Refine search
Results 41-48 of 48
Assessing sustainability performance: a comprehensive overview of the Portuguese wine sector Full text
2023
Ana Trigo | Rui Fragoso | Ana Marta-Costa
Abstract Sustainability assessment is a very subjective and complex procedure. However, whether to cope with climate change, market pressures or new environmental policies, winegrowers are today looking for ways to improve and measure their performance. Nevertheless, there is still a great demand of more information and better evaluation methodologies as most of general assessment frameworks are environmentally focused, non-context-comprehensive or even unfit to evaluate permanent crops such as viticulture. To consider context-comprehensiveness is therefore seen as fundamental in research of this nature. Our objective is to explore nationwide perceptions of upper echelon individuals from the Portuguese wine industry regarding sustainability issues and better ways to assess it. By covering nine of the 14 wine regions in Portugal, the aim is to spot intercultural trends and get a wider picture of the sector´s sustainability awareness. A grounded theory approach was used for the complexity of the topic and for allowing to uncover potential perspective-paradoxes or trade-offs. After collecting data through in-depth interviews, an inductive qualitative-content analysis was applied using IRAMUTEQ software. Results displayed key criteria and insights grouped in four clusters from three distinct ramifications. Beyond the mention of critical factors about the sector´s environmental impacts from the production to packaging phase, distribution and transportation, concerns regarding intergenerational equity gap and non-equitable development opportunities for rural areas were also gathered. One ramification was based on the need to have access to proper sustainability assessment tools. From the urgency to develop a sustainability framework or even certification scheme for increasing consumer demands and export market pressures, to the importance to provide a practical toolkit with lifecycle guidelines, user-friendly and able to support decision-making, two clusters were created. This study reported findings can serve as a reference to wine managers and policy-makers pursuing sustainable development goals.
Show more [+] Less [-]Sustainable vs circular business models in agribusiness: a comparative bibliometric analysis Full text
2023
Barbara Lamolinara | Mário Sérgio Teixeira | Cristina Galamba Marreiros | Vítor Hugo dos Santos Ferreira
Abstract Agribusiness is using several strategies to achieve sustainable development. The sustainable business models and the circular business models tools are adopted to turn agro-industrial waste into new sustainable products and business opportunities. Even if they are two different tools, the boundary between them is not strictly defined but quite flexible, making it difficult for researchers and stakeholders to discriminate among them. Helping to simplify the understanding of their boundaries, authors purpose to carry out a bibliometric comparative analysis between the sustainable business models and the circular business models in agribusiness. The study aims to underline their different and similar trends in literature. For the analysis, Bibliometrix R-Tool was used and the metadata of two databases (WoS and Scopus) were retrieved and merged. Biblioshiny was used to provide graphical outputs. Data from the two groups were compared in different analysis, such as keywords used, country’s research performance, annual scientific production, among others. It resulted that, although circular business models are more recent in comparison with sustainable business models, both present an increasing publication interest in literature and a similar geographical distribution interest about the issues. However, some interesting differences have been identified, such as the most frequent keywords plus and citation used, among others. These findings can help identify overall trends in circular and sustainable business models in agribusiness, and point out contrasting and common aspects, providing an overview about these research topics in academic literature over time. Additionally, this investigation provides clear outlines and helpful information to researchers, scholars, government managers, industry managers, and consultants.
Show more [+] Less [-]Uma análise empírica sobre os determinantes da quantidade de produtores de alimentos orgânicos nos municípios brasileiros Full text
2023
Alice Vasconcelos Silva | Vinícius de Azevedo Couto Firme
Resumo Dada a reduzida participação brasileira na produção mundial de alimentos orgânicos e seu potencial no ramo alimentício, avaliou-se, via dados cross-section (baseados nos produtores orgânicos, cadastrados em janeiro/2022), quais características locais explicariam o número de empreendimentos orgânicos nos municípios brasileiros. Para tanto, consideraram-se os estimadores de MQO, Poisson e Binomial Negativo, inclusive “zero inflated”, com correções (via instrumentos) para variável endógena. Verificou-se que os produtores orgânicos seriam atraídos para os municípios mais próximos à capital estadual, populosos, ricos, de clima estável, levemente chuvosos, de temperatura amena, com melhor educação, população predominantemente rural, cujos produtores rurais têm entre 25-55 anos e que possuem produtores orgânicos na vizinhança. Ademais, eles parecem preferir locais com mais propriedades rurais entre 5-50 hectares, com irrigação própria, mão-de-obra familiar e que evitam agrotóxicos. Alternativamente, cidades com forte produção agropecuária, elevados gastos públicos nesta área e em transportes, cujas propriedades possuem sistemas próprios de armazenagem e recebem mais assistência técnica, seriam preteridos. Por fim, verificou-se que os alimentos convencionais e orgânicos seriam bens substitutos, que as regiões Sul e Nordeste são mais propícias a este ramo e que o Centro-Oeste quase não possui cidades promissoras, sugerindo que os produtores (convencionais) locais impõem barreiras à entrada de orgânicos.
Show more [+] Less [-]Comportamento face ao risco e estratégias de subsistência dos produtores de cacau biológico em São Tomé e Príncipe Full text
2023
Ibrahim Prazeres | Maria Raquel Lucas | Ana Marta-Costa | Pedro Henriques
Resumo O cacau é uma importante atividade sociocultural e económica em São Tomé e Príncipe (STP) e o maior contribuinte para o PIB e para as exportações do país. No entanto, os pequenos produtores ligados a esta cadeia de valor, pertencentes a duas cooperativas, enfrentam vários problemas e desafios relacionados à continuidade da produção de cacau biológico, com algumas vantagens relacionadas ao superior valor de mercado superior e sabor fino ou, à sua substituição por outras atividades mais produtivas e rentáveis. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar o comportamento face ao risco dos produtores de cacau biológico de STP no contexto das suas estratégias de subsistência, através da aplicação de um questionário a uma amostra de 230 famílias rurais. Os resultados mostraram não haver diferenças de governança entre as duas cooperativas. Um modelo teórico foi usado para determinar as relações entre as componentes de risco e as estratégias de subsistência. Os resultados mostram que as perceções de risco são mais importantes do que as atitudes de risco na decisão de estratégias de mitigação de risco. Além disso, as perceções desempenham um papel mediador entre as atitudes de risco dos agricultores e as estratégias de gestão de risco adotadas por eles. Estes resultados defendem medidas de política orientadas para as perceções de risco dos agricultores, a fim de implementar estratégias de gestão de risco bem-sucedidas.
Show more [+] Less [-]Socio-technical transition in the palm oil sector: analysis from a multilevel perspective in Colombia’s municipality of Tibú Full text
2023
José Ignacio Campos Naranjo | Germán Forero-Cantor
Abstract Changes in the interactions between agents involved in the value chain of the palm oil sector in the municipality of Tibú (Colombia) over the period 1985-2020 have resulted in a reduction in the indices of poverty, social inequality, and unemployment for the inhabitants of the region, which can be explained by a process of socio-technical transition. The main objective of this study is to analyze the factors that determined the success of this process from a multilevel perspective. Exploratory research was developed based on a case study analysis using semi-structured interviews of commercial and non-commercial agents in the sector and information collected from secondary sources. The results show that changes in the legal and regulatory framework established by the government, landscape transformation, and the transition from small farmers to medium entrepreneurs of the farms in the region were important factors revolutionizing the system and are encouraging the emergence of new alternative practices in the palm oil sector.
Show more [+] Less [-]Household food waste: what to expect from midwest Brazilians’ intention Full text
2023
Thelma Lucchese Cheung | Lilian Maluf de Lima | Cristiane Coelho Reindel
Abstract The article deals with a relevant theme regarding problems related to food supply. The losses accounted at production process and consumer food waste justify research on the subject. The purpose of this paper is to explain food waste intention using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical lens. In addition to measuring the influence of attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control on intention, additional constructs were introduced into the model. Affect, planning routines, food surplus, and environmental concerns were incorporated to fit a logistic regression model, presenting the probability of food waste occurrence as a proxy for the probability of intention to waste. An online questionnaire was developed to collect data from consumers in the Midwest of Brazil. The sample consisted of 419 responses. As a result, it was found that food waste occurred more in affluent households, fewer in number, better categorized as “waste people” by family and friends, and less adept at reusing leftovers or saving food. In general, the affective memory related to food corroborates the desire for an abundant table, making waste acceptable. This information is useful for the construction of action plans, public and private, aimed at behavioral changes related to waste.
Show more [+] Less [-]Extensionist competencies index: a tool for the development of extensionist capacities? Full text
2023
Claudia Marcela Castaño Ramírez | Holmes Rodríguez-Espinosa | Rosa Elsa Pérez
Abstract Identifying the basic competencies that a professional should possess to fulfill his or her role as an extensionist is important, since it favors the connection with the communities being accompanied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the level of perception of the development of competencies of the extensionists, by means of an instrument designed by the authors, on a scale from one (critical situation) to five (optimal situation) using a rubric defined for each competency. The extensionist competencies index (ICE) for Antioquia was 4.1 and for Santander 3.8, which showed the potential and options for improvement to focus efforts on updating and training extensionists, which in the cases analyzed were focused on conflict resolution, information management, the ICT implementation in accompaniment processes, and alignment with the sector’s own regulations and policies.
Show more [+] Less [-]Food communities and peasant farms: strategies for food sustainability Full text
2023
Raquel Méndez-Villamizar | Edna Magaly Gamboa-Delgado | Carlos Jesús Muvdi-Nova | Ximena Lucelly Sánchez | Néstor Mendieta
Abstract This article shows the results of the study “Virtual Office of 10,000 sustainable peasant farms from the regions of Santander and Magdalena Medio”. The study is framed in a Colombian social movement for the preservation of the peasant farm as pivotal axis for food sustainability in the territories. The study has a principal aim to identify the organization process of fourteen (14) food communities and the participatory design of the peasant farm model as strategies for food security in the Colombian territories of Magdalena Medio and Santander. The study conducted a mixed methodology with both qualitative and descriptive, cross-sectional quantitative analysis with data collected from participant communities. Data collection was done through focus groups with seven (7) communities and fourteen (14) interviews with food community leaders from eleven (11) municipalities in three different Colombian departments. Results show that the peasant organization structure called food community and the peasant farm participatory models for each territory are strategies that have led to the strengthening of the local autonomy of the peasant communities for the defense of food sustainability practices within their contexts.
Show more [+] Less [-]