Food Value Chain Research Articles

Enhancing youth's retention in potato farming enterprise through consortium agribusiness models in Tanzania

AbstractThe future of African youth probably lies in agriculture; however, this can be realized by making agriculture both profitable and attractive to young people. The importance of increasing youth involvement in agricultural value chains is primarily to sustain food production and secondly to reduce youth unemployment. Youth can be involved in various segments of agriculture and food value chains including production, post‐harvest handling, distribution, value addition, and marketing. In Tanzania, Agri‐Hub networks promote entrepreneurship by linking the youth to processing, markets, agricultural input dealers, extension services, and the promotion of existing and emerging agribusiness opportunities. It is believed that market access is critical in igniting an agricultural transformation that will upgrade African farmers (youth) from subsistence to business‐focused production. Kilimo Trust in Tanzania has been employing an innovative consortium agribusiness model to efficiently link youth farmers to outputs and inputs markets. The model helped these farmers in accessing sustainable, profitable, and structured input and output markets, particularly those engaged in potato production. Thus, a study was designed to find how the consortium business model influences youth engagement and retention in potato farming enterprises. The study employed a multistage sampling technique to collect data from 144 participants and 120 non‐participants of the consortium business model. A questionnaire and key informant interviews were employed to collect data. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, content analysis, and propensity score matching. The findings of this study reveal that young small‐scale farmers participated in collaborative procurement of inputs and marketing of potatoes and attended training during project implementation. The results further show that participation in the consortium business model has a positive and significant effect on youth's retention in potato farming enterprises. Youth potato farmers participating in the consortium business model have higher profit per hectare (2,392,326.5TZS/Ha) than youth in groups not utilizing the consortium business model to the group membership (2,170,405 TZS/Ha). Therefore, this study recommends that governments support policies that will facilitate the establishment and strengthening of the consortium business models. This will assist in sustainably engaging and retaining youth in agriculture through increased productivity and profit.

The transformative value chain: rethinking food system interventions

Food value chains (VC) are an integral part of food systems, and (VC) programs remain central in the work of development agencies. Despite their popularity among donors and their attempts to tackle food and nutrition security, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability, food value chain interventions are at crossroads. The ongoing food system crisis has ultimately put a square emphasis on food as a nexus issue. The objective of this paper is to review the history and conceptual basics behind food VC development and to suggest changes in the way interventions are designed and implemented in order to face the current critical juncture of food systems. The paper reviews theoretical as well as empirical underpinnings of contemporary food value chain interventions. Three transformative concepts, i.e., system thinking, transformative capacity and strong sustainability, embedded within agroecological principals, are suggested to replace the traditional paradigm of the sustainable food VC development. A new, principle-based perspective on food value chain development, “the transformative value chain perspective,” is proposed to ensure that future VC promotion contribute to the necessary sustainability transformation of our food systems.

Climate Change Mitigation in Agriculture: Barriers to the Adoption of Carbon Farming Policies in the EU

Climate change mitigation in the agricultural sector is essential to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C within reach. This article explores why there has been a limited adoption of carbon farming policies in the EU, despite the potential for emissions reductions and carbon sequestration at the farm level. Desk research revealed that EU Member States are increasingly setting sectoral climate targets for agriculture, but there is a lack of policies addressing carbon farming. Governments have largely refrained from using laws and regulatory instruments, with strategies and plans representing the large majority of carbon farming policies in the EU. Moreover, interviews with policymakers and other stakeholders revealed that the main barriers to the adoption of carbon farming policies are concerns over carbon leakage and competitive advantage, the need for a just transition, and structural issues in the food value chain. Despite being regarded by researchers as a main barrier to carbon farming, the agricultural lobby is not perceived as a barrier by policymakers, who emphasise the importance of involving farmers in the policy process. A key implication of these findings is that carbon farming policies need to form part of a wider food system transformation in order to successfully contribute to climate change mitigation.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD SYSTEMS AND FOOD SECURITY IN CONTEXT OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM COVID-19 PANDEMIC AS A GLOBAL CHALLENGE: INSIGHTS FROM A QUALITATIVE PERSPECTIVE

The study aims to help rethink the future of food systems and food security in context of lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic as global challenge from a qualitative perspective. The pandemic disrupted global food systems that were already at risk to many threats such as climate change, natural resources degradation, extreme weather events, regional conflicts, low productivity, high population growth, and economic slowdown. The paper uses qualitative perspective to analyse COVID-19 effects on food systems and food security, identifies ways to establish resilient and sustainable food systems, and presents a roadmap to achieving a food-secure world by 2030. The findings indicates that the COVID-19 impacted the cash flow at both local and international levels and the financial state of producers, and agri-businesses causing low productivity, limited market accessibility, loss of employment, increased health costs, increased poverty levels, malnutrition, and deaths. Building sustainable and resilient food systems requires; supporting small-medium sized enterprises, strengthening international markets, technological innovations, promoting shorter and more diversified food value chains, and supporting small-scale farmers and rural women is inevitable.

Sustainability Assessment of Food Waste Biorefineries as the Base of the Entrepreneurship in Rural Zones of Colombia

The sustainability of food value chains is affected by the large amounts of waste produced with a high environmental impact. Food waste valorization applying the biorefinery concept has emerged as an alternative to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases and to promote the socio-economic development of value chains at local, regional, and national levels. This paper analyzes the sustainability of food waste biorefineries designed for boosting rural economic development in Colombia. These biorefineries were designed following a strategy based on a portfolio of bioprocesses involving fractions based on the composition of the raw materials. The valorization of six food residues produced in three representative rural areas of Colombia (i.e., Chocó, Caldas, and Sucre) was analyzed. Acai, annatto, sugarcane bagasse, rejected plantain and avocado, and organic kitchen food waste (OKFW) were selected as food wastes for upgrading. The biorefinery design strategy comprised five steps for filtering the most promising bioprocesses to be implemented. The OKFW was analyzed in detail, applying the design strategy to provide a step-by-step guide involving a portfolio of bioproducts, the technological maturity index, and the socio-economic context. This strategy implementation for OKFW valorization resulted in a scenario where biorefineries with levulinic acid production were the most feasible and sustainable, with high techno-economic performances and low environmental impacts. For the valorization of the other food residues, the processes with the greatest feasibility of being implemented in rural areas were bioactive compounds, oil, flour, and biogas production.

Listeria monocytogenes at the food–human interface: A review of risk factors influencing transmission and consumer exposure in Africa

SummaryIn African public health systems, Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen of relatively low priority. Yet, the biggest listeriosis outbreak recorded to date occurred in Africa in 2018. This review highlights the factors that potentially impact L. monocytogenes transmission risks through African food value chains (FVCs). With the high rate of urbanisation, African FVCs have become spatially longer yet still informal. At the same time, dietary diversifications have resulted in increased consumption of processed ready‐to‐eat (RTE) meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products typically associated with a higher risk of L. monocytogenes consumer exposure. With frequent cold chain challenges, the potential of L. monocytogenes growth in contaminated RTE foods can further amplify consumer exposure risks. Moreover, the high prevalence of untreated HIV infections, endemic anaemia, high fertility rate and a gradually increasing proportion of elderly persons expands the fraction of listeriosis‐susceptible groups among African populations. With already warmer tropical conditions, the projected climate change‐induced increases in ambient temperatures are likely to exacerbate listeriosis risks in Africa. As precautionary approaches, African countries should implement systems for the detection and reporting of listeriosis cases and food safety regulations that provide L. monocytogenes standards and limits in high‐risk RTE foods.

3D printability and biochemical analysis of revalorized orange peel waste.

Orange peels are often discarded as food waste despite being a nutritious source of vitamins and antioxidants. These orange peel wastes (OPW) are produced in millions of tons globally every year; discarding them results in detrimental environmental and economical impacts. This paper discusses the application of 3D printing technology to effectively upcycle the OPW into edible, healthy snacks for consumption. We aimed to develop a method to enable OPW to formulate 3D-printable inks for direct ink writing (DIW). Using DIW 3D printing, we successfully created edible constructs of rheologically modified inks containing OPW. The formulated ink possessed an initial viscosity of 22.5 kPa.s, a yield stress of 377 Pa, and a storage modulus of 44.24 kPa. To validate the method, we conducted a biochemical analysis of the OPW at each stage of the fabrication process. This study suggested that our ink formulation and 3D printing process did not affect the content of bioflavonoids and antioxidants of the OPW. The cell viability test using human dermal microvascular endothelium (HMEC-1) suggested that the OPW did not exhibit cytotoxicity throughout the entire process of the ink manipulation. Overall, this study has highlighted a potential scenario to revalorize food waste into the food value chain using 3D printing toward more sustainable and circular food manufacturing and consumption.

How Public Procurement Mechanisms Can Be Used as a Tool for Developing Pro-Poor Food Value Chains: From Entry Points to Interventions

Smallholder farmers from developing countries are among the most vulnerable populations facing high food insecurity. Participation in agri-food value chains can offer a valuable pathway out of poverty for millions of poor households in these regions due to their trans-sectorial ability to create empowerment, inclusion, and economic value. Current urbanization rates and the advent of a growing middle class in developing countries make local value chains linked to regional and domestic markets increasingly valuable for smallholder farmers. Under this context, governments and institutions are key actors in influencing pro-poor value chains upgrading trajectories, and public procurement is a way by which these actors can direct participants. This study addresses an important knowledge gap in the possible practical approaches to designing and implementing such schemes. Informed by a literature review, a contextual appraisal of the major advantages and disadvantages of public procurement for the pro-poor development of value chains was conducted. A framework of analysis and intervention is then proposed and discussed. Based on the critical and contextualized analysis of the evidence, we address strategies for public food procurement, challenges, mitigation measures, supporting interventions, and considerations for planning. Overall, our analysis suggests that several existing initiatives still lack tangible results, partly due to gaps in the implementation of laws and regulations. We also highlight that, if implemented as a stand-alone intervention, it is likely that public procurement will not be effective. Additionally, we make an argument on the importance of engaging with the private sector in the process of devising an exit strategy as part that supports long-term sustainability.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Supply Chain in UAE Food Sector

The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly impacted supply chains and has caused several supply chain disruptions in almost all industries worldwide. Moreover, increased transportation costs, labor shortages, and insufficient storage facilities have all led to food loss during the pandemic, and this disruption has affected the logistics in the food value chain. As a result, we examine the food supply chain, which is one of the key industries COVID-19 has detrimentally affected, impacting, indeed, on the entire business process from the supplier all the way to the customer. Retail businesses are thus facing supply issues, which affect consumer behavior by creating stress regarding the availability of food. This has a negative impact on the amount of food that is available as well as its quality, freshness, safety, access to markets, and affordability. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the United Arab Emirates food distribution systems and how consumer behavior changed in reaction to interruptions in the food supply chain and the food security problem. Hypothesis testing was used in the study’s quantitative methodology to assess consumer behavior, and participants who were consumers were given a descriptive questionnaire to ascertain whether the availability and security of food had been impacted. The study used JASP 0.17.2 software to develop a model of food consumption behavior and to reveal pertinent connections between each construct. Results show that consumer food stress and consumption behavior are directly impacted by food access, food quality and safety, and food pricing. Furthermore, food stress has an impact on how consumers behave when it comes to consumption. Food stress, however, is not significantly influenced by food supply.

Factors of price dynamics in the commodity markets of Siberia

The identification and comparative analysis of the main factors determining the dynamics of prices in the commodity markets of Siberia has been carried out. At the first stage, the product groups of Rosstat were regrouped into commodity markets in order to more fully use the data of Rosstat and the Bank of Russia Enterprise Monitoring in the component-by-component modeling of the consumer price index of the Siberia macroregion. At the second stage, for each commodity market in Siberia and each period of price dynamics (the entire series, acceleration and deceleration of price growth), using the LARS method, factors of price dynamics were selected and then, in order to arrange the selected factors according to the degree of influence on commodity prices, linear regression models were trained. It is shown that, despite the close characteristics of the initial factor spaces, the models of non-food markets included a smaller number of features. This fact, together with the lower quality of non-food models, suggests that the generated space of factors, reflecting predominantly regional specifics, is less suitable for explaining the price dynamics of non-food products, which are more tradable in nature. Using the mean reciprocal rank metric, the most significant factors in a variety of commodity markets were identified. The comparison of factors showed that in both types of markets, during periods of accelerating price growth, the influence of the RUONIA interbank lending rate and the price index for investment products is more significant, and during periods of slowdown, the influence of the index of the real exchange rate of the ruble against the dollar, producer price indices by sectors and the amount of debt on loans to individuals. It was found that in the food markets of Siberia, the main factor of inflation is producer prices in commodity markets, while the non-food markets are most affected by the RUONIA interbank lending rate. In addition, non-food markets are more influenced by world prices, which also reflects the greater integration of non-food producers into the international division of labor and, conversely, the greater localization of food value chains.

Making the sustainability hotspot analysis more participatory—experiences from field research in Zambia

Food value chains constitute a core element of food systems. Along any value chain, several bottlenecks, and obstacles negatively affect the sustainability of the entire chain. Therefore, the identification and assessment of such sustainability hotspots is a vital step in the process towards higher levels of sustainability. Over the past few decades food value chains have been supported as part of development cooperation to help alleviate poverty and ensure food and nutrition security. However, so far, a suitable methodology to assess aspects of sustainability along such food value chains was not available. Therefore, we have adapted the sustainability hotspot analysis, originally developed by the Wuppertal Institute, and enhanced it with a participatory approach, thereby making it suitable for application in the context of development cooperation. In this paper, we present a step-by-step overview of the entire assessment process by using examples from its application in Zambia’s dairy and groundnut value chains. The developed methodology allows, through participatory means, the identification and assessment of sustainability aspects by stakeholders themselves, with the validation and amplification of assessment results by locally-based value chain experts. We demonstrate that results from this participatory hotspot analysis are aligned with the principles of agroecology promoted by the FAO, and are geared towards supporting transformative food system change processes. Our key findings from the application of the participatory hotspot analysis showed that sustainability hotspots occur in the social, economic, and ecological dimensions of sustainability along both value chains. It also became clear that hotspots are frequently interconnected, requiring a holistic approach based on a solid understanding of strong sustainability when designing solutions. We conclude that our participatory hotspot analysis provides a user-friendly methodology that generates action-oriented recommendations, and provides an ideal starting point in the development process for co-learning and co-creation of knowledge aimed at generating sustainability-enhancing innovations. The application of the participatory hotspot analysis reveals information on aspects that threaten the sustainability of value chains from a stakeholder perspective. Knowledge of these perspectives is essential, especially for development practitioners tasked with designing implementation strategies to improve the sustainability of value chains.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vegetable farmers in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic not only imposed severe health risks but also raised major challenges to the economy, due to widespread and severe measures to control the spread of the disease. Food value chains were disrupted by restrictions of the movement of people and commodities, which had significant impacts on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bangladeshi vegetable farmers. A total of 320 vegetable farmers were selected from the North-West region of Bangladesh. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a digital survey method. Analysis revealed that around 3–5% of the marketed surplus of the farms was reduced during the pandemic due to the disturbances. The majority of the farm households reported that there was a significant reduction in their family income and, as a consequence, around 38% of farm households had cut down on their food consumption during the pandemic. The farmers were found to follow different strategies to cope with the difficulties and respond to government initiatives to mitigate such impacts. Despite all the restrictions and risks, extension services were still available to help the farmers. On the basis of the findings, this study suggests the importance of collaborative participation of the relevant bodies to decrease the effects of COVID-19 on farm households by employing all available mechanisms and focusing more on identifying effective coping strategies that can be supported in the event of future shocks, for more sustainable and resilient food systems.

After the Long Walk Home…the Gendered Rural Safety Net

In the absence of adequate social security for migrant workers, the recession forced the mass exodus of millions of circular migrants supported by their rural households of largely left-behind women. Our article looks at what happened after that. How did the returned migrants manage to survive and retain their capacity to work till they were required back in urban employment? This article argues that gendered rural households functioned as safety nets in the severe recession in the Indian economy which highlights the weakness in the state policy and lack of resources in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were safety nets not only for workers directly working in food value chains but also for reverse migrants. Overall, the recession did not just result in a temporary loss of income but also increased inequality and strengthened the oligopoly structure of the Indian economy.

Chemical strategies towards controlled release in agriculture

Abstract With an increasing world population of nearly eight billion which is expected to expand towards nine billion by 2050, future food demands will rise unavoidably. Primary productivity of crop is at the center of the food and feed value chain. Excessive and low efficiency fertilization cause severe environmental and ecological problems, along with economic wastage. Next to fertilizers, also pesticides, plant growth regulators and other agrochemicals (e.g., stored animal manure and hormones) pose environmental issues and require specific technologies to ensure security of human health and the global ecosystem while increasing food productions. There is an agronomic, legal and environmental ‘demand’ to develop controlled release solutions to optimize agricultural practices. In this regard, (polymer) chemistry can offer a wide range of strategies to cope with the current issues related to biodegradation, overfertilization, pesticide use, efficient precision agriculture etc. through tailored material design allowing controlled active components release. Therefore, this review focusses on (polymer) chemical strategies to design controlled release systems in the agricultural industry, covering specifically the state-of-the-art from the past four years.

Maximizing nutrition in key food value chains of Mongolia under climate change

Mongolia’s projected warming is far above the global average and could exceed 5 °C by the end of the century. The reliance on pastoral livestock and rainfed agriculture along with its fragile ecosystems put Mongolia’s economy at risk of adverse climate change impacts, particularly from climate extreme events. Eighty percent of Mongolia’s agricultural sector is concentrated in animal husbandry with around one third of the population relying on this livelihood. Beyond livestock, food production is concentrated in few crops: wheat; potatoes; and three vegetables (cabbage, carrot, and turnip). Climate change does not only affect food production but can exacerbate malnutrition by removing food and nutrients in all stages of the food value chain. To identify perceived effects of climate change and measures to reduce climate change impacts in Mongolia's’s key food value chains, we implemented focus group discussions with 214 livestock and vegetable producers, traders, and food consumers. We also conducted 30 key informant interviews at the soum, provincial, and national levels across four agroecosystems in three provinces. Based on this community engagement analysis, we identify interventions that the government and private sector, including herders and farmers, should undertake to increase the food security and nutrition of the country’s prioritized food value chains under climate change.

Assessing the Interlinkage between Biodiversity and Diet through the Mediterranean Diet Case.

The adoption of healthy and sustainable diets and the transition to sustainable food systems is of principal importance in order to counteract the double burden of climate change and noncommunicable diseases. The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been widely recognized as a biodiversity and healthy nutrition resource to support sustainable development and food security. This study explored biodiversity in terms of food plants species, subspecies, varieties, and races, and also addressed food plant diversity differences between the MD and Western-type consumption patterns. It was funded by the EU BioValue Project, aiming to promote the integration of underutilized crops into the food value chains. Using a 2-stage scheme, data were selected from MEDUSA and Euro+Med databases (including 449 species, 2366 subspecies, varieties, and races). Furthermore, 12 countries from North Africa and Europe were classified in 2 groups according to their subregional attributes and their traditionally most prevalent dietary pattern (MD or Western-type diets). Statistical analysis showed that the mean of the majorly cultivated food plants in the MD was significantly higher than its counterpart in the Western diet. Furthermore, no statistical difference was detected in the averages of native food plants between the MD group and the Western diet group, implying that the higher diversity in food plants observed in the MD seems to be attributed to crop utilization rather than crop availability. Our findings indicated the interlinkage between biodiversity and prevailing dietary patterns and further underlined that biodiversity could constitute a prerequisite for dietary diversity and hence nutrition security. In addition, this study demonstrated that diets and nutrition should be approached in a broader way within the context of both agro-food and ecological systems.

Characterizing value chains’ contribution to resilient and sustainable development in European mountain areas

Mountain areas have been the testbed for sustainable development models focused on balancing their vulnerability and the value of their natural, cultural, and social resources. In these areas, the continuous adaptative interaction between bio-geophysical and socio-cultural processes assembles Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) characterized by a great diversity of ecosystems and land uses, which provide substantial support for the livelihoods of mountain communities and essential ecosystem services for uplands and lowlands. In this paper, we take value chains to be the operative units of analysis to examine human-natural systems interactions in mountain areas. Value chains mobilize resources and connect actors beyond territorial boundaries and economic sectors to generate economic, environmental, and social values. Strategies for local development of these areas should direct attention to value generation activities and require a systemic, integrated and assets-based approach which explores the potential synergies emerging from the coordination of the diversity of local specificities and considers the opportunities and threats emerging from external sub-systems. This paper proposes a novel comparative framework to characterize value chains contribution to resilient and sustainable development of SESs in mountain areas. This framework is meant for researchers and policy analysts to identify the role value chains might accomplish for a better balance between natural resource conservation and sustainable socio-economic development in European (remote) rural areas. Two mountain food value chains are used to illustrate the framework and test its efficacy. The cases depict two value chain configurations which result in different social, economic and environmental outcomes for the sustainable development of the SES.

Food Safety

In the advent of climate variability (commonly known as climate change), consideration for food safety is ever more critical than before. Ordinarily weather would dictate what part of the food value chain fits within what season. During land preparation, there is little rain, then rain comes during planting to facilitate germination. The rain continues as the crops grow. Then the rain begins to subside as the crop matures and the grain begins to dry. Eventually the rain subsides to allow the grain to be harvested and dried. All this ensured grains, particularly, stayed safe for human consumption. As I recall growing up in the village and with my parents, grains were dried and stored in a well woven granary. The grains were well aired, raised from the ground to avoid rodent infestation, and the grain remained dry and whole, clean.

Heavy metal contamination in retailed food in Bangladesh: a dietary public health risk assessment

Introduction Contamination with heavy and toxic metals along the food value chain is a public health concern in Bangladesh. Methods In this study, 608 fish and chicken samples from traditional and modern retail outlets in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas were collected and analyzed for chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) contamination, using atomic absorption spectrometry method. The daily intake, target hazard quotient and the target carcinogenic risk (for lead only) as a result of fish and chicken consumption was calculated based on mean results, and by Monte Carlo simulation in @Risk with 100,000 iterations (quantitative risk assessment). Results Cr and Cd were detected in 80–86% of both chicken meat and fish samples, while Pb positivity found in chicken meat and fish was 54.9 and 23.3%, respectively. The mean concentration (±SD) of Cr, Cd, and Pb in chicken meat were 0.66 ± 0.93, 0.02 ± 0.03, and 0.09 ± 0.10 mg/kg, respectively; and in fish were 0.49 ± 0.62, 0.02 ± 0.03, and 0.06 ± 0.09 mg/kg, respectively. The estimated daily intakes of Cr, Cd, and Pb from chicken and fish were lower than the maximum tolerable daily intake in all studied areas. In addition, the target carcinogenic risk for Pb in chicken was lower than the negligible range, which indicated the risk of cancer due to exposure to Pb through chicken meat and fish consumption was very low. Discussion The present study concludes that consumption of chicken meat and fish in Bangladesh, currently at very low levels, is unlikely to constitute a major health risk for humans in respect to these metals. However, continuous market surveillance for heavy metals in food stuff is recommended, especially since consumers may increase their meat intake.

The Aspects of Artificial Intelligence in Different Phases of the Food Value and Supply Chain.

The types of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence integration to the food value and supply chain, other technologies embedded with artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence adoption barriers in the food value and supply chain, and solutions to overcome these barriers were analyzed by the authors. It was demonstrated by the analysis that artificial intelligence can be integrated vertically into the entire food supply and value chain, owing to its wide range of functions. Different phases of the chain are affected by developed technologies such as robotics, drones, and smart machines. Different capabilities are provided for different phases by the interaction of artificial intelligence with other technologies such as big data mining, machine learning, the Internet of services, agribots, industrial robots, sensors and drones, digital platforms, driverless vehicles and machinery, and nanotechnology, as revealed by a systematic literature analysis. However, the application of artificial intelligence is hindered by social, technological, and economic barriers. These barriers can be overcome by developing the financial and digital literacy of farmers and by disseminating good practices among the participants of the food supply and value chain.