation for the implementation and operation of a certification system appropriate for distinct characteristics of the Korean agricultural sector.Keywords:safety & health certification system, agricultural work, framew ork, evaluation index

The effect of specialty coffee certification on household livelihood strategies and specialisation

Farm certification is rapidly becoming a sine qua non for access to specialty coffee markets. At the centre of these changes are smallholder coffee producers, responsible for 80% of global coffee production. Although rural households are known to depend on more than agricultural production alone, the literature on specialty coffee and certification has rather narrowly focused on coffee income and production. In this study, broader impacts are explicitly taken into account. Household income was decomposed into categories corresponding to specific income-generating activities and coffee income was broken down into price, yield and area effects. Results show that coffee certification encourages farmers to specialise in coffee production, increasing coffee income but not total household income, at least not in the short run. The time and effort required to attain the higher coffee income offered by certified production means farmers have to give up other activities. This substitution effect cancels out the income effect, such that there is no increase in total household income. The lack of an effect on total household income suggests the return to the additional labour effort required for certified coffee production is not higher than in other activities, questioning the benefits of certification for small-scale producers.

Going sustainable or conventional? Evaluating the CAP's impacts on the implementation of sustainable forms of agriculture in Greece

The extensive use of conventional farming has brought about numerous negative effects in the environment and the quality of agricultural products, emerging the introduction of alternative forms of agriculture, including organic and integrated farming. The recent reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) implemented a policy scheme to encourage the engagement in organic and integrated farming, in an effort to ensure the quality and safety of agricultural production and enhance environmental protection. The objective of the present study is to investigate the main factors of the CAP that contribute to the implementation of these two alternative farming systems in Greece, furthermore analysing the farmers’ characteristics, opinions and attributes, towards the significance of each factor. The results indicate that the three main CAP's measures that affect the application of organic and integrated farming refer to the importance of farm certification, the product's promotion by other EU programmes and, predominantly the subsidized support of agricultural production.

A View Point for Wind Farm Certification

A View Point for Wind Farm Certification

RFID이용 전자식 모돈 개체별 액상급이기 개발(1) - RFID를 이용한 모돈 액상급이기 제작 및 성능시험 -

Purpose: In EU, the animal welfare regulations are strengthening. Also, in Korea, for strengthening of animal protection laws, animal welfare farm certification scheme is being prepared to enforce. To get the certification of animal welfare farm, especially for sows, individual specific feeding in sow group is necessary in accordance with the animal welfare regulation. Also, liquid feeding is reported to be more effective for farrowing as well as dry sow. Therefore, in this study, a electronic liquid sow feeder using RFID which could be fed to farrowing sow simultaneously is developed. Methods : We manufactured a prototype of appropriate elements which were evaluated in the preliminary test for selecting RFID tag, supply pump, mixing type, etc. With the prototype, the performance test for liquid feeding gilt was done in group raising training barn. Results : The performance test result shows the C.V.(coefficient of variation) of liquid mixing and feeding is 0.77~1.97% and 2.4~5.3%, respectively, which means the system could feed sows uniformly. The feeding time of pneumatically activated ball valve is 2 seconds per 0.9 kg of liquid feed. The eating time for gilt were 65 seconds in average. Conclusions : The prototype could feed sow uniformly, and deliver the liquid feed 9 times for a sow continuously. Also, total eating time for a sow was 18 minutes in one visit to the prototype of feeding station.

Understanding farmers' participation in and compliance with public and private standards

AbstractThe agricultural direct support schemes of the European Union require that farmers comply with Cross-Compliance regulation. Further standards apply if farms become members of private certification schemes. Incentives to participate in these schemes are potentially manifold: financial rewards, standard overlap between the schemes, favorable farm structure allowing easy compliance, but also moderate expected costs in case of noncompliance. The paper develops a theoretical model explaining farmers' participation and joint compliance behavior and empirically evaluates the model using data from a survey of Austrian livestock farms. Evidence indicates that farmers weigh the importance of compliance, control, detection, and sanctions differently for the direct support and farm certification schemes but strive to comply with all rules. Hence, the theoretically expected trade-off between costs and benefits of participation occurs only to a low extent.

Evaluation of minimum animal welfare conditions in national standards and farm certification schemes for pig fattening

This paper aims at assessing the status of animal welfare in Austria and Germany as it is regulated by private, national, and European animal welfare legislation. In order to achieve this, an inventory of existing private and state-driven animal welfare certification schemes that are relevant for fattening pigs in Austria and Germany is done, and the overlap between legislative and private certification requirements for animal welfare analyzed. The paper's methodological contribution lies in the development of an assessment approach based on the Austrian “Animal Needs Index” that allows the evaluation of minimum farm animal welfare standards without expensive and time-consuming on-farm measures. The comparison of legislative and private certification scheme pig standards indicate slight differences between the minimum animal welfare obligations of certification schemes existent in Austria and Germany whereas the reviewed Austrian scheme obligations show in general more diversification from the evaluated legislative standards.

Process audits versus product quality monitoring of bulk milk

Assessment of milk quality is based on bulk milk testing and farm certification on process quality audits. It is unknown to what extent dairy farm audits improve milk quality. A statistical analysis was conducted to quantify possible associations between bulk milk testing and dairy farm audits. The analysis comprised 64.373 audit outcomes on 26,953 dairy farms, which were merged with all conducted laboratory tests of bulk milk samples 12 mo before the audit. Each farm audit record included 271 binary checklist items and 52 attention point variables (given to farmers if serious deviations were observed), both indicating possible deviations from the desired farm situation. Test results included somatic cell count (SCC), total bacterial count (TBC), antimicrobial drug residues (ADR), level of butyric acid spores (BAB), freezing point depression (FPD), level of free fatty acid (FFA), and milk sediment (SED). Results show that numerous audit variables were related to bulk milk test results, although the goodness of fit of the models was generally low. Cow hygiene, clean cubicles, hygiene of milking parlor, and utility room were positively correlated with superior product quality, mainly with respect to SCC, TBC, BAB, FPD, FFA, and SED. Animal health or veterinary drugs management (i.e., drug treatment recording, marking of treated animals, and storage of veterinary drugs) related to SCC, FPD, FFA, and SED. The availability of drinking water was related to TBC, BAB, FFA, and SED, whereas maintenance of the milking equipment was related mainly to SCC, FPD, and FFA. In summary, bulk milk quality and farm audit outcomes are, to some degree, associated: if dairy farms are assessed negatively on specific audit aspects, the bulk milk quality is more likely to be inferior. However, the proportion of the total variance in milk test results explained by audits ranged between 4 and 13% (depending on the specific bulk milk test), showing that auditing dairy farms provides additional information but has a limited association with the outcome of a product quality control program. This study suggests that farm audits could be streamlined to include only relevant checklist items and that bulk milk quality monitoring could be used as a basis of selecting farms for more or less frequent audits.

Évaluation multicritère appliquée au bien-être des animaux en ferme ou à l’abattoir : difficultés et solutions du projet Welfare Quality®

Face au développement en Europe de programmes de certification d’élevages mettant en avant le respect du bien-être animal, le projet Welfare Quality® a proposé à l’Union Européenne d’établir un modèle d’évaluation globale des exploitations (fermes ou abattoirs) au regard du bien-être des animaux. Ce modèle repose sur une évaluation multicritère dans laquelle 12 critères de bien-être, regroupés en 4 principes, ont été définis. Après avoir identifié les mesures nécessaires pour vérifier qu’une exploitation est conforme aux différents critères, le modèle a été progressivement construit. Il aboutit à un classement des exploitations en quatre catégories reflétant le niveau de bien-être (d’excellent à très faible). Pour ce faire, des méthodes multicritères ont été utilisées, évitant ainsi les écueils d’une agrégation naïve de l’information (comme les sommes pondérées qui autorisent les pleines compensations entre critères, ce qui n’est pas compatible avec le concept de bien-être). Différentes personnes (chercheurs en sciences animales ou sociales, porteurs d’enjeux) ont été consultées au moyen de jeux de données virtuelles sur lesquelles elles devaient donner une appréciation. Le modèle a été développé et paramétré afin de refléter ces appréciations. Une analyse a posteriori des résultats produits montre que le modèle accorde la priorité aux animaux en moins bon état tout en tenant compte de l’état moyen du troupeau, et qu’il limite fortement les compensations entre critères. Cet exemple montre qu’en suivant cette méthodologie rigoureuse, il est possible d’aider l’évaluation d’un concept multidimensionnel, même si cet exercice comporte des choix de valeurs qu’il convient d’expliciter et de modéliser. La méthodologie suivie pour construire ce modèle d’évaluation du bien-être peut être transposée pour évaluer d’autres concepts multidimensionnels comme la durabilité des systèmes de production.

Passing the Panda Standard: A TAD Off the Mark?

Tilapia, a tropical freshwater fish native to Africa, is an increasingly important global food commodity. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a major environmental nongovernmental organization, has established stakeholder dialogues to formulate farm certification standards that promote "responsible" culture practices. As a preface to its "tilapia aquaculture dialogue," the WWF for Nature commissioned a review of potential certification issues, later published as a peer-reviewed article. This article contends that both the review and the draft certification standards subsequently developed fail to adequately integrate critical factors governing the relative sustainability of tilapia production and thereby miss more significant issues related to resource-use efficiency and the appropriation of ecosystem space and services. This raises a distinct possibility that subsequent certification will promote intensive systems of tilapia production that are far less ecologically benign than existing widely practiced semi-intensive alternatives. Given the likely future significance of this emergent standard, it is contended that a more holistic approach to certification is essential.

CARACTERIZACIÓN SOCIOECONÓMICA Y PRODUCTIVA DE UN GRUPO DE AGRICULTORES DE CHILOE ADSCRITOS AL PROGRAMA PLANTEL ANIMAL BAJO CONTROL OFICIAL

Milk and meat production is well developed in the central and the southern zones of the country, with the milk production being concentrated between the Region de los Rios and the Region de Los Lagos; whereas meat production extends from the Maule Region to the Magallanes Region. The recently signed Free Trade Agreements (FTA’s) have increased the trading opportunities for the cattle sector. It is necessary to characterize small producers to provide future support to improve their efficiency and to better face the new trading conditions. The objective of this study was to conduct a social, economic and productive characterization of a group of farmers from the Community of Ancud in the Province of Chiloe, and during the implementation and certification as bovine PABCO farms. Data was collected using a static structured survey given to 31 farmers belonging to the Instituto National de Desarrollo Agropecuario (INDAP) (National Institute of Agriculture Development) programme with bovine PABCO farm certification, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Bovine PABCO farm certification is a program created to ensure that a series of management strategies are carried out at the farm level, to certify that the meat sent abroad of high quality and innocuous for human consumption and to ensure traceability of the animals. It is a program available for all farmers. Most of the farmers are men and less than half of them have completed primary schooling and less than 10% have finished secondary schooling. All of the farmers are solely farming cattle, mainly for milk production with bovine meat production as a secondary target. Potato production (Solanum tuberosum L), is mainly for self-consumption. Their motivation to become PABCO certified farms is to improve their trading opportunities and income.

Heavy‐Metal Balances, Part II: Management of Cadmium, Copper, Lead, and Zinc in European Agro‐Ecosystems

SummaryThe aim of sustainable heavy‐metal management in agroecosystems is to ensure that the soil continues to fulfill its functions: in agricultural production, in environmental processes such as the cycling of elements, and as a habitat of numerous organisms. To understand and manage heavy‐metal flows effectively, a consistent approach to modeling the flows is needed within the particular agro‐system under study. General aspects of heavy‐metal balance studies in agro‐ecosystems were described in part I of this study. In this article (part II), several European studies of heavy‐metal balances at varying spatial scales and in a variety of agro‐ecosystems are reviewed. Sectoral studies at the national and international levels provide information for economic analyses and generic regulations; however, policies implemented at these levels often ignore farm characteristics and individual management options. Field‐scale and farm‐gate balances give farmers specific feedback on effective options for better heavy‐metal management. Heavy‐metal balances could be incorporated in an environmental management system of certified farms. In this way, farm certification may well serve as a basis from which to develop policy to address environmental issues in agriculture.