Production Sector Research Articles

The cage-free egg sector: perspectives of Indian poultry producers.

India is ranked as the 2nd largest egg producer in the world. Despite the prevalence of backyard poultry (free range), a majority of the commercial egg-laying hens in the country are still housed in battery cages. There is a global shift toward cage-free eggs, due to regulations and increased demand from conscious consumers and food corporations. However, there are very few commercial cage-free facilities in India to meet this demand. The aim of this study was to undertake a needs-assessment survey of Indian egg producers on cage-free production, and understand what support is needed to build the capacities of the cage-free egg production sector to develop it into a viable and sustainable alternative to battery cage eggs. The results showed that nearly all producers agreed on the need for additional support in shifting to, and operating in, the cage-free sector. This included support in the form of financial assistance, technical training, and promotion of the cage-free sector. The results of this study highlight the pressing need for government and private support, in the absence of which cage-free producers are compelled to compete with battery cage poultry producers on prices, which will result in increased losses and failure of the sector, since they have not yet achieved economies of scale.

Wakaf Abdan Dalam Pendidikan Islam

Management of productive waqf in Indonesia has received legal protection. Through Law no. 41 of 2004 concerning waqf, actually waqf management is directed at the productive sector. Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor, East Java is one of the relatively successful nazhirs. Since the beginning of its development, Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor has called itself a "waqf Islamic boarding school". This Islamic boarding school is a Trimurti waqf, which Trimurti officially handed over on October 12 1958 to the community represented by the Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor Waqf Board. Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor is considered successful in utilizing its productive waqf proceeds to finance itself and therefore can be used as a model for the development of waqf-based educational institutions. This type of research is a literature study which aims to analyze several findings from the Al Quran, Hadith Books and journals. This research uses a qualitative method with a qualitative descriptive design by analyzing, identifying and exploring the findings from previous research results. The objects of this research are the Koran, Hadith books and journals. The results of this research are that Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor accommodates self-waqf with the aim of ensuring the survival of the Pondok and views it as part of the service waqf, because basically the practice of such waqf has been carried out by the community.

Проблемы современного состояния сельского хозяйства Пермского края

The modern world food market is showing stable trends due to increasing demand for agricultural products. The article examines the state of agriculture in the Perm region, analyzes the structure of the livestock complex, the dynamics of sown areas and agricultural products in the context of livestock and crop production sectors.

Analisis Produk Cacat pada Block Beton Menggunakan Metode Seven Tools dan Failure Mode Effect Analysis di Perusahan Precast XYZ

XYZ Company is a company in the manufacturing sector of precast concrete production, ready-to-use concrete products to meet the needs of the construction industry. The problem in this company is that there are still many defects that occur in the concrete produced. The purpose of this study is to find out what defects occur in concrete blocks, analyze the causes of their occurrence and make repair suggestions. This study uses the seven basic tools method to analyze the types of defects and the causes of defects in concrete blocks, and the FMEA method to make repair recommendations with the cause of defects from the highest RPN value. Based on the results of data processing, there are several defects that occur in concrete blocks, namely: porous, small cracks, non-angled products, non-uniform colors, bubbles, dimensions, gripis, and hairline cracks. From the Fishbone results, there are 18 indicators of the causes of the three defects, from the 18 causes of defects, the RPN value is then determined with the highest RPN value of 168, namely dirty, leaking, and less tight mold indicators..

Exploratory study for implementing a Global Burden of Animal Diseases case study in Senegal.

Senegal is a West African country with both extensive animal production systems, representative of the environmental, economic and animal health constraints specific to the Sahel region, and thriving commercial poultry and dairy production. An exploratory study was conducted in Senegal between 2021 and 2022 as a prelude to a case study of the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) programme. An overview of existing animal production systems as well as the main priorities and issues in animal health on a national level was developed. A national workshop gathering representatives from the livestock production and academic sectors took place in Dakar in June 2022 with the objective of jointly developing a case study. The participants prioritised pastoralist production systems for cattle and agropastoral systems for small ruminants for the application of the GBADs programme. Through a series of activities, the participants highlighted the health, environmental, economic and socio-political challenges surrounding these systems, all of which limit their contribution to the well-being of pastoralist households, consumers and other stakeholders. While Senegal has in the past hosted a large number of research and cooperative projects on these two livestock systems, participants noted difficulties in obtaining, centralising and harmonising the existing data. This exploratory study led to the funding of a focused case study of the agropastoral small-ruminant sector that was carried out in 2023 in partnership with national and international organisations.

How Contexts and Desired Impacts Shape Interventions towards Improved Antimicrobial Use in Animal Production

SummaryThe objective of this study was to analyse and compare the interventions (sets of actions) towards improved antimicrobial use (AMU) in animal production. These were designed in Living Labs (LLs) organised in five countries of the ROADMAP project, with ex ante impact assessment (EAIA) to guide the process. LL participants designed very different types of interventions which targeted systematically farmers and veterinarians but less frequently other stakeholders, despite the ROADMAP ambition to involve the whole value chain in AMU transition scenarios. A variety of factors influenced which interventions were designed, such as the country's AMU levels, existence of AMU monitoring systems, the possibility for veterinarians to profit from antimicrobials sales, export‐orientation of the animal production sector and political momentum. Other influential factors included the breadth of desired impacts that the LL participants wished to produce through the interventions they designed (limited to animal health aspects or encompassing other subjects such as animal welfare, consumer information or veterinary business models) and the LL process (choice of participants and facilitators). Overall, the approach succeeded in providing a holistic vision of the possible measures and the obstacles towards improved AMU and produced context‐tailored interventions with high acceptability. However, they had limited results in terms of system rethinking.

Implementasi Eco-Innovation dan Sustainable Manufacturing terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Sirkular UMKM Di Kota Langsa

This study aims to determine the implementation of Eco-Innovation and Sustainable Manufacturing on the Circular Economic Growth of MSMEs in Langsa City. This study uses quantitative research. Data collection by conducting surveys and questionnaires. The number of respondents is 100 people consisting of MSMEs in the food and beverage sector in Langsa City. Questionnaire data was tested using SPSS Version 23. The data analysis technique used linear regression analysis. The implementation of Eco-innovation is relatively small in influencing the circular economy. However, if the individual influence on the circular economy is tested, partially Eco-Innovation has not had an influence on the circular economy. However, if tested by multiple linear regression, Eco-Innovation still has hope in increasing the circular economy of MSMEs by 25%. If tested individually, Sustainable Manufacturing has a significance value of 0.00 <0.05. The conclusion of the hypothesis research is accepted because Sustainable Manufacturing has an effect on the circular economy. Likewise, the results of the multiple linear regression of Sustainable Manufacturing have a regression coefficient of 0.620. A positive coefficient means that every 1% increase in Sustainable Manufacturing will increase the Circular Economy by 62%. The recommendation of the research results requires a deeper study of eco-innovation in the production sector.

Nanoplastic Contamination in Freshwater Biofilms Using Gel Permeation Chromatography and Plasmonic Nanogold Sensor Approaches.

The worldwide contamination of aquatic ecosystems by plastics is raising concern, including their potential impacts on the base of the food chain, which has been poorly documented. This study sought to examine, for the first time, the presence of nanoplastics (NPs) in biofilms from freshwater streams/rivers. They were collected at selected polluted sites, such as the industrial sector for plastic recycling and production, miscellaneous industries, agriculture, municipal wastewaters/effluents and road runoffs. In parallel, the functional properties of sampled biofilms were determined by proteins, lipids, esterase (lipase), viscosity and oxidative stress. The results revealed that biofilms collected at the plastic industries and road runoffs contained the highest NP levels based on size exclusion chromatography, fluorescence detection and a new nanogold sensor visualization method. Examination of the chromatographic elution profiles showed increased abundance and size of NPs in the 10-150 nm size range at the polluted sites. Biofilms from the plastic industry site had elevated levels of aldehydes (oxidative stress) and lipids compared to the other sites. Biofilms collected at the municipal sites had elevated levels of proteins and esterases/lipases, with a decrease in total lipids. Biofilms collected at agriculture sites had the lowest levels of NPs in this campaign, but more samples would be needed to confirm these trends. In conclusion, biofilms represent an important sink for plastics in freshwater environments and display signs of distress upon oxidative stress.

Physiochemical Properties and Volatile Profiles in Thai Pickled Mustard Greens Subjected to Varied Fermentation Conditions

P ickled mustard green (Brassica juncea) is a traditional fermented vegetable product in Thailand, commonly used as a culinary ingredient due to its distinctive flavor. However, community-level pickled mustard production often faces challenges in terms of consistent physical and chemical characteristics. This research aims to improve the quality of pickled mustard greens (PMGs) at the community level. The study investigated the effects of different fermentation processes on the chemical, physical, and volatile organic compound profiles of pickled mustard greens. Five fermentation treatments were compared, varying in starter culture concentration (0% and 2%), salt content (0% and 5%), sugar content (5% and 10%), and vinegar addition (0% and 5%). The results investigated that the treatment with lactic acid bacteria, salt, sugar, and vinegar (at concentrations of 2%, 5%, 5%, and 5% respectively) has a positive correlation with the physical quality of the PMGs. Significant differences in pH, titratable acidity, and salt content were found between inoculated and uninoculated samples. Hydrocarbons were identified as the primary compounds contributing to the flavor across all fermentation methods. These findings offer valuable guidelines for improving pickled mustard production, benefiting communities and private sectors involved in this field.

Effect of International Trade on the Economic Growth of Nepal

The study explores the relationship between exports, imports, remittance, and economic growth of Nepal for the 1974/75 to 2021/22 fiscal year. Descriptive and analytical research designs were employed on time series data obtained from secondary sources. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test, co-integration technique, and Error Correction Model (ECM) were employed for empirical investigation. The impact of exports, imports, and remittances on economic growth was analyzed through the ordinary least square regression method for the long run relationship. The result reveals the existence of a long-run relationship between imports, remittances, and gross domestic product. The effect of exports and imports was statistically significant on the economic growth of Nepal and the effects of remittance was statistically insignificant on economic growth. The result emphasizes that the Government should ensure the export promotion policies to achieve Nepal's high and sustainable economic growth by investing in trade infrastructure and export subsidies and creating a favorable environment that encourages using remittance money to support productive sectors of the economy.

FDI REFORMS AND INDUSTRIAL WAGE AFTER THE LAUNCH OF “MAKE IN INDIA”: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

India gradually started liberalizing its industrial, trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) related policies since the launch of economic reforms in 1991. The empirical evidence on the impact of FDI spillovers on industrial wages in India has generated mixed results so far. The current study analysed the impact of FDI inflows on the real wage rates of the workers using data from seven major industrial sectors between 2001–2002 to 2019–2020. The two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation results suggest that FDI inflows positively influenced both the skilled and unskilled wage rates. Moreover, FDI inflows in productive sectors led to a greater rise in wages vis-à-vis the unproductive sectors. In addition, key government policy initiatives like the Make-in-India (MII) scheme and FDI reforms were found to be effectively enhancing wage rates, though the impact on skilled wage rates was greater. The paper stressed the need to create a holistic environment that can attract FDI in both upstream and downstream segments, facilitating India’s deeper participation in global value chains (GVCs) and IPNs on the one hand and realisation of associated dynamic benefits on the other.

Agroenergy Policies and the Influence of Interest Groups – the Case of Polo Agroindustrial e Bioenergético do Médio São Francisco in Bahia, Brasil

Objective: The objective of this article was to investigate how public policies to promote productive activities can be influenced by the actions of interest groups, affect decision-making, and consequently increase the risks of failure and generate government failures. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework adopted is the theories of Public Choice and Strategic Public Management, which provided the basis for understanding the context of the investigation. Method: The methodology consisted of literature review, interviews, policy analysis methodology (PAM) and case study. Data was collected through bibliographic and documentary research, semi-structured interviews with public officials, business people and researchers, and field visits for direct observation. Results and Discussion: The findings revealed that interest groups opposed to stricter regulations on the occupation of territorial space for the exploitation of natural resources influenced the decision-making process for setting the policy agenda, formulating and implementing policies. It also revealed the "permeability" of the government to pressure from these groups, which resulted in the nonimplementation of the Polo. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research provide insights into how the findings can influence practices in the fields of state theory, public policy formulation and management, and territorial development, as well as in the productive, social, and environmental sectors. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by relating the adopted theories to a real case of public policy failure, so that public policy makers can develop mechanisms to curb or minimize the influence of these groups in governments.

Does collaborative governance mediate rural tourism to achieve sustainable territory development? Evidence of stakeholders' perceptions in Colombia

AbstractRural tourism as a diversification strategy might contribute to the sustainability of rural territories in developing countries. However, studies of the forms of how stakeholders relates are required to understand the configuration characteristics of the formal and informal dynamics present at a regional level. This paper explains the mediating role of collaborative governance between rural tourism and sustainable territory development in rural areas through quantitative research using structural equation modeling. The scales were validated by surveying members of civil society, the state, and the productive sector in Colombia. The results confirmed the reliability and validity of the measurement models. Additionally, they validated the dimensions proposed to determine the mediating role of collaborative governance between rural tourism and sustainable territory development. Finally, this document could contributes to a regional consensus on the role of collaborative governance in developing rural tourism actions that significantly promotes the sustainable development of rural territories.

Pemodelan Komponen Sistem Enterprise Resource Planning pada Industri Produksi Minyak

The digitalization of technology in the current era of globalization has brought many changes to the industry. The emergence of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) functions to integrate all departments and industrial business functions, especially in the oil production sector. ERP systems simplify business processes by integrating key functions from various departments. The business processes in the oil production industry are currently not yet running, which has given rise to problems with errors in purchasing goods from suppliers, inaccurate calculations of raw material usage, raw material stocks not being updated quickly, and purchasing reports not being generated automatically. Based on the background of these problems, the industry requires a component modeling that helps the ERP implementation process. Component modeling allows users in industry to understand ERP systems better without being overwhelmed by product or technical details. This research aims to define the ERP system components that are taken into consideration in its implementation. The research stages are divided into five, namely pre-implementation, analysis, design, construction and implementation. The results of the research are component model designs in terms of software, process flow, user mindset, and change management that will be used in implementing the ERP system

Towards zero-waste processes: Waste wool derivatives as phosphate adsorbents and auxiliaries for textiles' natural dyeing.

The textile industry is a pillar of the manufacturing sector worldwide, but it still represents a significantly polluting production sector since it is energy-, water- and natural resource-intensive. Herein, waste wool that did not meet the technical requirements to be used for yarns and fabrics was recovered first to prepare materials for wastewater remediation, specifically for phosphate removal. The wool underwent an alkaline treatment, eventually saturated with FeCl3 and then left at room temperature or thermally treated to induce crosslinking/stabilisation, obtaining adsorbent panels. The main characterisation findings concerned the impact of alkaline treatment on morphology and structure; additionally, the samples with iron displayed a behaviour attributable to a crosslinking effect operated by Fe3+. Batch experiments showed that only samples with iron were efficient in phosphate adsorption, with a high removal percentage obtained in a wide pH range. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics were investigated, suggesting a complex system of interactions. Moreover, during the alkaline treatment necessary to prepare such wool-derived adsorbent panels, a significant amount of wool hydrolysates left in the solution was produced. These substances, in view of zero-waste procedures, were isolated and re-employed as dyeing auxiliaries. Preliminary results demonstrated that the wool hydrolysates enabled the dyeing of cotton with natural dyes, which is generally a tricky process.

Policies and laws on human resource development in agricultural sector in Vietnam now

In the trend of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the trend of digital transformation, along with the orientation of building ecologically sustainable agriculture, modern countrysides, civilized knowledge farmers, meeting the requirements of international economic integration. More than ever, countries’ agriculture requires human resources from managers to researchers and those directly getting involved in agricultural production that meet the standards of professional qualifications, capacity and quality of work performance. In Vietnam, in terms of resources in the agricultural sector, there is a surplus of manual and simple labor but a shortage of high-skilled workers and lack of good managers and organizers. In terms of policies and laws in the field of agriculture, it is relatively complete when there are 15 laws passed in 4 production sectors: fisheries, forestry, horticulture and animal husbandry. This is an important legal basis to mobilize resources, including agricultural human resources in order to develop the country. However, the legal system on human resource development in the field of agriculture in general and on training, education, compensation and support in particular is still lacking and scattered. Thus, the article focuses on analyzing the current status of regulations and practices of implementing regulations on human resource development in the agricultural sector, thereby proposing corresponding policies and laws in Vietnam in the next time.

Exploring biomedical applications with silver and copper nanotechnology

AbstractThe overuse and misuse of antibiotics has accelerated the emergence of bacterial resistance, making the treatment of common infections increasingly difficult and challenging. This has led to a rise in infection rates, worsened patient outcomes, and heightened mortality risks. In response, researchers have been exploring new antimicrobial strategies, with metal nanomaterials of controllable shape and size gaining significant attention for their unique antibacterial properties. Among these, silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) nanomaterials (NMs) stand out for their wide applications in biomedical materials due to their effective antimicrobial mechanisms when used as drugs. Ag and Cu NMs, exemplifying metal biomaterials, showcase broad‐spectrum antibacterial capabilities, durable antimicrobial effects, low toxicity, and reduced likelihood of developing drug resistance. Moreover, they are known to promote angiogenesis, making them exceptionally suitable for biomaterial applications. This review underscores the significance of Ag and Cu NMs in the biomedical sector, detailing their applications and the promising role they play as medical materials. Our aim is to encourage further exploration and utilization of Ag and Cu NMs in biomaterials and industrial production sectors.

Monitoring the lactation-related behaviors of sows and their piglets in farrowing crates using deep learning

Pig farming is a major sector of livestock production. The preweaning stage is a critical period in the pig farming process, where lactation-related behaviors between sows and their piglets directly influence the preweaning survivability of the piglets. Lactation-related behaviors are mutual interactions that require the combined monitoring of both the sow and her piglets. Conventional naked-eye observation is discontinuous and labor-intensive and may result in undetected abnormal behavior and economic losses. Thus, this study proposed to monitor the lactation-related behaviors of sows and their piglets simultaneously and continuously using computer vision. Videos were recorded from farrowing crates using embedded systems equipped with regular RGB cameras. The sow posture recognition model (SPRM), comprising a convolutional neural network (CNN) of the architecture EfficientNet and a long short-term memory network, was trained to identify seven postures of sows. The piglet localization and tracking model (PLTM), comprising a CNN of the architecture YOLOv7 and a simple online and realtime tracking algorithm, was trained to localize and track piglets in the farrowing crate. The sow posture information was then combined with the piglet activity to detect unfed piglets. The trained SPRM and PLTM reached an accuracy of 91.36% and a multiple object tracking accuracy of 94.6%. The performance of the proposed unfed piglet detection achieved a precision of 98.4% and a recall of 90.7%. A long-term experiment was conducted to monitor lactation-related behaviors of sows and their piglets from the birth of the piglets to day 15. The overall mean daily percentages ± standard deviations (SDs) of sow postures were 6.8% ± 2.9% for feeding, 8.8% ± 6.6% for standing, 11.8% ± 4.5% for sitting, 20.6% ± 16.3% for recumbency, 14.1% ± 6.5% for lying, and 38.1% ± 7.5% for lactating. The overall mean daily percentages ± SDs of piglet activities were 38.1% ± 7.5% for suckling, 22.2% ± 5.4% for active, and 39.7% ± 10.5% for rest. The proposed approach provides a total solution for the automatic monitoring of sows and their piglets in the farrowing house. This automatic detection of abnormal lactation-related behaviors can help in preventing piglet preweaning mortality and therefore aid pig farming efficiency.

Remittance outflow, financial development and macroeconomic indicators: evidence from the UK

Remittances have become a significant component of international capital flows, with millions of migrants sending billions of dollars back to their home countries annually. However, the way these outflows affect macroeconomic variables has not received sufficient attention in the literature, especially in the context of varying levels of financial development. Using time series data from 1987 to 2022 for the United Kingdom, this study examines the macroeconomic effects of remittance outflows and financial development. Our baseline estimation using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model reveals heterogeneous impacts, as remittance outflows adversely affect economic growth but improve exchange rates. We find remittances do not have a significant effect on inflation or bank rates. The moderating effect of financial development analysis reveals a similar outcome. Our results suggest governments should consider stimulus policies that support investment in productive sectors to improve macroeconomic indicators and facilitate financial inclusion to enhance the adoption of growth strategies that promote remittances.

Net Zero Agrivoltaic Arrays for Agrotunnel Vertical Growing Systems: Energy Analysis and System Sizing

Local indoor farming plays a significant role in the sustainable food production sector. The operation and energy costs, however, have led to bankruptcy and difficulties in cost management of indoor farming operations. To control the volatility and reduce the electricity costs for indoor farming, the agrivoltaics agrotunnel introduced here uses: (1) high insulation for a building dedicated to vertical growing, (2) high-efficiency light emitting diode (LED) lighting, (3) heat pumps (HPs), and (4) solar photovoltaics (PVs) to provide known electric costs for 25 years. In order to size the PV array, this study develops a thermal model for agrotunnel load calculations and validates it using the Hourly Analysis Program and measured data so the effect of plant evapotranspiration can be included. HPs are sized and plug loads (i.e., water pump energy needed to provide for the hybrid aeroponics/hydroponics system, DC power running the LEDs hung on grow walls, and dehumidifier assisting in moisture condensation in summer) are measured/modeled. Ultimately, all models are combined to establish an annual load profile for an agrotunnel that is then used to model the necessary PV to power the system throughout the year. The results find that agrivoltaics to power an agrotunnel range from 40 to 50 kW and make up an area from 3.2 to 10.48 m2/m2 of an agrotunnel footprint. Net zero agrotunnels are technically viable although future work is needed to deeply explore the economics of localized vertical food growing systems.