Food Production Reduction Research Articles

The effects of COVID-19 on agriculture supply chain, food security, and environment: a review.

COVID-19 has a deep impact on the economic, environmental, and social life of the global population. Particularly, it disturbed the entire agriculture supply chain due to a shortage of labor, travel restrictions, and changes in demand during lockdowns. Consequently, the world population faced food insecurity due to a reduction in food production and booming food prices. Low-income households face food security challenges because of limited income generation during the pandemic. Thus, there is a need to understand comprehensive strategies to meet the complex challenges faced by the food industry and marginalized people in developing countries. This research is intended to review the agricultural supply chain, global food security, and environmental dynamics of COVID-19 by exploring the most significant literature in this domain. Due to lockdowns and reduced industrial production, positive environmental effects are achieved through improved air and water quality and reduced noise pollution globally. However, negative environmental effects emerged due to increasing medical waste, packaging waste, and plastic pollution due to disruptions in recycling operations. There is extensive literature on the effects of COVID-19 on the environment and food security. This study is an effort to review the existing literature to understand the net effects of the pandemic on the environment and food security. The literature suggested adopting innovative policies and strategies to protect the global food supply chain and achieve economic recovery with environmental sustainability. For instance, food productivity should be increased by using modern agriculture technologies to ensure food security. The government should provide food to vulnerable populations during the pandemic. Trade restrictions should be removed for food trade to improve international collaboration for food security. On the environmental side, the government should increase recycling plants during the pandemic to control waste and plastic pollution.

Geospatial Tools and Remote Sensing Strategies for Timely Humanitarian Response: A Case Study on Drought Monitoring in Eswatini

This article explores the escalating impact of natural disasters, particularly droughts, in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with a specific focus on Eswatini. Over the last century, approximately 63 million people in SADC countries have been affected by droughts, leading to challenges in agriculture, livestock losses, and severe food and water shortages. Despite being the smallest SADC nation, the Kingdom of Eswatini faces disproportionate consequences due to its susceptibility to climate variability, particularly drought. The inadequacy and unreliability of rainfall have resulted in a drastic reduction in food production, with maize, a staple crop, experiencing a 70% decline. This adverse trend, spanning three decades, has heightened the vulnerability of farmers to climatic shocks, hindering sustainable agricultural development and impeding poverty alleviation efforts. To address the growing threat of drought in the kingdom, a comprehensive approach is imperative, involving coordinated plans and the development of swift humanitarian relief strategies. This study utilized remote sensing technologies to monitor drought and assess its repercussions, evaluating the impact on agricultural production. Additionally, geospatial tools, including Open Route Service (ORS) and Near Neighbor Analysis algorithms, were employed to optimize humanitarian supply chain logistics. Results from the analysis, including Vegetation Health Index (VHI) fluctuations and drought severity mapping, reveal that 1990 was the year the kingdom was most severely hit by drought. This study also found that smallholder farmers practicing rainfed agriculture in vulnerable regions, such as the lower Middleveld and western Lowveld, suffered the severe socioeconomic consequences of agricultural drought, including income loss, food insecurity, and migration patterns. Through this integrated approach, decision makers can engage in targeted interventions, focusing on farming areas needing irrigation infrastructures or populated areas requiring a coordinated humanitarian response amidst climate variability.

Why climate change spells dangerous for humanity

Today no one may be hesitant to talk about climate change because we are feeling its effects on health. In this article, you will find basic information about the subject, what it is, what causes it, and what we can do about it. But you don’t need to be an expert on climate to talk about the risks climate change poses to human health, or the health benefits of taking action against these changes. When the subject is a climate change, we often hear specialist no knowledge in fact about subject. People often talk about climate change with too much emotion and without paying attention to the facts that are driving those climate changes. At one moment they talk about people and animals dying for lack of water or food, at another moment, they point to the negative effects on people's health. This article points out some causes of the effects of these changes on people. One of the causes is the lack of water and the reduction of food supply. Another cause is heat wave with temperature reaching a record of 49 degrees Celsius in several cities, with an effect on people's regular work, breathing difficulties and water shortage. This article is based on exploratory research to get to know the topic in more depth and establish an opening for future research. The technique for obtaining information is a bibliographical one that points out the facts that generate the impacts of climate change on the lives of people and animals, aiming to stimulate understanding and discussion about the problem. The first results of this research indicate that the problems generated by climate change in the health of people and animals are the reduction in food production, for example: the production of wheat in India; death of people in Pakistan, Spain, India due to temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius and, finally, the lack of water in Somalia and other regions.

Spatial analysis of paddy field change in Purwakarta Regency, West Java, Indonesia

Food is a basic human need. The state must strive to meet the availability of food for people in a sustainable manner. One of the efforts is to maintain and develop paddy fields as a food source as a supplier of 95% of national rice production. The conversion of paddy fields is a reason of decreasing of food production in Purwakarta Regency, which impact on food availability and security. This research was aimed to provide a portrait of the rate of conversion of paddy fields in Purwakarta. This research is a quantitative descriptive research using spatial analysis to compare two period of times: 2013-2017 period and the 2017-2021 period. The results of spatial analysis in the 2013-2017 period showed that Purwakarta Regency experienced a reduction in paddy fields by 195.55 ha (1%) consisting of paddy fields turned into industry 117.99 ha; roads 5.72 ha; settlements of 42.30 ha and housing, trade and services of 29.55 ha. Meanwhile, in the 2013-2017 period, paddy fields turned into industry 151.72 ha, roads by 23.54 ha, settlements 196.76 ha, and housing, trade and services 29.81 ha. The results of this study reinforce that the reduction in food production in Purwakarta was caused by the conversion of paddy fields into other uses during the 2013-2017 and 2017-2021 periods.

Economic assessment of entomophilous pollination in crops from Argentina: possible effects of the pollinator crisis in agriculture

In Argentina, food production is the basis of economic and social development. Several crops depend on entomophilous pollination. However, wild and managed pollinators are threatened by conventional agricultural management practices. In this work, we evaluate the economic value attributed to entomophilous pollination (EEV) of the main crops between 2013 and 2018. Our study focused on analyses of crops with varying degrees of pollinator dependence in terms, their harvested area, yield and total economic value (EV). The EEV attributed to pollinators and the vulnerability of each crop category were estimated. The EEV attributed exclusively to entomophilous pollination, in the 27 crops analyzed, was US$ 4.437 million, representing a contribution of the pollinators of 21,83% of the EV and 13,8 million tons of agricultural products. The EEV in decreasing order is industrial crops, fruit trees, vegetables, nuts and citrus. In industrial crops, where managed pollinators are not used, the contribution of pollinators was high, reaching US$3.655 million. Fruit trees and vegetables are the most vulnerable to an eventual decrease or absence of pollinators with estimated vulnerability rates of 68 and 38% respectively. These results show the economic contribution of the pollinators to the country's agriculture, the high vulnerability of agroecosystems and the effects in quantitative terms of a potential reduction in food production due to a pollination deficit. Finally, this work may be useful to guide decision-making and establish public policies aimed at promoting diversification and sustainability of agricultural models to guarantee food security.

Global food security: trends and challenges

Food is the primary need of any human being, which is why the food security at the both national and global levels is always important. The subject of this research is the global food security. The purpose of this article is to analyze the current state of global food security, identify its main challenges and development trends of recent years. To achieve the goal of this article the author sets and solves following tasks, namely, analyzes different approaches to defining the concept of «food security» and the number of starving people in the world and in its regions for the period 2005-2021, identifies the main challenges for the world food security. General scientific methods were used to achieve the goal of research: analysis, synthesis, systematization, comparison, abstract-logical method. The results of the research show that number of starving people both quantitatively and in percentage terms from 2005 to 2018 almost constantly decreased, and from 2019 began to grow steadily. The author notes that the largest number of starving people live in Asia, and the largest percentage of the undernourished population live in the African region. Since 2020 global food security has worsened significantly, and the main reason for this was the global COVID-19 pandemic, because of which the starving people number began to rise rapidly across the planet. The main negative impact was manifested in the population income decrease and an food prices increase. In addition, the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were also manifested in the reduction of food production, namely, the access of small producers to the necessary resources was reduced, some food products demand decreased due to the closure of public catering establishments, and also there was a temporary suspension of exports. The author highlightes that at the beginning of 2022 a new global food security challenge appeared, it was the Russian-Ukrainian war. Due to the stopping of Ukrainian exports, record food prices were observed, which significantly worsened the access of the low-income population to food products. After the signing of the grain agreement and the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports, the situation stabilized. Conclusion: a steady deterioration of global food security has been observed since the beginning of 2020, the main cause of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022 appeared a new challenge, Russian-Ukrainian war.

Effect of Microplastics on the Germination and Growth of Terrestrial Plants

Objectives : The human beings of our globe are heavily reliant on the use of plastic products on a daily basis. Microplastics (MPs) are tiny particles that are formed as a result of plastic degradation. MPs can be found in terrestrial environment, but previous studies focused on the effects of MPs on marine environment and there are less studies on the effects of MPs on terrestrial environment. In particular, there is still a relatively limited number of studies on the effects of MPs on terrestrial plants. Therefore, this review paper aims to examine previous studies on the effect of MPs on the germination and growth of terrestrial plants.Methods : This review summarized the previous findings on the effect of MPs on the germination and growth of terrestrial plants in order to identify the research gaps and trends on the effects of MPs on terrestrial plants.Results and Discussion : Previous studies on the effect of MPs on the germination and growth of terrestrial plants were reviewed and the observations were summarized to find the gaps in this field of research. Previous studies showed that MPs can change soil properties and these changes can be different depending on the shape and size of MPs. MPs can also release chemicals such as phthalates and heavy metals that might have toxic effects on terrestrial plants. Different forms, types, and sizes of MPs were used in previous studies to study the effects on seed germination and growth of different plants. Most studies reported that MPs have negative effects on seed germination and plant growth (e.g., biomass, chlorophyll contents). Smaller MPs tend to have more significant effects than larger MPs. The changes in the soil properties due to MPs can change microbial community structures and this, in turn, may affect the soil-plant interaction.Conclusion : This study summarizes what have been reported in the previous studies on the effect of MPs on seed germination and growth of terrestrial plants. MPs are likely to affect seed germination and plant growth negatively, and this will eventually lead to reduction in food production and food quality. Owing to the various types, forms, and sizes of MPs that could be present in the terrestrial environment as well as the chemicals that could be released from MPs, there is much to explore to better understand the effect of MPs on terrestrial plants and the underlying mechanisms of such effects.

Modern agrarian crises and components of Ukrainian food industry sustainability

The main systemic flaws and problems that led to the destruction of the planning and administrative model of the economy and the transition to a market, and in the agricultural sector were accompanied by a transformational recession in the 1990s and the emergence of recurrent agrarian crises in the future. It is established that the consequences of the decline in agriculture correlate with the scale of production by the capacity of the food industry, but with a shifted time frame. It was confrmed that, frst of all, the agrarian crisis covers agricultural production, and it further affects other branches and sectors of the agri-food complex. The peculiarities of the manifestation of agrarian crises of 2008-2009, 2014-2015 and 2020-2021 are revealed and the inter-crisis periods concerning the causes and consequences of noticeable fluctuations with the production of food enterprises are analyzed. It is established that the achievement of the pre-crisis (1990) level of food, beverages and tobacco products occurred six years after the "bottom" of the transformational recession, and agricultural products - twenty years later. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide crisis and an agrarian crisis in Ukraine which resulted in signifcant weakening of resilience due to reduction in food production. In this regard, it was important to identify and assess the degree of key problems development the agricultural sector, on the progress of which in the face of increasing market turbulence and will depend on the sustainability of the food industry. The key components for preserving and strengthening the sustainability of the food industry for the current stage have been systematized, in particular, satisfying processing capacities in safe and high-quality food raw materials and carrying out innovative and technological modernization of food processing enterprises, completing national food security legislation of Ukraine on sanitary and phytosanitary measures for the protection of animals and plants to EU legislation. It is established that the implementation of HACCP in food industry is rather topical in the need for a comprehensive solution to a number of problems in the feed-food chain "from feld to table". It is grounded that the practical observance of hygiene, safety and quality requirements will ensure the safety of products of animal origin. It is revealed that market operators comply with the requirements of national regulations, which are harmonized with EU Directives, technical regulations, standards, guidelines of good practice, and implementation of basic principles, methodological approaches and regulations of the Community in the feld of domestic sanitation. phytosanitary measures, form a single regulatory feld of veterinary and phytosanitary requirements for feed market operators. As a result, a transition to a qualitatively higher level of requirements in the chain "from the feld to the table" will take place and ensure their continuity and increasing the level of compliance with safety and quality standards of livestock products. It is emphasized that the advancement of Ukraine's agricultural sector on the path of integration into the EU internal market is accompanied by the emergence of new differences and inconsistencies between domestic and European requirements, changes in the regulatory framework and their implementation in practice. This is an important prerequisite for providing processing facilities with safe and high-quality raw materials and the production of competitive products, which will contribute to increase the sustainability of the food industry. Key words: agrarian crisis, market turbulence, development trends, stability of the food industry, regulatory framework for the production of livestock products.

Boundary Disputes and Its Socioeconomic Effects on Some Selected Communities of Delta State, Nigeria,

Boundary conflicts have been one of the major problems affecting the socio-economic activities of most settlements over time. The study is aimed at the socio-economic effects of boundary and land disputes in some selected communities of Delta State, Nigeria. Data for the study was generated through the distribution questionnaires, which was administered to 400 respondents divided into eighty (80) each in the five areas of administration. In order to elicit more information, questionnaires were administered to both internally displaced persons and those living near the boundaries of the communities and a systematic sampling technique was used in achieving this. The finding of the study shows that boundary and land disputes have an enormous effect on the socio-economic activities of the inhabitant of the identified communities, such as loss of lives and properties, government spending huge amounts to cater for internally displaced persons, loss of income and farmland, and reduction of food production. It was therefore recommended that both the government and individuals in such communities should be proactive in handling issues related to such conflict resulting from boundary and land disputes.

Synthesis of a series of validoxylamine A esters and their biological activities.

The worldwide reduction in food production due to pests and diseases is still an important challenge facing today. Validoxylamine A (VAA) is a natural polyhydroxyl compound derived from validamycin, acting as an efficient trehalase inhibitor with insecticidal and antifungal activities. To extend the application and discover green pesticide, a series of ester derivatives were prepared based on VAA as a lead compound. Their biological activities were investigated against three typically agricultural disease, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Aphis craccivora. This study involved 30 novel validoxylamine A fatty acid esters (VAFAEs) synthesized by Novozym 435 and they were characterized with high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR). Of these 30 derivatives, most compounds showed improved antifungal activity, and 12 novel compounds showed improved insecticidal activity. When reacted with pentadecanoic acid, compound 14 showed the highest inhibitory activity against R. solani [median effective concentration (EC50 ) 0.01 μmol L-1 ], while the EC50 value of VAA was 34.99 μmol L-1 . Furthermore, 21 novel VAFAEs showed higher inhibitory activity against S. sclerotiorum. Validoxylamine A oleic acid ester, compound 21, exhibited the highest insecticidal activity against A. craccivora [median lethal concentration (LC50 ) 39.63 μmol L-1 ], while the LC50 value of Pymetrozine was 50.45 μmol L-1 , a commercialized pesticide against A. craccivora. Combining our results, esterification of VAA by introducing different acyl donors was beneficial for the development of new eco-friendly drugs in the field of pesticides.

Drought Resistance in Qingke Involves a Reprogramming of the Phenylpropanoid Pathway and UDP-Glucosyltransferase Regulation of Abiotic Stress Tolerance Targeting Flavonoid Biosynthesis.

Tibetan hulless barley (qingke) is an important food crop in the Tibetan plateau. However, it often suffers from drought stress resulting in reduction of food production because of the extreme plateau environment. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the drought resistance of qingke, the transcriptomic and metabolomic responses of drought-sensitive (D) and drought-resistant (XL) accessions were characterized in experiments with a time course design. The phenylpropanoid pathway was reprogrammed by downregulating the lignin pathway and increasing the biosynthesis of flavonoids and anthocyanins, and this regulation improved plant tolerance for drought stress. Besides, flavonoid glycosides have induced accumulation of metabolites that participated in drought stress resistance. HVUL7H11410 exhibited the activity of wide-spectrum glucosyltransferase and mediated flavonoid glycosylation to enhance drought stress resistance. Overall, the findings provide insights into the regulatory mechanism underlying drought stress tolerance associated with metabolic reprogramming. Furthermore, the flavonoid-enriched qingke is more tolerant to drought stress and can be used as a functional food to benefit human health.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND FOOD SECURITY SITUATION IN JOS-NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

The current state of food insecurity engendered by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, especially in Jos-North Local Government Area of Plateau State is quiet worrisome and alarming. This paper critically assesses the impact of COVID-19 on food security in Jos-North Local Government Area of Plateau State. This study analyzes the factors responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, examine the impact of COVID-19 disease on food security, and examine the strategies used by the Plateau State government to avoid food crisis. Based on the objectives, the following research questions were asked to provide answers: What factors significantly influence the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria? How does COVID-19 disease affect food security? What are the strategies used by the Plateau State government to prevent a food crisis? Both primary and secondary data were used for this study. The paper identified an increase in the price of food commodity, loss of job/salary reduction, reduction in food purchase, reduction in food production and distribution, disruption of food availability and accessibility as the main effects of the global pandemic on food security in the Plateau State. It concludes that the inability of government (Federal and State) to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened efforts at achieving food security. Based on the above conclusion, the paper recommends that governments at all levels should step up the fight against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Providing testing capacities in all Primary healthcare centres, and security for local farmers to keep the agricultural sector going would be efforts in the right direction.

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL CHANGES OF DROUGHT IN BEIJING-TIANJIN-HEBEI REGION BASED ON REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY

Abstract. Drought is an extremely complex natural disaster phenomenon. Sustained drought will lead to the aggravation of water shortage, food production reduction, land desertification and ecological crisis, which will have a great impact on social and economic development, industrial and agricultural production and ecological environment. In recent years, human activities have intensified, the global climate has been warming, and the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as drought have been continuously strengthened, which has been widely concerned by scholars at home and abroad. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as the political and cultural center of China, is seriously affected by the drought, which has a certain impact on the social economy of the region. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to carry out remote sensing drought monitoring and understand the temporal and spatial characteristics of drought. Based on MOD13A2 and MOD11A2 in MODIS products, this paper constructed the NDVI-Ts feature space to obtain the Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and analyzed the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of drought in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2001 to 2014 with TVDI as the drought index. The results showed that: (1) the NDVI-Ts feature space in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region showed that when the value of NDVI rose from 0 to 1, the maximum temperature of the surface gradually decreased, while the minimum temperature gradually rose. Both of them had a linear relationship with NDVI, and their spatial shape was similar to a triangle, indicating that the study of drought in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei was effective by using this spatial feature; (2) the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region experienced drought every year in the period of 2001–2014, and the drought was more serious in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012; (3) The drought in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was widespread, and the severely arid regions were mainly concentrated in the southern and central regions. In terms of drought intensity, the most frequent occurrences in the period of 2001–2014 were Xingtai, Hengshui, Shijiazhuang, and Handan, and the annual drought in 14 years; the least number of occurrences was Chengde, a total of 4 times; the number of occurrences was second only to Chengde, Tangshan, Zhangjiakou, Qinhuangdao, a total of 7 times. Our results indicated that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was prone to drought and the drought degree was severe.

Typology, technical efficiency and scale economy of dibiteries in Dakar, Senegal.

In recent years, a profound transformation has been observed in the eating habits of the populations of African cities, induced by accelerated socioeconomic and demographic growth. In Senegal, these changes have manifested in the proliferation of collective informal catering enterprises, such as the ' dibiteries', where the roasted meat of sheep is prepared and sold. The rise of the average household income has contributed substantially to increasing levels of meat consumption, leading to the expansion of the dibiteries. The purpose of the current work was to evaluate the managerial performance of these establishments in Dakar, Senegal. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 152 dibiteries using a questionnaire. Efficiency scores were determined via the data envelopment analysis method. The pure technical scores thereby obtained were subsequently used as dependent variables in a Tobit model to identify the socioeconomic determinants of dibiterie efficiency. The resulting average score of the dibiteries suggests that the majority are operating inefficiently (79.6%). Moreover, it was demonstrated that this inefficiency seems to be related to scale rather than technical issues. However, few of the dibiteries assessed (20.4%) were nevertheless in a situation of constant scale economy. Among the socioeconomic variables tested, experience, leadership (family or individual-run), the ownership status of the restaurant building (own or lease) and the type of workforce (family, recruited, mixed or without) had a significant impact on the efficiency of the establishments. The scale economy and waste reduction in food production can result in economic gains that can in turn be used in the safety of finished products. Indeed, by following best practices, dibiteries can make gains which could be used to invest in good hygiene practices on handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting grilling tools, optimizing work space and training staff.

Typology, technical efficiency and scale economy of dibiteries in Dakar, Senegal

Background: In recent years, a profound transformation has been observed in the eating habits of the populations of African cities, induced by accelerated socioeconomic and demographic growth. In Senegal, these changes have manifested in the proliferation of collective informal catering enterprises, such as the ‘ dibiteries’, where the roasted meat of sheep is prepared and sold. The rise of the average household income has contributed substantially to increasing levels of meat consumption, leading to the expansion of the dibiteries. The purpose of the current work was to evaluate the managerial performance of these establishments in Dakar, Senegal. Methods: To achieve this, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 152 dibiteries using a questionnaire. Efficiency scores were determined via the data envelopment analysis method. The pure technical scores thereby obtained were subsequently used as dependent variables in a Tobit model to identify the socioeconomic determinants of dibiterie efficiency. Results: The resulting average score of the dibiteries suggests that the majority are operating inefficiently (79.6%). Moreover, it was demonstrated that this inefficiency seems to be related to scale rather than technical issues. However, few of the dibiteries assessed (20.4%) were nevertheless in a situation of constant scale economy. Among the socioeconomic variables tested, experience, leadership (family or individual-run), the ownership status of the restaurant building (own or lease) and the type of workforce (family, recruited, mixed or without) had a significant impact on the efficiency of the establishments. Conclusions: The scale economy and waste reduction in food production can result in economic gains that can in turn be used in the safety of finished products. Indeed, by following best practices, dibiteries can make gains which could be used to invest in good hygiene practices on handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting grilling tools, optimizing work space and training staff.

Simulating the impact of Grain-for-Green Programme on ecosystem services trade-offs in Northwestern Yunnan, China

One of the main manifestations of the Grain-for-Green Programme (GFGP) is land use change, which will affect the trade-off of ecosystem services. Since the implementation of the GFGP in Dali Autonomous Prefecture in 2000, land use/cover has undergone dramatic changes. This study used the CLUE-S model to simulate land use change in 2030, and explored the spatial pattern and relationship of different ecosystem services under the four scenarios of GFGP. The results show that, GFGP can help to improve indirect services of ecosystems, such as carbon storage and soil conservation. However, direct services of the ecosystem will decline, such as food production and water yield. Compared with 2010, the overall supply level of the four ecosystem services is the most balanced in the moderate GFGP scenario. In this scenario, total food production decreased by 179,000 tons and water yield decreased by 57 million cubic meters. Carbon storage and soil conservation continued to grow, increasing by 21.86 million tons and 17.87 million tons, respectively. The changes of ecosystem services in the strong GFGP scenario are extreme. The increases in carbon storage and soil conservation are at the expense of a significant reduction in food production and water yield. It can be concluded that GFGP may lead to intensifying ecosystem services trade-offs. Through comparing the changes of ecosystem services under different GFGP scenarios, it is found that the implementation intensity of GFGP should be deeply concerned in policy making.

Effect of Farmers – Herdsmen Crisis on Yam Production in Southern Agricultural Zone of Nasarawa State, Nigeria

The study analyzed effect of crisis on yam production in Southern Agricultural Zone, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to; determine the effect of socio-economic variables on yam production, determine the factors affecting yam production, and to compare the gross margin of yam production before and after crisis in the study area. A multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted for this study and a total of sixty (60) respondents were sampled for this study. Data were collected through the use of structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics which involves use frequency, percentages and the gross margin analysis. The study revealed that before the conflict the total variable cost was 233,288.4 while after the conflict, the total variable cost was 172310. The study conclude that price of fertilizer was doubled after conflict thereby reducing production. The result shows that 17.6% of the respondent’s stopped producing yam because of the fear of conflict. And also, there was a reduction in food production between the period of the conflicts and peaceful disposition. The study therefore recommend that government should develop policies and strategies to curtail future occurrence of crisis among farmers and herdsmen, and focus more on giving incentives to farmers and subsidy on farm inputs such as fertilizer, improved varieties, chemicals among others to boost food crop production, farmers income level and to ensure maximum security on lives and properties of prospective citizens and farmers.

Typology, technical efficiency and scale economy of dibiteries in Dakar, Senegal.

In recent years, a profound transformation has been observed in the eating habits of the populations of African cities, induced by accelerated socioeconomic and demographic growth. In Senegal, these changes have manifested in the proliferation of collective informal catering enterprises, such as the ' dibiteries', where the roasted meat of sheep is prepared and sold. The rise of the average household income has contributed substantially to increasing levels of meat consumption, leading to the expansion of the dibiteries. The purpose of the current work was to evaluate the managerial performance of these establishments in Dakar, Senegal. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 163 dibiteries using a questionnaire. Efficiency scores were determined via the data envelopment analysis method. The pure technical scores thereby obtained were subsequently used as dependent variables in a Tobit model to identify the socioeconomic determinants of dibiterie efficiency. The resulting average score of the dibiteries suggests that the majority are operating inefficiently (79.6%). Moreover, it was demonstrated that this inefficiency seems to be related to scale rather than technical issues. However, few of the dibiteries assessed (20.4%) were nevertheless in a situation of constant scale economy. Among the socioeconomic variables tested, experience, leadership (family or individual-run), the ownership status of the restaurant building (own or lease) and the type of workforce (family, recruited, mixed or without) had a significant impact on the efficiency of the establishments. The scale economy and waste reduction in food production can result in economic gains that can in turn be used in the safety of finished products. Indeed, by following best practices, dibiteries can make gains which could be used to invest in good hygiene practices on handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting grilling tools, optimizing work space and training staff.

Biofuels versus food: Understanding the trade-offs between climate friendly crop and food security

The present paper analyzes the impact of Jatropha plantation on food production in North East India. It is based on the primary data collected from 281 farmers, consisting of the present and past Jatropha growers, from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh through multistage random sampling technique. Food production in the region is hypothesized to be affected by agricultural land conversion and labor diversion from food to Jatropha plantations. Non-parametric tests and Probit models were used to examine the effects of Jatropha plantation on food production. The results show that the probability of a reduction in food production does indeed increase if either agricultural land is converted or labor is diverted from food production to Jatropha. However, the conversion of agricultural land and diversion of labor from food production to Jatropha plantation is more likely among the past-growers. Thus, it appears that while Jatropha plantation may set back the food production in the short-run, this adverse effect may reduce in the long-run. Regulation on land use pattern along with higher agricultural productivity may minimize the intensity of land conversion and labor diversion to Jatropha. Moreover, use of degraded land, intercropping, and third-generation biofuels may reduce the food versus biofuels conflict.

WATER GOVERNANCE: THE FUTURE OF GROWTH WITH FOOD AND WATER

Forecasts for the next four decades are warning about shortage of water and food, particularly in developing economies. The demand for food will increase because of population growth, especially in developing economies. The problem is reinforced by the lack of water and reduction in food production. Today the consumption of water for food production is high because people do not realize that this is a scarce resource and that can definitely missing. We must create a policy for the management of water and that people are informed that it is not possible to use the feature without any control. The governance of water is important to establish ways and use control mechanisms and implementation of the resource in the various production processes. The waste during the manufacturing process is very high because: a) there is no control on the amount that should be applied to each type of agricultural product; b) the irrigation process is still done by equipment spraying water in large quantities; c) as water is still abundant for the current agricultural production in producing countries, there is no investment in machinery or equipment that can reduce water consumption; d) government authorities in developing countries do not plan and do not make any kind of control on the use of water or water governance; e) the food production process is carried out intensively and in large areas, it produces a single product and this requires large amounts of water.